Stearns County, Minnesota

Stearns County
County
Stearns County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°33′N 94°37′W / 45.55°N 94.61°W / 45.55; -94.61
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855
Named for	Charles Thomas Stearns
Seat	St. Cloud
Largest city	St. Cloud
Area
• Total	1,390 sq mi (3,600 km2)
• Land	1,343 sq mi (3,480 km2)
• Water	47 sq mi (120 km2)  3.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	158,292
• Estimate  (2023)	160,977
• Density	110/sq mi (44/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 7th
Website	www.co.stearns.mn.us

Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292.^[1] Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud.^[2]

Included within the Minnesota Territory since 1849, the county was founded by European Americans in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, then renamed for Charles Thomas Stearns. Stearns County is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Combined Statistical Area.