Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,019, settled in 1871.
Detroit Lakes is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 243rd of 271 graded towns in Minnesota, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $63K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $372K, 5.2 years of the Detroit Lakes area’s $71K median household income. 56% of working residents work locally in Detroit Lakes, above both Minnesota’s towns (9.7%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 7 of Minnesota’s 575 towns score higher on hazard risk. Detroit Lakes is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Detroit Lakes beats most towns.
8,569 counted in 2010 and 9,869 in 2020; an estimated 10,019 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 15.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Detroit Lakes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 554 in 1880, 9,869 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1893 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Detroit Lakes, 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 Detroit Lakes.
Detroit Lakes carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Minnesota (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Detroit Township and beyond and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
8,934 jobs are based in Detroit Lakes, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.2 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
The average trip to work in Detroit Lakes is 14 minutes. Jobs based in Detroit Lakes fell to 8,934 in 2023, 2,162 fewer than in 2013. 6.6% of Detroit Lakes workers work from home.
| Detroit Lakes | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.6% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Detroit Lakes Public School District. Three of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Detroit Lakes Senior High, with 791 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lakes MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 617 | C |
| Detroit Lakes Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 791 | B+ |
| Rossman ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 565 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Minnesota towns, with expected losses of about $185 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Detroit Lakes’ FEMA risk score is 6 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
7.4 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Sucker Creek Preserve, 142 acres with 2.8 miles of trail.
| Detroit Lakes | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sucker Creek Preserve | 2.8 mi | 142 |
| 2. Ortenstone Gardens | 1.2 mi | 46 |
| 3. Detroit Lakes City Park | — | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Detroit Lakes 1 Nne weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 130 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average -1.6°, colder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 79.2°.
Detroit Lakes has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Detroit Lakes | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -2°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 79°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (17% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (38% statewide). 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Detroit Lakes | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.6 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 23% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Detroit Lakes | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.4% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.5% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.3% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.4% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 9,581 U.S. towns with household incomes like Detroit Lakes’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 77% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
28% of adults feel lonely in Detroit Lakes. Detroit Lakes beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Detroit Lakes.
| Detroit Lakes | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Detroit Lakes | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 76.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.3% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Detroit Lakes home is worth about $372,000, up 3.4% in a year, 7% above the Minnesota typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Detroit Lakes; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Detroit Lakes residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Detroit Lakes’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Detroit Lakes on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Detroit Lakes.
City in Minnesota, United States
Detroit Lakes is a city in and the county seat of Becker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 census. Its unofficial population during the summer is higher, estimated by citizens to peak at 13,000, due to seasonal residents and tourists. U.S. Highways 10 and 59 and Minnesota State Highway 34 are the primary routes through the city. Detroit Lakes is 45 miles east of the Fargo–Moorhead ND-MN statistical metropolitan area. The nearest major metropolitan area with a population over 1 million is Minneapolis–Saint Paul, which is about 205 miles southeast of Detroit Lakes. Detroit Lakes is a regional summer and winter recreation destination, attracting large numbe…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Detroit Lakes.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lakes | #243 | C+ | C+ | C+ | B | B |
| Detroit Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Lake View Township | — | — | C | — | B | B |
| Burlington Township | — | — | B | — | B− | B |
Detroit Township, Lake View Township and Burlington Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Detroit Township, Lake View Township and Burlington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Detroit Lakes with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Detroit Lakes grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #243 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Dave Reichert and Adam Thielen.
