County outline
Where Carlton County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.4% of Carlton County’s measured area and water for 1.6%. Its combined area converts to 2,266.7 square kilometers or approximately 560,107 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 861.204 | 2,230.508 | 551,170.6 |
| Water | 13.963 | 36.164 | 8,936.3 |
| Total | 875.167 | 2,266.672 | 560,106.9 |
How Carlton County compares
By original Census land area, Carlton County ranks #28 of 87 in Minnesota and #963 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.277 times the Minnesota county-equivalent median of 674.6 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Minnesota ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Carlton County
The Census Bureau estimates that 36,711 people lived in Carlton County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,304 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #29 of 87 in Minnesota. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 36,200, the population has grown by 511 (+1.4%), compared with +2.2% for Minnesota as a whole.
With 861.2 square miles of land, that is 43 people per square mile (16 per km²), placing Carlton County #1,695 nationally for density and #32 in Minnesota. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Minnesota median is 27. Put another way, there are about 15 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 36,190 | 36,455 | 36,738 | 36,694 | 36,725 | 36,711 |
| Change | — | +265 | +283 | −44 | +31 | −14 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Carlton County
Carlton County is divided into 30 municipalities and townships. In Minnesota, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Cloquet city, with 12,399 residents (33.8% of the county). The largest by land is North Carlton UT, at 125.2 mi², or 14.5% of the county’s land. The county seat, Carlton city, has 965 residents. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Moose Lake city grew fastest since then (+5.6%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloquet city | 12,399 | −1.3% | 35.2 | 4.1% |
| Thomson township | 5,624 | +2.9% | 39.7 | 4.6% |
| Moose Lake city | 2,948 | +5.6% | 3.28 | 0.4% |
| Twin Lakes township | 2,116 | +2.5% | 42.8 | 5% |
| Barnum township | 1,127 | +2.8% | 45 | 5.2% |
| Perch Lake township | 1,042 | +2.6% | 34.7 | 4% |
| Blackhoof township | 1,016 | +3% | 36 | 4.2% |
| Moose Lake township | 1,012 | +2.4% | 32.2 | 3.7% |
| North Carlton UT | 992 | +2.5% | 125.2 | 14.5% |
| Scanlon city | 989 | −0.2% | 0.858 | 0.1% |
| Carlton cityCounty seat | 965 | +1.8% | 3.805 | 0.4% |
| Silver Brook township | 635 | +2.9% | 20 | 2.3% |
| Barnum city | 605 | −2.4% | 1.009 | 0.1% |
| Mahtowa township | 571 | +2.9% | 23.7 | 2.7% |
| Eagle township | 542 | +2.7% | 34.6 | 4% |
Show the other 15 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrenshall city | 457 | +7.8% | 1.491 |
| Wrenshall township | 457 | +2.9% | 37.9 |
| Silver township | 451 | +2.5% | 35 |
| Skelton township | 417 | +2.5% | 35 |
| Atkinson township | 406 | +2.5% | 17.4 |
| Kalevala township | 313 | +2.6% | 35.8 |
| Cromwell city | 258 | +4% | 1.839 |
| Holyoke township | 216 | +3.3% | 37.9 |
| Lakeview township | 214 | +2.9% | 33.5 |
| Wright city | 170 | +2.4% | 1.463 |
| Kettle River city | 168 | 0% | 0.386 |
| Split Rock township | 167 | +3.1% | 36.6 |
| Automba township | 151 | +2% | 36.4 |
| Clear Creek UT | 143 | +2.1% | 36.4 |
| Beseman township | 140 | +2.2% | 35.9 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Carlton County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Carlton County is an outlying county of the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 281,219 residents on 8,413.6 square miles of land; Carlton County accounts for 10.2% of the land and 13.1% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #13 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #183 by population. It belongs to the Duluth-Grand Rapids, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis County | 200,518 | 6,248.1 |
| Douglas CountyWisconsin | 43,990 | 1,304.3 |
| Carlton County | 36,711 | 861.2 |
ZIP codes
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Carlton County; 11 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
557075571855720557265573355749557565575755767557805578355787557975579855810
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Carlton County
Carlton County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents, including 1 in Wisconsin. Each of them has more land than Carlton County. The largest neighbor is St. Louis County (6,248.1 mi²) and the smallest is Douglas County (1,304.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Carlton County forms a block of 11,646.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 7.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Carlton | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis County | 6,248.1 | 7.3× larger | Compare |
| Aitkin County | 1,821.3 | 2.1× larger | Compare |
| Pine County | 1,411.3 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Douglas CountyWisconsin | 1,304.3 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
How big is Carlton County compared with U.S. states?
Carlton County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. Minnesota’s county land could hold about 92 areas the size of Carlton County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29.3 miles (47.2 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Carlton County?
Carlton County has more land than 2,259 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Carlton County at #1,037 nationally by total area, 74 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.4 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Carlton County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #962 | Fillmore County, Minnesota | 861.3 | Compare |
| #963 | Carlton County, Minnesota | 861.2 | This county |
| #964 | Potter County, South Dakota | 861.1 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 46.603819, -92.671044. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,230,507,247 m²; AWATER: 36,163,382 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Carlton County?
Carlton County, Minnesota has 861.2 square miles (2,230.5 km²) of land and 14 square miles of water, for a total area of 875.2 square miles. It ranks #963 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Carlton County the largest county in Minnesota?
No. Carlton County ranks #28 of 87 in Minnesota by land area. The largest is St. Louis County, with 6,248.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Carlton County?
Carlton County shares a land border with St. Louis County, Pine County, Aitkin County, and Douglas County, Wisconsin.
What is the population of Carlton County?
The Census Bureau estimates Carlton County had 36,711 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,304 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 43 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Carlton County?
The county seat of Carlton County is Carlton.
What cities and towns are in Carlton County?
Carlton County has 30 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Cloquet city, Thomson township, Moose Lake city, Twin Lakes township, and Barnum township.
Is Carlton County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 281,219 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Carlton County?
15 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Carlton County, and 11 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Carlton County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Carlton County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 551,171 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 560,107 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.