Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,225, settled in 1856.
The best of Clearwater’s subject grades are an A− for health, incomes, and cost of living; the weakest is a C− for schools. Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 8 have a lower median age than Clearwater. Clearwater is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 71% of U.S. towns. Clearwater has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them First Congregational Church of Clearwater and William W. Webster House. Clearwater has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Clearwater beats most towns.
1,735 counted in 2010 and 1,922 in 2020; an estimated 2,225 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Clearwater is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 218 in 1880, a low of 212 in 1930, 1,922 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clearwater, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Clearwater.
Clearwater beats the Minnesota average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 21% of Clearwater adults binge drink, above both the Minnesota town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (16%). 7.8% of Clearwater adults have diabetes.
| Clearwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.8% | 10% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| What stands out | Clearwater | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.8% | 10.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 21.4% | 17.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Clearwater has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 82°F, Clearwater’s July high is close to Minnesota’s towns (82°F) and below U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Clearwater home is worth about $285,000, up 0.7% in a year, 18% below the Minnesota typical home. 62% of households own their home in Clearwater.
| Clearwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,091 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Clearwater for work: only 5% work in town. Clearwater’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Clearwater grew to 953 in 2023, 84 more than in 2013.
| Clearwater | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.3% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. El Dorado Park | — | 14 |
| 2. Sportsmans Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Mill Pond Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Clearwater
About 1 of every 100 Clearwater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
3 places in Clearwater on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Minnesota, United States
Clearwater is a city in Stearns and Wright counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 1,922 at the 2020 census. Most of the city lies within Wright County. The Wright County portion of Clearwater is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the small portion in Stearns County is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is situated between the Mississippi and Clearwater Rivers. Interstate 94 and Minnesota State Highway 24 are its two main thoroughfares. Clearwater is 12 miles south of St. Cloud, 16 miles northwest of Monticello, and 25 miles northwest of Buffalo.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Clearwater.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater | — | — | A− | — | C− | A− |
| Clearwater Township | — | — | B− | — | C | A− |
| Lynden Township | — | — | B− | — | C | A− |
| Clear Lake Township | — | — | C | — | C | B+ |
Clearwater, Clearwater Township, Lynden Township and Clear Lake Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Clearwater, Clearwater Township, Lynden Township and Clear Lake Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Clearwater with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
