Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,127.
The best of Lake Shore’s subject grades are a B+ for schools and a B for health; the weakest is a D for cost of living. 32% of residents are 65 or older in Lake Shore, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 18%. On cost of living, just 12 of Minnesota’s 573 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. Sherwood Forest Lodge Complex is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lake Shore has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Lake Shore is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 227 in 1940, 1,056 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers and 3 maps from 1916 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Shore, 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 Shore.
The typical Lake Shore home is worth about $750,000, up 3.5% in a year, about twice the Minnesota typical home. 94% of households own their home in Lake Shore, above both Minnesota’s towns (75%) and U.S. towns (73%).
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median age in Lake Shore is 54.7 years. Lake Shore has grown 6% since 2020, to 1,127 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 19% of Lake Shore residents are under 18.
| Lake Shore | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54.7 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 33% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Lake Shore | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.6% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.9% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.3% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 23.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.9% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.2% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.9% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.6% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.7% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents leave Lake Shore for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Lake Shore has added 55 jobs, to 199 in 2023. 19% of workers work from home in Lake Shore.
| Lake Shore | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lake Shore has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Lake Shore’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Lake Shore. Lake Shore beats the Minnesota average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. Only 2 of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Lake Shore.
| Lake Shore | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| What stands out | Lake Shore | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.8% | 9.3% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.6% | 7.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Fritz Loven Park, at 80 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fritz Loven Park | — | 80 |
| 2. Agate Rearing Pond Wildlife Management Area | — | 34 |
| 3. Pillsbury State Forest | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lake Shore's reported crime rate is well below Minnesota's. Among 168 Minnesota towns, just 7 have a lower property crime rate than Lake Shore. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Lake Shore | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Shore
About 1 of every 100 Lake Shore residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Lake Shore’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Lake Shore is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,056 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 10.5 years of the area's median household income ($71,384 across the Brainerd, MN area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.