Eau Claire ( lit. 'clear water') is a city in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County. It is the seventh-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 69,421 at the 2020 census (estimated at 72,331 in 2024). The Eau Claire metropolitan area, known locally as the Chippewa Valley, has approximately 176,000 residents.