• county
  • FIPS 27145
  • Largest town: St. Cloud

Stearns County, Minnesota

Stearns County had 163,997 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,342.9 square miles of land. It ranks 8th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 14th by land area.

Population
163,997
#8 of 87 in Minnesota · #428 in US
Area
1,342.9 sq mi
#14 of 87 in Minnesota · #445 in US
Density
122 / sq mi
#13 of 87 in Minnesota · #790 in US
Median household income
$75,116
#26 of 87 in Minnesota · #665 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Stearns County within Minnesota. Pin: Saint Paul.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Stearns County

Stearns County population, land area and income

Stearns County had 163,997 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,342.9 square miles of land. It ranks 8th of 87 in Minnesota by population and 14th by land area. That works out to 122.1 people per square mile, 1.3 times the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Minnesota has 22,050 residents, so Stearns County is 7.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $75,116 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

163,997

3144th1st

428th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,343 sq mi

3144th1st

445th of 3,144 (US)

Density

122.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

790th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$75,116

3143rd1st

665th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Minnesota (87)

Population

163,997

87th1st

8th of 87 (MN)

Land area

1,343 sq mi

87th1st

14th of 87 (MN)

Density

122.1 / sq mi

87th1st

13th of 87 (MN)

Median household income

$75,116

87th1st

26th of 87 (MN)

How Stearns County's population changed since 2020

Stearns County gained 5,509 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.5%. That ranks 13th of 87 in Minnesota for growth. The median Minnesota county changed by +0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Stearns County recorded 8,688 births and 5,457 deaths, a natural change of +3,231. Net international migration added +4,149 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -1,758. The largest single component was international migration, which added 4,149 people.

158.5k2020159.2k2021160.6k2022162.1k2023164.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
8,688
Deaths
5,457
Net international migration
+4,149
Net domestic migration
-1,758
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,937

Where Stearns County is

The Census internal point of Stearns County is at 45.555200, -94.610500. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Minnesota's 87 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Stearns County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cook County: -0.5%Kanabec County: +3.4%Carlton County: +1.5%Becker County: +0.7%Dodge County: +1.7%Douglas County: +2.1%Murray County: -1.5%Pipestone County: -3.3%Rock County: -1.7%Steele County: +0.1%Waseca County: -1.4%Pennington County: -2.1%Red Lake County: -1.5%Stevens County: +1.6%Hubbard County: +3.1%Mahnomen County: -1.8%Fillmore County: +1.2%Otter Tail County: +1.4%Rice County: +2.9%Meeker County: +0.2%Nobles County: -1.1%Swift County: -1.5%Watonwan County: -0.3%Wadena County: +2.2%Polk County: -2.1%Lyon County: +0.6%St. Louis County: +0.4%Todd County: +2.6%Carver County: +5.0%Kandiyohi County: +2.2%Olmsted County: +2.1%Roseau County: -0.3%Dakota County: +2.9%Yellow Medicine County: -1.2%Crow Wing County: +3.6%Sibley County: +2.7%Morrison County: +1.5%Lac qui Parle County: -1.0%Lincoln County: -1.3%Martin County: -2.2%Clay County: +2.3%Houston County: -2.5%Wilkin County: -3.3%Nicollet County: -0.0%Norman County: -2.4%Benton County: +1.3%Anoka County: +3.4%Blue Earth County: +2.2%Traverse County: -6.7%Aitkin County: +4.0%Marshall County: -3.0%Grant County: +0.3%Wabasha County: +0.8%Lake County: -2.0%Cottonwood County: -1.6%Brown County: -0.8%Cass County: +4.2%Lake of the Woods County: +0.7%Scott County: +3.9%Isanti County: +5.5%Stearns County: +3.5%Clearwater County: +0.7%Hennepin County: -0.7%Kittson County: -4.7%Wright County: +9.0%Goodhue County: +0.8%Jackson County: -1.3%Washington County: +5.8%Chippewa County: -2.5%Freeborn County: -1.9%Koochiching County: -3.6%Big Stone County: -1.8%Redwood County: -1.1%Chisago County: +4.2%Faribault County: -0.1%Renville County: -1.6%Itasca County: +0.9%Mower County: +2.1%Sherburne County: +5.6%Mille Lacs County: +4.2%Winona County: +0.6%Ramsey County: -1.8%Pine County: +4.9%McLeod County: +0.1%Pope County: +1.5%Le Sueur County: +2.8%Beltrami County: +1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.7%
  2. < -0.3%
  3. < +1.2%
  4. < +2.8%
  5. ≥ +2.8%
no data

Orange pin: Stearns County internal point. Dark pin: Saint Paul.

Internal point

Decimal
45.555200, -94.610500
DMS
45°33'18.72"N 94°36'37.80"W
UTM
15N 374300.1E 5045890.5N
Geohash
cbhepj4dr
Plus code
86Q7H94Q+3R

Towns in Stearns County

15 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Stearns County, 118,943 people together, or 73% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Stearns County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is St. Cloud with 57,229.

  1. 01St. Cloud (part)57,229
  2. 02Sartell (part)17,826
  3. 03Waite Park8,504
  4. 04St. Joseph6,992
  5. 05Sauk Centre4,682
  6. 06Cold Spring4,326
  7. 07Melrose3,911
  8. 08St. Augusta3,767
  9. 09Albany2,874
  10. 10Paynesville2,586
  11. 11Rockville2,471
  12. 12Avon1,742
  13. 13Richmond1,521
  14. 14Eden Valley (part)508
  15. 15Clearwater (part)4
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Stearns County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 9 neighbors for Stearns County. The most populous is Wright County, MN, with 154,593 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Saint Paul and the nearest big city

Saint Paul is 84.3 miles ESE of Stearns County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Minneapolis, MN (population 428,579), 77.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Sartell, MN (population 19,979), 19.8 miles away.

Stearns County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Stearns County is 27145: state code 27 for Minnesota plus county code 145. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $75,116.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Stearns County, Minnesota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 163,997. That is up 5,509 people (3.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 158,488.

What is the FIPS code of Stearns County?

27145. The first two digits (27) are Minnesota; the last three (145) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Stearns County?

St. Cloud, with 57,229 residents inside Stearns County in 2024 (72,145 across all 3 counties it spans).

Which counties border Stearns County?

9 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Wright County, MN; Sherburne County, MN; Kandiyohi County, MN; Benton County, MN; Douglas County, MN; Morrison County, MN; Todd County, MN; Meeker County, MN; Pope County, MN.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.