Carlton County, Minnesota

Geography

Carlton County lies on Minnesota's eastern edge. Its eastern boundary abuts Wisconsin. The Saint Louis River flows east-southeast through the county, discharging into Lake Superior. The Moose Horn River flows southwest through the county, | access-date = 11 June 2025 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250611125405/https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/streamfind/stream.html?id=M-050-046-029 | archive-date = 11 June 2025 | url-status = live

The county has an area of 875 sqmi, of which 861 sqmi is land and 14 sqmi (1.6%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-35.svg|20px]] Interstate 35
• [[Image:MN-23.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 23
• [[Image:MN-27.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 27
• [[Image:MN-33.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 33
• [[Image:MN-45.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 45
• [[Image:MN-73.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 73
• [[Image:MN-210.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 210
• [[Image:MN-289.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 289

Adjacent counties

• Saint Louis County – north
• Douglas County, Wisconsin – east
• Pine County – south
• Aitkin County – west

Protected areas

• Black Hoof Wildlife Management Area{{Cite web | access-date = 11 June 2025 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250611123143/http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Destinations/Maps/Blackhoof_River_WMA.pdf | archive-date = 11 June 2025 | url-status = live
• Dye State Wildlife Management Area{{Cite web | access-date = 11 June 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250609210954/https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wmas/detail_report.html?id=WMA0097200 |archive-date= 9 June 2025 | url-status = live
• Fond du Lac State Forest (part)
• Jay Cooke State Park
• Kettle Lake State Wildlife Management Area
• Nemadji State Forest (part)
• Sawyer State Wildlife Management Area{{Cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250209110838/https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wmas/detail_report.html?id=WMA0085400 | archive-date = 9 February 2025 | url-status = live | access-date = 11 June 2025

History

Under a 1854 Treaty of La Pointe the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and other reservations were established in exchange for all the Lake Superior Ojibwe land in the Arrowhead Region. Carlton County was formed and organized in 1870. It was named for Reuben B. Carlton, a member of the Minnesota Senate (1857–58).

In October 1918, an immense forest fire occurred, known as the Cloquet fire. The Carlton County Historical Society hosts a permanent exhibit about the fire of 1918, along with ones about the Ojibwe of Carlton County and the Logging Era.

Climate and weather

|Carlton, Minnesota |1|20|0.95 |6|27|0.87 |17|38|1.49 |29|54|2.32 |39|67|3.23 |48|75|4.24 |54|80|4.21 |53|78|4.00 |45|68|4.34 |34|54|3.12 |22|37|1.96 |7|23|1.14 In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carlton have ranged from a low of 1 °F in January to a high of 80 °F in July, although a record low of -45 °F was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 105 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.87 in in February to 4.34 in in September.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 36,207. The median age was 42.0 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 109.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 86.0% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 6.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian,

36.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 63.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 13,789 households in the county, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.0% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 15,688 housing units, of which 12.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.9% were owner-occupied and 20.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, 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.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,671 people, 12,064 households, and 8,408 families in the county. The population density was 36.8 /mi2. There were 13,721 housing units at an average density of 15.9 /mi2. 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

• Barnum
• Carlton (county seat)
• Cloquet
• Cromwell
• Kettle River
• Moose Lake
• Scanlon
• Wrenshall
• Wright

Census-designated places

• Big Lake
• Esko
• Mahtowa

Unincorporated communities

• Atkinson
• Automba
• Duesler
• Harney
• Holyoke
• Iverson
• Nemadji
• Otter Creek
• Pleasant Valley
• Sawyer
• Scotts Corner

Townships

• Atkinson Township
• Automba Township
• Barnum Township
• Beseman Township
• Blackhoof Township
• Eagle Township
• Holyoke Township
• Kalevala Township
• Lakeview Township
• Mahtowa Township
• Moose Lake Township
• Perch Lake Township
• Silver Township
• Silver Brook Township
• Skelton Township
• Split Rock Township
• Thomson Township
• Twin Lakes Township
• Wrenshall Township

Unorganized territories

• Clear Creek
• North Carlton Includes Corona, Progress, Red Clover, and Sawyer Unorganized Townships.

Government and politics

Local government

As of 2025, the Carlton County Sheriff is Kelly Lake. Lake has served as Sheriff since April 2005. The Carlton County Board of Commissioners has five members, each representing one district. In April 2019, Sheriff Lake and the Fond du Lac Police Department collaborated on sex trafficking training on behalf of other sheriff agencies that would be affected by the upcoming Enbridge Line 3. In 2017, Carlton County published a detailed Jail & Criminal Justice System Planning Study. As of 2019, Carlton County Public Health employs 36 county staff and 6 contract staff. It has been operating since 1920.

National

The Democratic Party historically dominated the county, carrying it by wide margins in every presidential election from 1932 to 2012, but Donald Trump lost by only 300 votes in 2016 and 307 votes in 2020 (a margin of under 2% and holding the Democrats to only a plurality in both elections), signaling a new competitiveness in Carlton County. The only other Republican to receive at least 40% of the vote since 1932 was Richard Nixon during his 49-state landslide in 1972. During the 2022 Midterm Elections, the Republican candidates for Attorney General, State Auditor, and U.S. House of Representatives won Carlton County, and Republicans also flipped State House District 11A, which includes most of Carlton County and came among other seat flips on the Iron Range despite not winning the State House overall. These wins marked a potential realignment towards the Republican Party. This trend continued in 2024, with Donald Trump becoming the first Republican since Herbert Hoover in 1928 to win the county, receiving 50.1% of the vote.

References

References

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2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
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6. rises to {{convert. 1,450. ft. m
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13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
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18. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Carlton County, Minnesota".
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
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24. article, Jamie Lund Share Share this. (2019-07-22). "Lake marks 30 years at sheriff's office".
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26. (June 2019). "Nahgahchiwanong Dibahjim owinn an". Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee..
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36. "Rep. Jeff Dotseth (11A) – Minnesota House of Representatives".
37. "Representative Pete Stauber".
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