Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 50/100
D+
Median home value$331,800
Minneapolis $374,000
Median rent$1,601/mo
Minneapolis $1,440/mo
Cost-burdened households32%
Minneapolis 28%
White Bear Lake
Ramsey County23,908 residentsWhite Bear Lake School District
66
C+
Suburbgrade score
17th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
66
Minneapolis median 62
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for White Bear Lake yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 66 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 White Bear Lake is like to live in, by category
Bars show White Bear Lake against Minneapolis. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 72/100
B−
Within-state proficiency72nd pct
Minneapolis median 72nd pct
Student–teacher ratio15.3
Minneapolis median 16.1
Graduation rate91%
Minneapolis median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index96
Minneapolis 100
Eff. tax rate1.04%
Minneapolis 1.04%
Local sales tax8.14%
Minneapolis median 8.14%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 79/100
B+
Mean commute22.0 min
Minneapolis 23.9 min
Under 30 minutes75%
Minneapolis 68%
Transit stops / sq mi6.4
Minneapolis median 6.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 71/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés45
Minneapolis median 35 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Minneapolis median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks55
Minneapolis median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median household income$83,554
Minneapolis $99,833
Unemployment4.0%
Minneapolis 4.1%
Professional occupations47%
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 White Bear 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 White Bear Lake on housing & affordability
White Bear Lake's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Andover20 mi from White Bear LakeB 62 C Edina21 mi from White Bear LakeB− 74 B Hugo7 mi from White Bear LakeB− 60 C Maple Grove22 mi from White Bear LakeB− 67 C+ Lino Lakes8 mi from White Bear LakeB− 62 C Rosemount22 mi from White Bear LakeB− 59 C Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in White Bear Lake
Is White Bear Lake, MN a good place to live?
White Bear Lake scores 66 out of 100, 17th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is White Bear Lake expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $331,800, 11% below the Minneapolis median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.04%. $1,601/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in White Bear Lake?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving White Bear Lake sit at the 72nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 15.3 student–teacher ratio. White Bear Lake is served by White Bear Lake School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from White Bear Lake?
The mean commute is 22.0 min, with 75% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 21% working from home. Transit density is 6.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in White Bear Lake?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 45 restaurants and cafés and 55 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in White Bear Lake old or new?
The median home in White Bear Lake was built in 1969 — older 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. 70% 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 White Bear Lake
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