Prior Lake, Minnesota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Prior Lake, 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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A
Health Above average
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A+
Income Top grade
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A
Education Above average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Prior Lake | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,998 | 5,724,000 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1228.1 | 65.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.84% | 0.64% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 37.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,691 | 2,299,361 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Prior Lake grew by 8.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,998 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Prior Lake is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.2% of residents. That is 3.5 points above Minnesota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,716 19.7% -1.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,344 22.3% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,565 23.2% +3.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,472 14.5% -2.1 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 50.0% of the people living in Prior Lake and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% Minnesota 50.0%
- Men 50.0% Minnesota 50.0%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Prior Lake
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Economy
Prior Lake has a the economy index of A+, which means it is exceptionally prosperous.
| Metric | Prior Lake | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $129,729 | $89,852 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.76% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.7% | 4.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Prior Lake is about 44% higher than in Minnesota.
Housing
| Metric | Prior Lake | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $330,218 | $236,718 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,649 | $1,280 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.8% | 72.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Prior Lake is about 16.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,649 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Prior Lake spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 198 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Prior Lake | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.7 | 20.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.4 | 40.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 198 | 169 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,126 | $5,249 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 24.2% | 17.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,563 | 7,066 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,311 | 854 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Prior Lake is 24 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
Prior Lake has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Prior Lake | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 44.9% | 35.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.75 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Health
Prior Lake has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Prior Lake | Minnesota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.6 | 80.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 8.5% | 13.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.9% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Prior Lake, MN Compared With Nearby Cities
Prior Lake, MN is the smallest of the 5 cities compared here, 23,998 residents against a local median of 53,350. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest cities, which makes Prior Lake, MN an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 14% above the local median at 23.7 min against 20.8 min. Prior Lake, MN has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prior Lake, MN | 23,998 | $129,729 #2/5 | $330,218 #2/5 | 23.7 min #5/5 |
| Shakopee, MN | 44,264 | $107,440 | $327,839 | 21.5 min |
| Savage, MN | 32,874 | $126,034 | $262,492 | 23.5 min |
| Eden Prairie, MN | 62,436 | $129,891 | $188,949 | 20.2 min |
| Bloomington, MN | 88,700 | $93,168 | $345,554 | 18.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Prior Lake, Minnesota.
How many people live in Prior Lake, Minnesota?
About 23,998 people live in Prior Lake, Minnesota, in 8,691 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 40.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Prior Lake, Minnesota?
Averaged over its land area, Prior Lake, Minnesota has 1,228 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 14 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Prior Lake, Minnesota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($330,218 against $129,729), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,649 a month takes about 15% 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 Prior Lake, Minnesota?
Unemployment in Prior Lake, Minnesota is only 1.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Prior Lake, Minnesota have a college degree?
44.9% of adults in Prior Lake, Minnesota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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