Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 62/100
C
Median home value$442,500
Minneapolis $374,000
Median rent$1,173/mo
Minneapolis $1,440/mo
Cost-burdened households19%
Minneapolis 28%
Ham Lake
Anoka County16,702 residents2 school districts
54
C−
Suburbgrade score
59th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.
54
Minneapolis median 62
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Ham Lake yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 54 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 Ham Lake is like to live in, by category
Bars show Ham Lake against Minneapolis. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 61/100
C
Within-state proficiency76th pct
Minneapolis median 72nd pct
Student–teacher ratio17.3
Minneapolis median 16.1
Graduation rate87%
Minneapolis median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index106
Minneapolis 100
Eff. tax rate0.81%
Minneapolis 1.04%
Local sales tax8.14%
Minneapolis median 8.14%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 43/100
D
Mean commute28.6 min
Minneapolis 23.9 min
Under 30 minutes48%
Minneapolis 68%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Minneapolis median 6.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 15/100
F
Restaurants & cafés0
Minneapolis median 35 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Minneapolis median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks13
Minneapolis median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 64/100
C+
Median household income$120,135
Minneapolis $99,833
Unemployment3.4%
Minneapolis 4.1%
Professional occupations49%
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 Ham 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 Ham Lake on amenities
Ham Lake's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Minneapolis20 mi from Ham LakeA+ 63 C+ St. Paul22 mi from Ham LakeA 59 C St. Louis Park23 mi from Ham LakeA− 71 B− Roseville17 mi from Ham LakeB+ 65 C+ Crystal17 mi from Ham LakeB+ 64 C+ Maple Grove16 mi from Ham LakeB+ 67 C+ Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Ham Lake
Is Ham Lake, MN a good place to live?
Ham Lake scores 54 out of 100, 59th 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 Ham Lake expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $442,500, 18% above the Minneapolis median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.81%. $1,173/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Ham Lake?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Ham Lake sit at the 76th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 87% graduation rate and a 17.3 student–teacher ratio. Ham Lake is served by Anoka-Hennepin School District and Forest Lake Public School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Ham Lake?
The mean commute is 28.6 min, with 48% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 17% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Ham Lake?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 0 restaurants and cafés and 13 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Ham Lake old or new?
The median home in Ham Lake was built in 1994 — 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. 90% 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 Ham Lake
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