Lake County, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lake County, MN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 84% of counties in Minnesota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,879 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3.6 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.18% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.1 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,942 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lake County grew by 1.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,879 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lake County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.9% of residents. That is 8.3 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,645 15.1% -6.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,851 17.0% -4.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,503 23.0% +3.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,707 24.9% +8.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Minnesota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.1% of the people living in Lake County and men 51.9%.
- Women 48.1% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 51.9% Minnesota 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lake County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lake County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $75,533 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.69% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.6% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lake County is about 16% lower than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $37,272 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,093 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.5% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lake County is about 2.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,093 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lake County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 174 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.9 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.7 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 174 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,390 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.2% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,980 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 319 | 854 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Minnesota:
Brown County (10.6 min), Pennington County (10.8 min), Cottonwood County (10.9 min).
Slowest:
Chisago County (30.9 min), Wright County (28.8 min), Sherburne County (28.8 min).
The average commute time in Lake County is 21 minutes, longer than the 20 minutes in Minnesota.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Lake County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.3% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.15 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Minnesota:
Hennepin County (0.4), Olmsted County (0.4), Carver County (0.4).
Lowest:
Nobles County (0.2), Mahnomen County (0.2), Watonwan County (0.2).
Health
Lake County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Lake County | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.7% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.7% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Minnesota:
Carver County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Stevens County (0.8).
Lowest:
Mahnomen County (0.8), Clearwater County (0.8), Beltrami County (0.8).
Lake County, MN Compared With Nearby Counties
How Lake County, MN compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, MN | 10,879 | $75,533 #1/3 | $37,272 #3/3 | 20.9 min #3/3 |
| St. Louis County, MN | 200,015 | $70,519 | $129,132 | 16.9 min |
| Douglas County, WI | 44,229 | $75,125 | $148,025 | 18.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lake County, Minnesota.
How big is Lake County, Minnesota by population?
About 10,879 people live in Lake County, Minnesota, in 4,942 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 48.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
How densely populated is Lake County, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Lake County, Minnesota has 4 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 4% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Lake County, Minnesota?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($37,272 against $75,533), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,093 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Lake County, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Lake County, Minnesota is only 2.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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