Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median home value$393,500
Minneapolis $374,000
Median rent$1,421/mo
Minneapolis $1,440/mo
Cost-burdened households28%
Minneapolis 28%
Forest Lake
Washington County20,729 residentsForest Lake Public School District
55
C−
Suburbgrade score
57th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.
55
Minneapolis median 62
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Forest Lake yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 55 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Forest Lake is like to live in, by category
Bars show Forest Lake against Minneapolis. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 51/100
D+
Within-state proficiency64th pct
Minneapolis median 72nd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.9
Minneapolis median 16.1
Graduation rate84%
Minneapolis median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Housing cost index100
Minneapolis 100
Eff. tax rate1.00%
Minneapolis 1.04%
Local sales tax8.14%
Minneapolis median 8.14%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Mean commute24.2 min
Minneapolis 23.9 min
Under 30 minutes61%
Minneapolis 68%
Transit stops / sq mi0.6
Minneapolis median 6.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 32/100
F
Restaurants & cafés6
Minneapolis median 35 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Minneapolis median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks22
Minneapolis median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 58/100
C
Median household income$92,944
Minneapolis $99,833
Unemployment4.3%
Minneapolis 4.1%
Professional occupations44%
Minneapolis 49%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Forest Lake yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Forest Lake on amenities
Forest Lake's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Minneapolis25 mi from Forest LakeA+ 63 C+ St. Paul22 mi from Forest LakeA 59 C Roseville19 mi from Forest LakeB+ 65 C+ Crystal24 mi from Forest LakeB+ 64 C+ Columbia Heights19 mi from Forest LakeB 56 C− West St. Paul25 mi from Forest LakeB 62 C Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Forest Lake
Is Forest Lake, MN a good place to live?
Forest Lake scores 55 out of 100, 57th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Forest Lake expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $393,500, 5% above the Minneapolis median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.00%. $1,421/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Forest Lake?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Forest Lake sit at the 64th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 84% graduation rate and a 20.9 student–teacher ratio. Forest Lake is served by Forest Lake Public School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Forest Lake?
The mean commute is 24.2 min, with 61% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 18% working from home. Transit density is 0.6 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Forest Lake?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 6 restaurants and cafés and 22 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Forest Lake old or new?
The median home in Forest Lake was built in 1988 — newer than the Minneapolis median of 1981. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 73% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Minneapolis lists
Best Minneapolis suburbs for familiesMost affordable Minneapolis suburbsBest Minneapolis suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown MinneapolisMost walkable Minneapolis suburbsBest Minneapolis suburbs for young professionalsCompare Forest Lake
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