Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,306, settled in 1856.
Lake City is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 45th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. Homes are within reach, about $321K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the Rochester metro’s $92K median household income, 12% of its land is conserved, and it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B, is in schools. 37% of working residents work locally in Lake City, against 9.7% in Minnesota’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Lake City has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lake City City Hall and Williamson-Russell-Rahilly House. Only 7 of the 273 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Lake City.
Where Lake City beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Lake City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake City, 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 Lake City.
Lake City pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and sees little violent crime.
2.7 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Hok-Si-La Park, at 222 acres with 2.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hok-Si-La Park | 2.2 mi | 222 |
| 2. Peter’s Park | — | 27 |
| 3. Underwood Park & Fields | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Lake City Public School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lincoln Secondary, with 597 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff View ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 592 | B+ |
| Lincoln SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 597 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
Lake City’s property crime rate is 5.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Lake City | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.6 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,689 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake City’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 51% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
22% of Lake City adults have been diagnosed with depression. Lake City beats the Minnesota average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 35% of Lake City adults have high blood pressure.
| Lake City | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 25% | 23% |
| What stands out | Lake City | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.9% | 9.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 11.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lake City has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 7 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher July high than Lake City.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Lake City’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Lake City is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Rochester (17%), Red Wing (10%) and Wabasha (4%).
| Lake City | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 11% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lake City grades A overall with a typical home of about $321K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that.
The typical Lake City home is worth about $321,000, up 2.8% in a year, 8% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Lake City | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $871 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Lake City; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Lake City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
3 places in Lake City on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Minnesota, United States
Lake Township is a township in Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 412 at the 2000 census. Lake Township was originally called Lake City Township when it was organized in 1858, but the name was shortened to its present form after 1872.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lake City.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake City | #45 | A | A− | B+ | B | B+ |
| Florence Township | — | — | B− | — | B− | B |
| Lake Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Florence Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Florence Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Lake Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lake City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Lake City grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #45 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B+ for health, B+ for safety and B for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
