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Forest Lake, Minnesota

Forest Lake is a small town of about 21,000 people in Washington County, Minnesota. Its population has held about steady since 2020. A typical home costs about 4.2 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Minneapolis, is about 25 miles away as the crow flies.

Population
20,952
up 1.2% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$393,500
Washington County prices up 9.1% since 2022
Household income
$92,944
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Minneapolis area
104.8
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
5 miles
Wyoming, MN
To Minneapolis
25 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 4.8% above the U.S. average in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood11 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 11.5 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town13 public schools: 5 elementary, 3 middle and 5 high schools.
  • A hospital close byFairview Lakes Health Services in Wyoming, about 5 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityMinneapolis is about 25 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Forest Lake meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$393,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 9.1%Washington County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,421 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$92,944U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
73%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$3,751 a yearMinnesota: $3,357
Homes built before 1940
7%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
15%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
104.8U.S. average = 100 (the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 9.1% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area, not Forest Lake alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
20,9522020: 20,703
Median age
39.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
17%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
35%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
6%U.S.: 6%
College students
5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (23%); retail (12%); professional and business services (12%)
Unemployment rate
4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
18%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
7%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Fairview Lakes Health Services, Wyoming, MN, about 5 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

13 public schools in Forest Lake, run by Forest Lake Public School District and Lakes International Language Academ.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Minnesota's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
79%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
93%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
3°F
July average high
83°F
Days 90°F or hotter
14 a year
Nights at or below freezing
160 a year
Rain and melted snow
33.1 inches a year
Snow
52 inches a year
Elevation
954 feet

Weather station: Forest Lake 5NE (7 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Fairview Lakes Health Services, Blaine, Minneapolis.

Washington County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway10 miles
  • Mississippi National River and Recreation Area17 miles
  • Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway19 miles

Read about Forest Lake's history on Wikipedia.

Know Forest Lake?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Marine on St. Croix, MN661 people, 10 miles
  • Martin Lake, MN (unincorporated)1,068 people, 11 miles
  • Center City, MN634 people, 12 miles
  • Birchwood Village, MN845 people, 13 miles
  • Gem Lake, MN511 people, 14 miles
  • Willernie, MN513 people, 14 miles
  • Pine Springs, MN381 people, 15 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.