ZIP Codes of Carlton County, MN

Population & People
Population & People
Total Population
38,469
Household Income
Household Income
Median Income
$81,909
Housing
Housing
Total Housing Units
16,803
Business & Economy
Business & Economy
Total Businesses
758
Employment
Employment
Employment Rate
56.01%
Education
Education
Bachelor's Degree+
25.94%
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · rolled up across the 11 ZIPs in this county.
Data Last Updated: June 1, 2026
ZIP Codes:11 ZIP Codes (11 Standard, 0 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All]
Area Code:218
Timezone:Central (GMT -06:00)
Local Time:2:12:35 PM
Population:38,469 [See All]
FIPS:27017
CBSA:Duluth, MN-WI
Land Area:959 sq mi
Water Area:17 sq mi
Coordinates:46.6074, -92.6429
Quick Link:
https://www.zip-codes.com/county/mn-carlton.asp
Need Carlton data in your app? Look up ZIP, county, and city data with a single API call.
Try Free
Striking education divide
Bachelor's share spans 12.7% to 46.0% — a 33-point gap.

Standout ZIPs in this County


Most Populous
Cloquet · 17,448 people
45.4% of county total
Highest Income
Esko · $118,260 median
1.4× county average
Largest Land Area
Cloquet · 161.1 sq mi
Spans the most ground
Fastest Growth
Esko · 9.9% (10-yr)
4,677 → 5,139 residents
Most Educated
Esko · 46.0% bachelor's+
1,662 of 3,610 adults 25+

Things worth knowing about Carlton County


38,469 residents live across 11 ZIPs covering 959 sq mi, served by 11 distinct USPS-recognized cities.

Population moved from 37,681 to 38,469 from 2014 to 2024 — a +2.1% change. 7 ZIPs gained residents, 4 lost.

The county's wealthiest ZIP 55733 (Esko, $118,260 median) and poorest ZIP 55757 (Kettle River, $61,538) are 29.6 miles apart — a 1.9× income gap across local geography.

Median home values vary 1.8× across this county — from $193,800 in 55780 (Sawyer) to $353,400 in 55733 (Esko).

Density varies 27× across the county — from 5 people/sq mi in 55798 (Wright) to 143 in 55733 (Esko).

Educational attainment ranges from 12.7% bachelor's+ in 55749 (Holyoke) to 46.0% in 55733 (Esko) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.

Within Minnesota, this is the #27 most populous of 93 counties and ranks #27 for median household income .

Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $79,175 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.

25.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (7,063 of 27,228 reporting).

11 Standard delivery, 0 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.

Stories about Carlton County


Big & sparse

A frontier county — vast land area with only a few residents per square mile. Daily life looks very different here than in the country's denser counties.

Total area
959
square miles
Avg density
40.1
people per sq mi
Population
38,469
across 11 ZIPs
Cloquet
161.1 sq mi
17,448 residents
Barnum
156.6 sq mi
3,470 residents
Wright
120.5 sq mi
627 residents

All ZIP Codes in Carlton County


ZIPCityTypePopulationMedian IncomeArea (sq mi)10-yr Growth
55720CloquetStandard17,448$64,167161.14.1%
55733EskoStandard5,139$118,26036.09.9%
55767Moose LakeStandard4,582$78,98859.3-2.3%
55707BarnumStandard3,470$82,167156.6-3.3%
55718CarltonStandard3,111$96,54665.7-8.5%
55797WrenshallStandard1,457$87,03965.30.8%
55726CromwellStandard1,087$80,31388.518.5%
55757Kettle RiverStandard739$61,53899.1-18.2%
55798WrightStandard627$78,438120.514.4%
55749HolyokeStandard532$77,50084.10.9%
55780SawyerStandard277$76,04223.221.5%

Adjacent & Nearby Counties