Carlton County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carlton County
U.S. county
Carlton County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	May 23, 1857 (created) 1870 (organized)
Named for	Reuben B. Carlton
Seat	Carlton
Largest city	Cloquet
Area
• Total	875 sq mi (2,270 km2)
• Land	861 sq mi (2,230 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)  1.6%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	36,207
• Estimate  (2021)	36,409
• Density	42.1/sq mi (16.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

Carlton County is a county in the State of Minnesota, formed in 1857. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,207. Its county seat is Carlton. Part of the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation lies in northeastern Carlton County.

Carlton County is part of the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 875 square miles (2,270 km²), of which 861 square miles (2,230 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (1.6%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Saint Louis County, Minnesota (north)
• Douglas County, Wisconsin (east)
• Pine County, Minnesota (south)
• Aitkin County, Minnesota (west)

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carlton have ranged from a low of 1 °F (−17 °C) in January to a high of 80 °F (27 °C) in July, although a record low of −45 °F (−43 °C) was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.87 inches (22 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in September.

Demographics

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 census data

As of the 2010 census, there were 35,386 people living in the county. 89.7% were White, 5.9% Native American, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 2.4% of two or more races. 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 16.4% were of German, 13.5% Finnish, 8.9% Norwegian, 8.6% Swedish and 5.6% American ancestry.

As of the 2000 census, there were 31,671 people, 12,064 households, and 8,408 families in the county. The population density was 36.8/sqmi (14.2/km²). There were 13,721 housing units at an average density of 15.9/sqmi (6.15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.75% White, 0.97% Black or African American, 5.19% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. 0.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.5% were of German, 16.9% Finnish, 12.5% Norwegian, 11.8% Swedish and 5.8% Polish ancestry. 95.5% spoke English, 1.8% Finnish and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 12,064 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00.

The county population contained 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,021, and the median income for a family was $48,406. Males had a median income of $38,788 versus $25,555 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,073. About 5.40% of families and 7.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.20% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Townships

Unorganized territories

• Clear Creek
• North Carlton

Census-designated places

• Big Lake
• Esko
• Mahtowa

Other unincorporated communities