Though mostly in Stearns County, the city also extends into Benton County and Sherburne County. One of the fastest-growing areas in the state, St. Cloud is surrounded by a small metropolitan area, with Waite Park, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, St. Joseph and St. Augusta directly bordering the city, and Foley, Kimball, Clearwater, Clear Lake, Rockville, and Cold Spring nearby. With 167,392 residents at the 2000 census, the St. Cloud metropolitan area ranks behind only Minneapolis-St.Paul and Duluth-Superior in population. July 1, 2007 census estimates show the city population at 66,503.
St. Cloud is located 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the "Twin Cities" of Minneapolis-St. Paul along Interstate 94, U.S. Route 10, and Minnesota State Highway 23. The St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is made up of Stearns and Benton Counties. The city was included in a newly defined Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud Combined Statistical Area (CSA) in 2000, even though commuting criteria did not require mandatory inclusion. St. Cloud has never been part of the 13-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington-WI "Metropolitan Statistical Area," a more commonly used definition of large urban areas. The boundary between the two government-designated areas is unclear because Sherburne County is considered part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area yet contains part of the city of St. Cloud.
The Mississippi River flows through the city, breaking into a series of channels just downstream from the St. Cloud dam, a city-owned structure featuring hydroelectric generators that can produce up to 9 megawatts of electricity. The Mississippi's 30 "Beaver Islands" lie at the southern end of the city.
St. Cloud is the principal city of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan area that covers Benton and Stearns counties and had a combined population of 167,392 at the 2000 census.
As of the census of 2000, there were 59,108 people, 22,652 households, and 12,254 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,959.9 people per square mile (756.7/km²). There were 23,249 housing units at an average density of 770.9/sq mi (297.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White, 2.37% African American, 0.72% Native American, 3.11% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 17 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 24.1% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 101 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,346, and the median income for a family was $50,460. Males had a median income of $33,670 versus $23,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,769. About 5.0% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
St. Cloud is a regional transportation hub within Minnesota. Major roadways including Interstate Highway 94, U.S. Highway 10, and Minnesota State Highways 15 and 23 pass through the city.
Bus service within the city and to neighboring Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park is offered through St. Cloud Metro Bus which was recognized in 2007 as the best transit system of its size in North America. The Metro Bus Transit Center in the downtown area is also shared with Greyhound Lines and Jefferson Lines. Several rail lines run through the city as well, which is a stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder line. A commuter rail line running from the Twin Cities known as the Northstar Corridor will reach the city in a second phase.
St. Cloud is also home to St. Cloud Regional Airport, which makes daily connecting flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on Delta Connection, operated by Mesaba Airlines.