Clearwater County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clearwater County, MN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Minnesota
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 94% of counties in Minnesota
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 91% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clearwater County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,616 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 8.4 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.21% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,339 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clearwater County grew by 4.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,616 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clearwater County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.4% of residents. That is 0.7 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,618 18.8% -2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,526 17.7% -4.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,755 20.4% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,732 20.1% +3.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Minnesota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.6% of the people living in Clearwater County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.4% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Clearwater County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Clearwater County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,282 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.23% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clearwater County is about 26% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Clearwater County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $153,125 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $741 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.1% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clearwater County is about 17.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $741 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clearwater County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 175 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.0 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.9 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 175 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,413 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,841 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 288 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Clearwater County is 21 minutes, longer than the 20 minutes in Minnesota.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Clearwater County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.0% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.54 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Clearwater County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Clearwater County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.2 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.0% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.0% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Clearwater County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
Clearwater County, MN is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 8,616 residents against a local median of 35,340. Clearwater County, MN's median home price, at $153,125, runs 111% above the $72,500 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 21.0 min against a local median of 16.9 min, 24% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 24% above the local median it puts Clearwater County, MN at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $155,682 on median home price, so Clearwater County, MN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Clearwater County, MN has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater County, MN | 8,616 | $66,282 #4/4 | $153,125 #2/4 | 21.0 min #4/4 |
| Beltrami County, MN | 41,614 | $69,036 | $69,333 | 16.1 min |
| Hubbard County, MN | 21,828 | $71,424 | $72,500 | 18.0 min |
| Becker County, MN | 35,340 | $71,230 | $225,015 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clearwater County, Minnesota.
What is the population of Clearwater County, Minnesota?
About 8,616 people live in Clearwater County, Minnesota, in 3,339 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Clearwater County, Minnesota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Clearwater County, Minnesota has 8 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 10% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Clearwater County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($153,125 against $66,282), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $741 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Clearwater County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Clearwater County, Minnesota is 7.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Clearwater County, Minnesota have a college degree?
17.0% of adults in Clearwater County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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