Carlton County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the western shore of Lake Superior south of Duluth. It had a population of 36,207 at the 2020 census and covers 875 square miles (2,270 km2), centred near 46°35′N 92°41′W.
Carlton is the county seat, and its postal code is 55718. The county has 10 incorporated cities, 11 unincorporated communities and 19 civil townships. It sits in the Central time zone and is part of the Duluth, MN–WI Combined Statistical Area.
Towns & Villages in Carlton County
Carlton County’s largest place is Cloquet, an industrial city on the St. Louis River; the rest of the county is a mix of small Minnesota cities and unincorporated communities along Highway 210 and the Willard Munger State Trail. In this table, City · seat marks the county seat, City marks other incorporated municipalities, and Unincorp. marks unincorporated communities with no city government of their own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton | City · seat | Carlton | — | 55718 |
| Cloquet | City | Perch Lake | 12,568 | 55720 |
| Barnum | City | Barnum | — | 55707 |
| Cromwell | City | Twin Lakes | — | 55726 |
| Esko | City | Thomson | — | 55733 |
| Kettle River | City | Kalevala | — | 55757 |
| Moose Lake | City | Moose Lake | — | 55767 |
| Scanlon | City | Thomson | — | — |
| Wrenshall | City | Wrenshall | — | 55797 |
| Wright | City | Silver | — | 55798 |
| Atkinson | Unincorp. | Atkinson | — | — |
| Automba | Unincorp. | Automba | — | — |
| Duesler | Unincorp. | Split Rock | — | — |
| Harney | Unincorp. | Perch Lake | — | — |
| Holyoke | Unincorp. | Holyoke | — | 55749 |
| Iverson | Unincorp. | Skelton | — | — |
| Mahtowa | Unincorp. | Mahtowa | — | — |
| Nemadji | Unincorp. | Eagle | — | — |
| Otter Creek | Unincorp. | Silver Brook | — | — |
| Pleasant Valley | Unincorp. | Blackhoof | — | — |
| Sawyer | Unincorp. | Fond du Lac Reservation | — | 55780 |
| Scotts Corner | Unincorp. | Twin Lakes | — | — |
The historic city of Thomson, once a separate municipality on the St. Louis River, consolidated with Cloquet in 2007 and is no longer a standalone place; its name now identifies the surrounding township only, so it is not listed separately above.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Perch Lake | — | Harney, edge of Cloquet |
| Thomson | — | Esko, Scanlon |
| Moose Lake | — | Moose Lake |
| Barnum | — | Barnum |
| Silver | — | Wright |
| Carlton | — | Carlton |
| Wrenshall | — | Wrenshall |
| Twin Lakes | — | Cromwell, Scotts Corner |
| Kalevala | — | Kettle River |
| Holyoke | — | Holyoke |
| Mahtowa | — | Mahtowa |
| Atkinson | — | Atkinson |
| Automba | — | Automba |
| Blackhoof | — | Pleasant Valley |
| Eagle | — | Nemadji |
| Silver Brook | — | Otter Creek |
| Skelton | — | Iverson |
| Split Rock | — | Duesler |
| Beseman | — | rural, no platted community |
Verified 2020 township-level population figures were not confirmed for this rewrite, so those cells are left blank rather than estimated; the city and county totals above are census figures.
ZIP Codes
- 55718 — Carlton (also serves the county seat area)
- 55720 — Cloquet (also serves Perch Lake Township)
- 55707 — Barnum
- 55726 — Cromwell
- 55733 — Esko
- 55757 — Kettle River
- 55749 — Holyoke
- 55767 — Moose Lake
- 55780 — Sawyer
- 55797 — Wrenshall
- 55798 — Wright
Scanlon shares Cloquet’s 55720 ZIP code rather than having its own; most other unincorporated communities are served by the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
Carlton County sits on the western edge of Lake Superior’s watershed in northeastern Minnesota, where the St. Louis River drops through a rocky gorge at Jay Cooke State Park before reaching Duluth. The Fond du Lac Indian Reservation, home to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, occupies the county’s northeastern corner around Sawyer. Land use shifts from river-valley forest and rock outcrops in the north to farmland and peatland toward Moose Lake in the south.
Carlton County borders Pine County to the south and Aitkin County to the west. St. Louis County lies to the north and Douglas County, Wisconsin, lies across the St. Louis River estuary to the east.
Demographics
Carlton County had 36,207 residents at the 2020 census. Cloquet, with 12,568 people, is by far the largest community, followed by Moose Lake and Esko among the county’s other incorporated cities. Median household income runs below the Minnesota median of $85,086, typical of the rural Arrowhead region outside Duluth’s metro core. Population density works out to roughly 42 people per square mile across the county’s 861 square miles of land.
Economy & Local Life
Cloquet anchors the county’s economy around forest-products manufacturing, most notably the Sappi Cloquet paper mill on the St. Louis River, alongside healthcare and retail serving the wider county. The Fond du Lac Band operates the Black Bear Casino Resort near Carlton, one of the area’s largest employers. Moose Lake’s economy centers on Interstate 35 travel services and Minnesota Correctional Facility-Moose Lake. Agriculture, dairy farming and small-scale logging continue in the county’s southern and western townships.
History
Carlton County was organized in 1870 and named for Reuben B. Carlton, a Minnesota state senator in the 1850s. The St. Louis River corridor drew early logging and sawmilling operations, and the arrival of the railroad through Cloquet and Carlton in the late 1800s turned the river towns into shipping points for timber headed to Duluth. A catastrophic wildfire swept through the county in October 1918, destroying much of Cloquet and Moose Lake and killing hundreds across the region — one of Minnesota’s deadliest disasters. Both cities were rebuilt in the years that followed.
Getting There
Interstate 35 runs the length of the county north–south, linking Moose Lake, Carlton and Cloquet with Duluth to the north and the Twin Cities to the south. Minnesota Highway 210 crosses east–west through Carlton and Thomson Township toward Jay Cooke State Park.
- Duluth — 20 miles north of Cloquet
- Superior, Wisconsin — 22 miles northeast of Cloquet
- Hinckley — 35 miles south of Moose Lake
- Minneapolis–St. Paul — about 130 miles south of Cloquet
Duluth International Airport, 20 miles north of Cloquet, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Carlton County?
It is in northeastern Minnesota, directly south of Duluth along the St. Louis River.
What is the population of Carlton County?
36,207 at the 2020 census.
How big is Carlton County?
875 square miles (2,270 km2), of which 861 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Carlton County?
Carlton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Carlton County?
10 incorporated cities and 11 unincorporated communities, spread across 19 civil townships.
What ZIP codes are in Carlton County?
11 ZIP codes, including 55718 (Carlton), 55720 (Cloquet) and 55767 (Moose Lake).
What is Carlton County’s largest city?
Cloquet, with 12,568 residents, home to the Sappi paper mill on the St. Louis River.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Minnesota.