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COUNTY

Carlton County

Minnesota · 36,711 residents (2025 est.) · 861 sq mi
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The short version

With 36,518 people, Carlton County is a county in Minnesota. Few US counties rank higher on income. Owners hold 80% of the housing stock. 2% of people here were born outside the United States. 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Density works out to 42 people per square mile.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
26% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 56%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
36,518
+15%since 2000
from 31,671 in 2000
36,711 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
42 / sq mi
+8%since 2009
from 39 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
41.4
+8%since 2000
from 38.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
861 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
29K31K33K35K37K19902000201020202024Carlton County
202437K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(1,808)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.7%(2,095)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(2,450)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(2,288)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.1%(1,851)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.6%(4,223)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.4%(5,266)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.7%(4,643)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414%(5,120)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.2%(4,091)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.3%(1,934)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(749)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$80,573
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,021 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,410
+118%since 2000
from $18,073 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
53.0%
+25.7 ptssince 2009
from 27.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.9%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 7.9% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.420
+6%since 2010
from 0.396 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade10.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade6.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance6.4%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Professional, scientific, technical5.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration5.1%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1%
US avg: 1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.8%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$245,100
+56%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $86,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,009
+40%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $395 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
80.0%
−2.1 ptssince 2000
from 82.1% in 2000
20.0% rent
Vacancy rate
11.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.39 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.35 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
19.4%
−7.7 ptssince 2009
from 27.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.6%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 44.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.0
−1%since 2009
from 3.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
38
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91.3%(28,907)
Black0.9%(297)
Hispanic / Latino0.8%(266)
Asian0.4%(112)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic86.9%(31,722)
Black2.2%(789)
Hispanic / Latino1.9%(711)
Asian0.5%(196)
Other8.5%(3,100)
Diversity Score
30
+29%since 2009
from 23 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
36
−20%since 2020
from 45 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican1.5%(543)
Salvadoran0.1%(21)
Spaniard0%(18)
Cuban0%(12)
Honduran0%(11)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.2%(68)
Chinese0.1%(48)
Hmong0.1%(41)
Filipino0.1%(21)
Laotian0%(10)
Thai0%(3)
Korean0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(15)
Ancestry
German21.3%(7,773)
Finnish12.7%(4,646)
Swedish11.5%(4,182)
Norwegian10.5%(3,834)
Irish9.8%(3,562)
English6.9%(2,524)
Polish6.2%(2,248)
American3.7%(1,368)
Italian3.4%(1,230)
French2.6%(961)
Danish1.4%(521)
+ 35 more ancestry groups with data
Czech1.2%(438)
Dutch1.2%(424)
Scottish1%(348)
Swiss0.5%(173)
Welsh0.3%(121)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(109)
Arab0.3%(104)
Slovene0.3%(104)
Portuguese0.3%(94)
Croatian0.2%(78)
West Indian0.2%(72)
Syrian0.2%(69)
Belgian0.2%(67)
Ethiopian0.2%(63)
British0.2%(58)
Iranian0.2%(56)
Slovak0.2%(56)
Serbian0.1%(46)
Austrian0.1%(43)
Russian0.1%(43)
Canadian0.1%(41)
Lithuanian0.1%(39)
Hungarian0.1%(37)
Greek0.1%(34)
Turkish0.1%(32)
Lebanese0.1%(23)
Kenyan0.1%(23)
Israeli0.1%(22)
Ukrainian0.1%(21)
Romanian0.1%(19)
Somali0%(1)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
26.5%
+11.6 ptssince 2000
from 14.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.6%
+9.3 ptssince 2000
from 84.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
9.2%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 4.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.5 min
+54%since 2000
from 13.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.7%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 81.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.0%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
9.5%
+4.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−2.8 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
59.3%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 63.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 79.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
17.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 18.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
37.8%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 33.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
53.4%
+2.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Female
46.6%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Foreign born
1.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.8%
−5.0 ptssince 2009
from 12.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.6%
+2.0 ptssince 2012
from 13.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.5%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 8.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.0%
+19.0 ptssince 2017
from 69.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.6%
+5.0 ptssince 2020
from 89.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.7%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 90.0% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
96.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 96.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2016
from 0.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.1%(5,498)
Married50.1%(8,088)
Widowed2.4%(389)
Divorced13.4%(2,164)
Women 15+
Never married23.2%(3,249)
Married55%(7,712)
Widowed9.2%(1,293)
Divorced12.6%(1,772)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.5%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 8.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
58.7%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 60.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.1%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 14.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 19.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 20.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 3.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
73.3%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 73.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
39.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 38.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)26.4%(591)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.2%(475)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.8%(734)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.3%(97)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.1%(2)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,237 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Pop 34,519
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Head to head

Compare Carlton County to nearby counties

CARLTON COUNTY VS
Pine County
Income$71,146−12%
Home value$239,300−2%
Population30,472−17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARLTON COUNTY VS
Aitkin County
Income$60,833−24%
Home value$255,800+4%
Population16,252−56%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARLTON COUNTY VS
Douglas County
Income$75,099−7%
Home value$205,800−16%
Population43,990+20%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARLTON COUNTY VS
Burnett County
Income$62,819−22%
Home value$231,300−6%
Population17,223−53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Carlton County, Minnesota?

Carlton County, Minnesota has about 36,518 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Carlton County, Minnesota?

The typical household in Carlton County, Minnesota earns about $80,573 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Carlton County, Minnesota expensive?

In Carlton County, Minnesota, the median home is worth about $245,100, and the typical rent is about $1,009 a month.

How educated are people in Carlton County, Minnesota?

About 26.5% of adults age 25 and over in Carlton County, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Carlton County, Minnesota?

About 11.9% of people in Carlton County, Minnesota live below the federal poverty line.

Has Carlton County, Minnesota grown since 1990?

Yes, Carlton County, Minnesota has grown since 1990. The population has added about 7,259 residents, a change of about 25 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →