Carlton County, Minnesota: commercial real estate data.
Carlton County, Minnesota has a population of 36,518 across 861 square miles, up 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.91 bn in 2024, 708 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 44 7(a) approvals worth $21.3 m.
121 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Carlton County
How many people live in Carlton County
- Population36,518
- Households14,090
- Average household size2.59
- Median household income$80,573
- Median age41.4
- Median gross rent$1,009 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$245,100
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over26,026
- Population under 187,866
- Share under 1821.5 percent
- Population 65 and over6,774
- Share 65 and over18.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6421,878
- Civilian labor force17,477
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over61.0 percent
- Rank by population among Minnesota counties30th of 87
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1305th
Carlton County is the 30th largest of 87 Minnesota counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.5 percent against 18.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carlton County
Is Carlton County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.53 percent
- Census 2020 base population36,190
- Births, 2024316
- Deaths, 2024474
- Natural change, 2024-158
- Net domestic migration, 2024154
- Net international migration, 202434
- Total net migration, 2024188
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,023
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1320th
The county has grown 1.53 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Carlton County
Where people moving to Carlton County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving878
- People arriving, from those returns1,526
- Adjusted gross income arriving$53.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$60,577
- Largest single originCarlton County Non-migrants (13,563 households)
- Largest single destination (13,563 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton County Non-migrants | 13,563 | 27,624 | $988.1 m |
| St. Louis County | 368 | 659 | $23.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 189 | 311 | $11.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 158 | 288 | $9.0 m |
| Douglas County | 64 | 107 | $3.6 m |
| Other flows - West | 64 | 115 | $4.0 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 51 | 83 | $3.3 m |
| Hennepin County | 45 | 69 | $3.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Carlton County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Carlton County
What the Carlton County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.91 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.79 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.4 percent
- GDP change over five years34.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Minnesota counties34th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1323rd
- GDP per resident$52,219
Output grew 6.4 percent in the latest year and 34.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Carlton County
Who employs people in Carlton County
- Covered employment, annual average13,269
- Establishments reporting816
- Average annual pay$58,073
- Average weekly wage$1,117
- Sector 44-45, employment1,445
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,890
- Sector 31-33, employment1,258
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$90,801
- Sector 72, employment1,011
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,188
- Sector 23, employment880
- Sector 23, average annual pay$99,001
- Sector 42, employment380
- Sector 81, employment347
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 1,445 | 114 | $30,890 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,258 | 26 | $90,801 |
| Sector 72 | 1,011 | 66 | $21,188 |
| Sector 23 | 880 | 110 | $99,001 |
| Sector 42 | 380 | 21 | $74,009 |
| Sector 81 | 347 | 84 | $33,148 |
| Sector 54 | 321 | 47 | $84,393 |
| Sector 52 | 291 | 40 | $66,047 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,445 jobs, 10.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Carlton County
What businesses operate in Carlton County
- Establishments, all industries708
- Employment at those establishments7,855
- Annual payroll$430.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Carlton County
What is being built in Carlton County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024126
- Declared construction value permitted$22.6 m
- Single family units authorised96
- Multifamily units authorised30
- Multifamily share of units23.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$179,210
- Units authorised per 1,000 households8.9
Multifamily is 23.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Carlton County
How much SBA lending happens in Carlton County
- 7(a) approvals recorded44
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$21.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$484,845
- Median 7(a) approval$274,500
- 10th percentile approval$50,800
- 90th percentile approval$1,538,000
- Largest single approval$2,485,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)538
- Jobs per approval12.2
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active15
- Distinct industries receiving approvals30
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms11
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter26
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals4.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOffices of Dentists (3)
- Most active lenderFrandsen Bank and Trust (17)
- 504 approvals recorded17
- 504 gross approval dollars$10.3 m
- Average 504 approval$605,588
- Median 504 approval$382,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval23.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved38.5
- Most active CDCMidwest Business Finance Corporation (8)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals72.1 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$31.6 m
The average approval of $484,845 sits well above the median of $274,500, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 25.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Carlton County
Do SBA loans in Carlton County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded8
- Paid in full8
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure28
- Status: Cancelled4
- Status: Paid in full8
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed4
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 8 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Carlton County
Which parts of Carlton County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending9
- CLOQUET, approvals27
- CARLTON, approvals4
- BARNUM, approvals4
- MOOSE LAKE, approvals3
- CROMWELL, approvals2
- WRIGHT, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| CLOQUET | 27 | $11,539,600 |
| CARLTON | 4 | $4,015,500 |
| BARNUM | 4 | $1,990,000 |
| MOOSE LAKE | 3 | $1,251,600 |
| CROMWELL | 2 | $450,000 |
| WRIGHT | 1 | $150,000 |
| ESKO | 1 | $555,000 |
| Maktowa | 1 | $1,321,500 |
CLOQUET accounts for 27 approvals against 4 in CARLTON. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Carlton County
How big is Carlton County
- Land area861 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Minnesota counties27th of 87
- Width, east to west36.6 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land42
- Establishments per square mile0.82
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Carlton County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Carlton County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population36,518
- Households14,090
- Average household size2.59
- Median household income$80,573
- Median age41.4
Common questions
Carlton County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Carlton County, Minnesota?
36,518, in 14,090 households, ranking 30th of 87 Minnesota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Carlton County growing?
The population has grown 1.53 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 316 births against 474 deaths, with net migration of 188. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Carlton County?
$80,573. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $245,100, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $1,009 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Carlton County?
708 establishments, employing 7,855 people with an annual payroll of $430.8 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Carlton County?
Average annual pay is $58,073, or $1,117 a week, across 13,269 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Carlton County?
44 7(a) approvals totalling $21.3 m since FY2020, across 15 lenders, with a median approval of $274,500, plus 17 504 approvals worth $10.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Carlton County?
126 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $22.6 m. Multifamily was 23.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Carlton County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Carlton County come from?
The largest single origin is Carlton County Non-migrants, with 13,563 households. Arriving households report an average income of $60,577 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Carlton County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Carlton County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.