The Town Files

Stearns County, Minnesota

160,865 people. The median home is worth $273,400 (typical Minnesota town: $301,800) and the median household earns $77,066.

Towns in Stearns County

Towns in Stearns County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
St. Cloud68,881$225,000$61,37430.6
Sartell19,351$297,300$84,13134.8
Waite Park8,341$219,400$59,28538.1
St. Joseph7,029$237,700$74,94627.3
Sauk Centre4,555$225,700$62,62843.2
Cold Spring4,164$280,400$72,22838.5
Melrose3,602$207,200$59,67738.7
St. Augusta3,497$388,400$140,22736.3
Collegeville3,344$468,600$115,90921.7
Brockway2,895$363,000$116,25046.3
Albany2,780$238,500$69,16734.0
Wakefield2,746$394,700$108,33347.0

People and housing

Stearns CountyTypical Minnesota town
Median home value$273,400$301,800
Median rent$1,068$991
Median household income$77,066$87,375
Median age35.142.7
Bachelor's degree or higher28.8%26.2%
Below the poverty line12.9%6.9%

Jobs and pay

87,252 jobs in 2024, average pay $62,313 a year.

Largest industries in Stearns CountyHealth care & social assistan…16,483 jobs · $68,706Manufacturing11,532 jobs · $67,375Retail11,347 jobs · $39,344Hotels & restaurants6,059 jobs · $21,221Construction5,448 jobs · $93,145Wholesale trade4,127 jobs · $72,349
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Stearns County0%2%4%6%8%2000200420082012201620202023 2.8%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 897 storm events in Stearns County from 1996 to 2026, with 5 deaths.

Storm events in Stearns County by type since 1996Hail378Tornado30Blizzard9High Wind11Heavy Rain19Heavy Snow18Flash Flood19Funnel Cloud21Winter Storm74Winter Weather18
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Stearns County has been included in 13 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
July 8, 2022Severe StormDR-4658: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
April 7, 2020BiologicalDR-4531: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3453: Covid-19
July 25, 2013Severe StormDR-4131: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
July 28, 2011Severe StormDR-4009: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes
September 13, 2005HurricaneEM-3242: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).