German Population in Carlton County, MN by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The German population in Carlton County, MN is recorded at 8,072 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Carlton County, MN has some German population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how German communities are spread across Carlton County, MN and comparable counties throughout Minnesota.

Top 5 cities with the largest German population in Carlton County

View All
  • 1
    Cloquet
    German population in Cloquet is 2,654
    21.09% of Cloquet population is German
  • 2
    Thomson township
    German population in Thomson township is 1,099
    19.93% of Thomson township population is German
  • 3
    Twin Lakes township
    German population in Twin Lakes township is 618
    28.22% of Twin Lakes township population is German
  • 4
    Moose Lake
    German population in Moose Lake is 521
    15.80% of Moose Lake population is German
  • 5
    Barnum township
    German population in Barnum township is 422
    37.68% of Barnum township population is German

Overview of German population in Carlton County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Carlton County with 8,072 German residents (22.1% of 36,457 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 67th percentile nationally among counties and 47th percentile within Minnesota for German population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Carlton County's German demographic representation of 22.1%, exceeding the national average of 12.6% while remaining below Minnesota's elevated state average of 29.7%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Carlton County contains 8,072 German residents, representing less than 1% of Minnesota's total German population of 1.7 million.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Carlton County's density of 9.4 German Americans per square mile remains below Minnesota's average of 21.3 per square mile, with relatively sparse community distribution compared to state demographic concentrations.
  • Need additional overviews? Extended research data available for purchase and license. ➔

14 Cities in Carlton County Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm German populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Cloquet, Thomson township, Twin Lakes township, and Moose Lake. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 14 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Carlton County, MN ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Carlton County German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Cloquet 2,654 21.09% 32.88%
2 Thomson township 1,099 19.93% 13.62%
3 Twin Lakes township 618 28.22% 7.66%
4 Moose Lake 521 15.80% 6.45%
5 Barnum township 422 37.68% 5.23%
6 Moose Lake township 336 33.70% 4.16%
7 Blackhoof township 293 29.45% 3.63%
8 212 19.50% 2.63%
9 177 18.46% 2.19%
10 171 19.19% 2.12%
11 157 26.25% 1.95%
12 147 29.34% 1.82%
13 123 19.81% 1.52%
14 85 17.31% 1.05%
Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Carlton County, MN by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having German ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total Carlton County German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small German populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported German population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.