Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
23% of residents live below the poverty line in Cass Lake, above both the Minnesota town median (7%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 1 have a higher share of children under 18 than Cass Lake. Supervisor's Office Headquarters is on the National Register of Historic Places. Cass Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Cass Lake beats most towns.
Supervisor's Office HeadquartersIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 546 in 1900, a peak of 2,109 in 1920, 675 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and a map from 1972 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cass Lake, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Cass Lake.
Cass Lake’s median household income is $48,000, against $90,000 in Minnesota’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. The average trip to work in Cass Lake is 14 minutes. Since 2013, Cass Lake has added 823 jobs, to 1,450 in 2023.
| Cass Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass Lake-Bena ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 450 | C− |
| Cass Lake-Bena Area LRNG. CNTR.Largest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 94 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Cass Lake’s FEMA risk score is 3 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Cass Lake home is worth about $236,000, up 1.6% in a year, 32% below the Minnesota typical home. 38% of households own their home in Cass Lake.
| Cass Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $763 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Cass Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to -2° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cass Lake beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 25. 30% of Cass Lake adults smoke cigarettes. No town among the 272 in Minnesota we compare has a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Cass Lake.
| Cass Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 16% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 10% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Cass Lake | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.1% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 32.9% | 11.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.4% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Chippewa National Forest, at 21 acres.
| Cass Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chippewa National Forest | — | 21 |
| 2. Forrest E. Villier Memorial Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4 within 15 miles of the center of Cass Lake
About 2 of every 100 Cass Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Cass Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Cass Lake.
City in Minnesota, United States
Cass Lake is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States, located within the boundaries of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. It is surrounded by Pike Bay Township. Cass Lake had a population of 675 in the 2020 census. It is notable as the headquarters location of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as well as the Chippewa National Forest. The city is located on the shore of its namesake Cass Lake, which was named in honor of Michigan Governor Lewis Cass. Cass Lake is part of the Bemidji Micropolitan Statistical Area. It reached its peak of population of over 2,100 in 1920. Since 1950, the combination of decline of small town retailers, suburbanization, and decreased…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cass Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
5 notable people were born here, including Archie Marshek and Douglas Pike.