Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Stearns County, MN

Welcome to Stearns County.

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Stearns County has a population of 158.6 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 1,390.0 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 24%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $10.7 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Stearns County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Stearns County comprises St. Cloud, MN metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Saint Cloud.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Benton County, Douglas County, Kandiyohi County, Meeker County, Morrison County, Pope County, Sherburne County, Todd County, and Wright County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
39.7%51.86%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
43.21%55.21%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
45.32%52.31%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
42.75%54.81%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
32.13%59.83%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
37.58%60.07%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%24%
Government
Enterprises
12%20%
Private Industries88%24%
Agriculture3%27%
Mining<1%-4%
Utilities1%70%
Construction7%28%
Manufacturing12%18%
– Durable8%11%
– Nondurable4%33%
Trade15%41%
– Wholesale6%55%
– Retail9%33%
Transportation5%56%
Information3%9%
Finance & Insurance5%39%
Real Estate10%14%
Professional &
Business Services
6%20%
Educational Services2%-4%
Healthcare &
Social Services
14%11%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%28%
Accommodation &
Food Services
2%19%
Other Services22%28%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers3263
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
2248
📺 Electronics & Appliance1549
🛒 Grocery Stores5772
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores2766
⚕️ Health & Personal Care3964
⛽ Gasoline Stations8375
👕 Clothing Stores4764
👠 Shoe Stores1238
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry1033
🏸 Sporting Goods1648
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers413
🏬 Department Stores3159
💐 Florists835
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops620
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies
🍺 Bars & Taverns4574
🍽️ Full-service restaurants11473
🍔 Limited-service restaurants12873
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers7269
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation3061
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%120%$366,100 N/A
Top 20%46%$211,900 $217,600
Next highest 20%24%$109,600 $130,800
Middle 20%16%$74,900 $89,800
Second lowest 20%10%$46,900 $60,200
Bottom 20%4%$19,100 $36,200
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries73%$85,600
Self-Employment16%$60,400
Investment Income121%$31,400
Social Security34%$21,200
Supplemental Security4%$11,900
Public Assistance4%Below $10,000
Retirement21%$19,300
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
2%4%4%6%
$25K
– $49K
2%4%5%7%
$50K
– $99K
3%12%10%8%
$100K
– $199K
1%10%12%4%
$200K
& more
<1%2%4%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$52,200 $36,700
African-American$51,400 $23,000
Hispanic$38,600 $30,700
Asian$29,300
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$39,700 $23,900
Highschool & GED$50,700 $33,700
Some College to
Associate’s
$57,500 $39,200
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$59,200 $50,700
Graduate Degree$69,200 $63,800
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$67,700 $53,500
STEM2$69,800 $68,200
Gray-Collar3$53,800 $54,600
Pink-Collar4$63,200 $22,800
Sales5$40,000 $27,300
Blue-Collar6$51,100 $37,400
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves++$
Drought+++$
Earthquake+
Hail+$
Heat Waves+$
Hurricane
Ice Storm++$
Landslide+$
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding+$
Strong Wind++$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+$
Winter Weather++$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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