Clearwater County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,524. Its county seat is Bagley. Clearwater County is home to Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River. Parts of the Red Lake and White Earth Indian reservations extend into the county.

Geography

The Red Lake River flows west out of Red Lake across the top of Clearwater County on its way to discharge into the Red River at Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Clearwater River flows west-southwest across the central part of the county on its way to discharge into the Red Lake River. The county terrain consists of wooded rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The terrain slopes to the north, with the highest point on the lower west boundary, at 1,781 ft ASL. The county has an area of 1030 sqmi, of which 999 sqmi is land and 31 sqmi (3.0%) is water. The county's high point, just south of Scoop Lake, is one of a few places to exceed 2000 feet in Minnesota, rising to 2005 feet at 47.2318°N, -95.5034°W.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Climate and weather

In recent years average temperatures in Bagley have ranged from a low of -15 °F in January to a high of 85 °F in July, with a record low of -53 °F recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F recorded in August 1976. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.64 in in December to 4.62 in in June.

Demographics

2020 Census

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,423 people, 3,330 households, and 2,287 families in the county. The population density was 8.43 /mi2. There were 4,114 housing units at an average density of 4.12 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 89.26% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 8.58% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.6% were of Norwegian, 15.6% German, 6.5% Swedish, and 6.2% American ancestry. There were 3,330 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02. The county population contained 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,517, and the median income for a family was $39,698. Males had a median income of $29,338 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,694. About 11.00% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 18.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Unorganized territories

Government and politics

From 1932 to 1996, Clearwater County voted for the Democratic nominee all but twice, both during nationwide Republican landslides for Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984. Though the county went Democrat in the subsequent three elections, Reagan's victory foreshadowed the changing political landscape of Clearwater County, as the margins for Michael Dukakis and Bill Clinton were much reduced compared to the prior decades, with Dukakis winning the county by only 6 votes in 1988 and Clinton winning by less than 7.5% in both of his successful runs for the presidency. Beginning in 2000, Clearwater County has voted Republican in each election, and the only time the margin got under 10% was in 2008. In 2016, Donald Trump became the first Republican to win over 60% of the county's vote since 1928, defeating Hillary Clinton by an astounding 43%. In 2020, Trump increased his vote share again, defeating Joe Biden in the county by 45%. It was the best Republican performance in the county's history outside of its inaugural election in 1904 for Theodore Roosevelt.