Clearwater is a city in Stearns and Wright counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 1,735 at the 2010 census. Most of the city is located within Wright County.The Wright County portion of Clearwater is part of the Minneapolis?St. Paul?WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the small portion in Stearns County is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.The city is between the Mississippi River and the Clearwater River. Interstate 94 and Minnesota State Highway 24 are its two main thoroughfares.Clearwater is 12 miles south of St. Cloud, 16 miles northwest of Monticello, and 25 miles northwest of Buffalo.