Wright County has been growing a high rate for the last four decades and, from the looks of things, not only is it not slowing down, it’s speeding up.
In between Census periods, the official population totals for states, counties, cities and townships are calculated by the State Demographer’s Office, which uses household data to determine the official population numbers used in state aid formulas.
The 2021 population totals show that Wright County grew by 3,611 people. If this trend continues, Wright County will grow by 36,000 people over the next decade – a growth rate of 26 percent.
By far the largest growth is in the City of Otsego, which became the first city in the county to surpass 20,000 residents – increasing its population by 1,323 people. St. Michael grew by 794 people. Those two cities accounted for 59 percent of the county’s growth.
Another interesting development has been the surprising growth in the City of Clearwater. From the 2010 Census to the 2020 Census, Clearwater grew by 185 people (to 1,918 people). In 2021 alone, the city grew by 166 people – an 8 percent increase in just one year.
The population totals for all cities and townships are listed below.
CITY/TOWNSHIP 2020 POP. 2021 POP. DIFFERENCE
Albertville City 7,896 7,998 102
Albion Township 1,264 1,280 16
Annandale City 3,330 3,387 57
Buffalo City 16,168 16,378 210
Buffalo Township 1,883 1,898 15
Chatham Township 1,362 1,377 15
Clearwater City 1,918 2,084 166
Clearwater Township 1,372 1,377 5
Cokato City 2,799 2,819 20
Cokato Township 1,369 1,369 0
Corinna Township 2,540 2,534 (-6)
Dayton City 50 50 0
Delano City 6,484 6,654 170
Franklin Township 2,885 2,913 28
French Lake Township 1,213 1,222 9
Hanover City 2,882 2,943 61
Howard Lake City 2,071 2,126 55
Maple Lake City 2,159 2,182 23
Maple Lake Township 2,144 2,147 3
Marysville Township 2,020 2,045 25
Middleville Township 1,009 1,017 8
Monticello City 14,455 14,619 164
Monticello Township 3,309 3,323 14
Montrose City 3,775 3,837 62
Otsego City 19,966 21,289 1,323
Rockford City 4,045 4,154 109
Rockford Township 3,371 3,403 32
St. Michael City 18,235 19,029 794
Silver Creek Township 2,559 2,589 30
South Haven City 185 185 0
Southside Township 1,526 1,516 (-10)
Stockholm Township 986 995 9
Victor Township 1,053 1,056 3
Waverly City 1,900 1,999 99
Woodland Township 1,154 1,154 0
TOTAL 141,337 144,948 3,611