Clearwater County Demographics

A map of Clearwater County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	7,203	7,151	83.6%	83.9%
Multiracial	633	454	7.3%	5.3%
Native American/Other	616	776	7.1%	9.1%
Hispanic	81	101	0.9%	1.2%
Asian	69	23	0.8%	0.3%
Black	14	19	0.2%	0.2%

Clearwater County, Minnesota has an estimated population of 8,616, a slight increase from the 8,524 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 83.6% White, 7.3% Multiracial, 7.1% Native American/Other, 0.9% Hispanic, 0.8% Asian, and 0.2% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Clearwater County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Clearwater has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Minnesota overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Clearwater County, that probability was 28.5% in 2020 and 29.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Clearwater County is ranked the 74th most populous county in Minnesota, out of 87 counties. Clearwater County was ranked the 74th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Clearwater County's White Population

7,203 residents of Clearwater County, or 83.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Clearwater County is higher than in Minnesota overall, where 75.9% of the population is White. Clearwater County ranks 62nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clearwater County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Clearwater County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 83.6%.

Clearwater County is more White than neighboring Mahnomen County (44.4% White), and Beltrami County (70% White). Clearwater County is less White than neighboring Hubbard County (89.7% White), Becker County (84.9% White), and Red Lake County (90.9% White).

Clearwater County's Black Population

14 residents of Clearwater County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Clearwater County is lower than in Minnesota overall, where 6.9% of the population is Black. Clearwater County ranks 80th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clearwater County's Black population has declined by an estimated 26.3%. Black residents' share of Clearwater County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Clearwater County is more Black than neighboring Mahnomen County (0.1% Black). Clearwater County is less Black than neighboring Beltrami County (0.8% Black), Hubbard County (0.5% Black), Becker County (0.7% Black), and Red Lake County (0.5% Black).

Clearwater County's Asian Population

69 residents of Clearwater County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Clearwater County is slightly lower than in Minnesota overall, where 5.1% of the population is Asian. Clearwater County ranks 78th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clearwater County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 200.0%. Asian residents' share of Clearwater County's population has increased from 0.3% to 0.8%.

Clearwater County is more Asian than neighboring Mahnomen County (0.5% Asian), Beltrami County (0.6% Asian), Hubbard County (0.4% Asian), Becker County (0.5% Asian), and Red Lake County (0.4% Asian).

Clearwater County's Hispanic Population

81 residents of Clearwater County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Clearwater County is lower than in Minnesota overall, where 6.4% of the population is Hispanic. Clearwater County ranks 86th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clearwater County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 19.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Clearwater County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Clearwater County is less Hispanic than neighboring Mahnomen County (4.1% Hispanic), Beltrami County (2.6% Hispanic), Hubbard County (2.6% Hispanic), Becker County (2% Hispanic), and Red Lake County (3.6% Hispanic).

Clearwater County's Native American/Other Population

616 residents of Clearwater County, or 7.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Clearwater County is higher than in Minnesota overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Clearwater County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clearwater County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 20.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Clearwater County's population has decreased from 9.1% to 7.1%.

Clearwater County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Hubbard County (2.6% Native American/Other), Becker County (5.2% Native American/Other), and Red Lake County (1.7% Native American/Other). Clearwater County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Mahnomen County (34.2% Native American/Other), and Beltrami County (19.5% Native American/Other).

Clearwater County's Multiracial Population

633 residents of Clearwater County, or 7.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Clearwater County is slightly higher than in Minnesota overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Clearwater County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 87 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Clearwater County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 39.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Clearwater County's population has increased from 5.3% to 7.3%.

Clearwater County is more Multiracial than neighboring Beltrami County (6.5% Multiracial), Hubbard County (4.1% Multiracial), Becker County (6.7% Multiracial), and Red Lake County (2.9% Multiracial). Clearwater County is less Multiracial than neighboring Mahnomen County (16.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.