Carlton County, Minnesota · Carlton
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With 35% of homes built before 1960 and about 105 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
June brings the most downpours to Carlton County, part of 5.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Carlton County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Carlton County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.35 inches, and about 95 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
38% of occupied homes in Carlton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Minnesota county median of 30%.
With 1 muggy night a year, mold in Carlton County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 36,518 people live in Carlton County, 861 square miles in central Minnesota, in roughly 15,896 homes. Besides Carlton, the county seat, the biggest communities are Cloquet, Moose Lake and Esko. The county's median home was built in 1975.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Carlton County ranks 41 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Carlton County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Carlton is on the colder side of Minnesota for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 105 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 183 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 20th of 87 counties.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -39°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 59 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs October to April. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 5 and the last spring freeze around May 15.
Rainfall is about average for Minnesota. The county gets about 30.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.2 days of an inch or more (46th of 87). Those downpours cluster in June, July and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.35 inches on July 12, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.13 inches (through June 18, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 95 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 56% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Carlton near the middle of Minnesota's 87 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 35% of homes are pre-1960 and 23% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about once a year here, below the Minnesota county median of 13. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Carlton County's occupied homes: 37% utility gas, 18% electric, 32% propane and 6% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Minnesota norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Carlton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
St. Louis gets more pipe-freeze nights than Carlton. St. Louis County has the oldest housing nearby, with 70% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Carlton | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 35% | 34% | 42 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 58% | 50 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 21% | 35 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6% | 3.8% | 23 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 11% | 42 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 38% | 30% | 26 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 105/yr | 89/yr | 20 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.2/yr | 5.3/yr | 46 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 86/yr | 2 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 1/yr | 13/yr | 84 of 87 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Minnesota county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Carlton County: freezing from October to April, heavy rain in June, July and September.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology