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Place dossier plate
SheetMN-FOREST-LAKE-MN · Forest Lake, MN 20,678 pop · income 71st pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Forest Lake
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Forest Lake on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
West Pensacola · lowest
38,641
West Pensacola · lowest
38,641 median HH income
30.4% of the leader · rank #1
Atqasuk · near
89,875
Atqasuk · near
89,875 median HH income
70.6% of the leader · rank #2
Forest Lake · this city
89,879
Forest Lake · this city
89,879 median HH income
70.6% of the leader · rank #3
Newport CDP (… · near
89,883
Newport CDP (… · near
89,883 median HH income
70.7% of the leader · rank #4
Linglestown · near
89,887
Linglestown · near
89,887 median HH income
70.7% of the leader · rank #5
Chesilhurst · near
89,904
Chesilhurst · near
89,904 median HH income
70.7% of the leader · rank #6
Otsego · highest
127,219
Otsego · highest
127,219 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Forest Lake on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 20,678.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Forest Lake - the verdict
Nationally, Forest Lake sits in the 71st percentile for household income and the 43rd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
71st
percentile, household income
75th
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
43rd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Forest Lake, MN
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 20,678 residents in Forest Lake, a small city within Minnesota. Median household income here is $89,879 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.3%. Typical homes in Forest Lake are valued around $375,900, and the median resident age is 38.8 years. Educational attainment runs 35.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 67.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 121 residential building permits were authorized in Forest Lake (Construction Slowdown), down 37% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Forest Lake reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1595.7 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Forest Lake's yearly average temperature at 44.9°F with 33.1 inches of precipitation per year and 51.6 inches of snowfall.
Minnesota tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Minnesota scores 98.6 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,125 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Minnesota, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 42.4 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Forest Lake's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to population change to reported crime to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Forest Lake, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Forest Lake?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Is Forest Lake growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +249 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 121 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Forest Lake?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1595.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 30% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Which cities make useful reference points for Forest Lake?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are Northfield (20,678 residents, $92,000 income); South St. Paul (20,633 residents, $84,472 income); West St. Paul (21,076 residents, $70,738 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are West Pensacola, FL (20,679 residents); Tullahoma, TN (20,672 residents); Marquette, MI (20,691 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Forest Lake?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 44.9°F, with 33.1 inches of precipitation and 51.6 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Minnesota is 42.4 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
FEMA risk index (state avg)
42.4
Annual precipitation
33.1 in
Mean temperature
44.9°F
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the journey to work look like in Forest Lake?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 73.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Drive alone
73.0%
Work from home
16.1%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 10,894 workers age 16+.
What does the education layer cover for Forest Lake?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 14 public schools within the city match. 35.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
4.3%
Bachelor's degree+
35.7%
Matched public schools
14
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 4.3% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
98.6 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
C+
City profile score · Forest Lake, MN
64/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate B
4.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income B-
$89,879
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share B-
35.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime B-
121 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living D
98.6 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Forest Lake profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 70/100 (B) · 4.3%
Household income: 69/100 (B-) · $89,879
Bachelor's+ share: 68/100 (B-) · 35.7%
Violent crime: 66/100 (B-) · 121 /100k
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Where Forest Lake sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Forest Lake's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Forest Lake highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Forest Lake, MN (this city): home $375,900, crime 1,596/100k
Tullahoma, TN : home $228,800, crime 2,061/100k
Marquette, MI : home $254,100, crime 697/100k
Montrose, CO : home $359,000, crime 2,451/100k
Northfield, MN : home $305,300, crime 1,502/100k
South St. Paul, MN : home $266,800, crime 1,671/100k
West St. Paul, MN : home $281,800, crime 4,465/100k
Willmar, MN : home $186,000, crime 1,731/100k
New Hope, MN : home $314,600, crime 2,131/100k
How does Forest Lake compare to other US cities?
Here's how Forest Lake stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income71% higher than other cities
Home value75% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
Safety43% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Minnesota, Forest Lake ranks #168 of 229 Minnesota cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Forest Lake against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Minnesota only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Minnesota-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Forest Lake near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Forest Lake ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Forest Lake only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#187 of 775
76th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#74 of 774
90th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#468 of 785
40th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#149 of 784
81st percentile in Minnesota
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Minnesota only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
71st percentile nationally for median household income · 43rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Forest Lake's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Forest Lake's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Forest Lake's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$375,90025th percentilemore affordable than 25% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Forest Lake's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,198 of 15,516
More affordable than 28% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,128 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.2×, Forest Lake sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,198 of 15,516 and #2,128 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$89,879Forest Lake, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Forest Lake, MN median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Forest Lake, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)35.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)67.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
20,678
Median Income
$89,879
Median Home Value
$375,900
Median Age
38.8
Poverty Rate
4.3%
Labor force participation
67.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1595.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
120.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1474.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
44.9°F
Annual Precipitation
33.1"
Annual Snowfall
51.6"
Schools
Total Schools
14
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Forest Lake's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
20,703 residents
2021
20,649 residents
2022
20,887 residents
2023
20,699 residents
2024
20,649 residents
2025
20,952 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
121
housing units authorized
Single-Family
38
detached homes
Multifamily
83
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
5.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
192
52
140
$32.6M
2020
53
43
10
$13.7M
2021
202
31
171
$33.3M
2022
31
27
4
$13.2M
2023
22
18
4
$7.8M
2024
121
38
83
$23.8M
Permit volume decreased 37% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
73.0%
Carpool
7.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.6%
Work from Home
16.1%
Other
0.7%
Based on 10,894 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Minnesota statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Minnesota at $225 (electricity about $95 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Minnesota statewide averages, not a meter reading for Forest Lake. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Minnesota's BEA cost-of-living index is 98.6 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Forest Lake is $1,125/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Minnesota statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 42.4 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Minnesota statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Forest Lake sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Forest Lake compares to similar-size Minnesota cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.