The city of Waite Park is located on the western edge of the regional trade center, St. Cloud, approximately 70 miles northwest of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Waite Park, situated in east central Stearns County, includes approximately 12.63 square miles of land, or 8,083 acres (2020 Census). The city has a population of 8,371 within its corporate limits (U.S. Census, 2020 population estimate). Important traffic corridors in the city include Stearns County Road 75, State Highway 23, State Highway 15, and Interstate 94 to the south, connecting Highways 23 and 15. Stearns County is the eighth most populated county in the state.