Is Clearwater, MN a Good Place to Live?
Clearwater is a small town of 1,734 in Minnesota, with a median household income of $72,411 and a 3.6% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 104 (US average = 100), which is 4% above the national average.
Strengths: Clearwater stands out for below-average home prices.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Clearwater is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Clearwater city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 104.5Clearwater's overall cost of living index is 104.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Clearwater costs roughly 4% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Clearwater, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $235,500 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $939 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 65.4% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $72,411 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeClearwater's violent crime rate is 64.3 per 100,000 residents — 83% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
| Metric | Clearwater, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | N/A | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | N/A | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 27.1% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 94.5% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Clearwater sees average highs of 20.7°F in January and 81.6°F in July, with 28.5 inches of annual precipitation and 47.9 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Clearwater, MN |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 20.7°F |
| Average High — July | 81.6°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 28.5" |
| Annual Snowfall | 47.9" |
Demographics
| Metric | Clearwater, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,734 | — |
| Median Age | 32.3 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.6% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 28.7 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 93.0% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.5% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 1.2% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 30.9% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 13.4% | 16.8% |