German gravestone in, 2016
Lester Prairie’s story
138 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2016.
- 1888Lester Prairie is settled
Lester PrairieMN
A town of 1,881, settled in 1888.
Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,881
2025 Census estimate · −0.9% since 2020
Typical home
$320K
+3.1% in a year
Household income
$97K
median
Median age
32.8
years
Jobs based here
475
A commuter town
Is Lester Prairie a good place to live?
Lester Prairie’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and incomes and an A− for walkability. Among 274 Minnesota towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Lester Prairie. Lester Prairie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lester Prairie stand out
Where Lester Prairie beats most towns.
Typical home value
Lester Prairie$320K
Minnesota$349K
Cost of livingA
4 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 87% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 79% of U.S. towns
7.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Lester Prairie for work
Where Lester Prairie’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
475jobs based in Lester Prairie
3%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lester Prairie grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Lester Prairie is from typical.
Jobs & income$97K median household income; 475 jobs based hereAOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 0.4% of households have no carA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →HealthGlencoe Regional Health 9.2 miles awayBOpen →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landC−Open →HistoryC+Open →Civic life3.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.8; 13% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lester Prairie: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lester Prairie, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy17.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLester Prairie water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lester Prairie’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMcLeod CountyMcLeod County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code5535455354 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lester Prairie.
SchoolsB−
Lester Prairie’s public schools outperform 53% of Minnesota districts
Its public schools are run by the Lester Prairie Public School District. Its two schools are below.
53%of MN districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lester Prairie ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 213 | B− |
| Lester Prairie SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 222 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Lester Prairie has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Lester Prairie for work: only 3% work in town. At 30 minutes, Lester Prairie’s average trip to work is above both Minnesota’s towns (23 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). 8.6% of Lester Prairie workers work from home.
3%work in town
| Lester Prairie | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Lester Prairie3%
Glencoe10%
Hutchinson8%
Waconia6%
Eden Prairie5%
17 mi
median commute distance
475
jobs based in Lester Prairie
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Lester Prairie
Lester Prairie has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 5° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter9–26°
Spring34–55°
Summer59–80°
Fall38–57°
Oct 8
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Lester Prairie
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities.
37risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Safety
Crime reported in Lester Prairie
Lester Prairie's reported crime rate is well below Minnesota's. At 2.6 per 1,000 residents, Lester Prairie’s property crime rate is against 10.7 in Minnesota’s towns and 11.5 across U.S. towns. The violent crime rate in Lester Prairie is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Lester Prairie | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.7 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Lester Prairie0
Minnesota2.6
U.S.3.6
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Lester Prairie2.6
Minnesota16.3
U.S.17.7
0
violent crimes reported in 2024
5
property crimes reported in 2024
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
HealthB
Lester Prairie ranks healthier than 59% of the country’s towns
Lester Prairie beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 43% of adults have obesity in Lester Prairie. Only 7 of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Lester Prairie.
59%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Lester Prairie | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
0 better30 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Lester Prairie | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with obesity | 43% | 33.5% |
| More adults sleeping under 7 hours | 35.2% | 29.2% |
Glencoe Regional Health
9.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
A typical Lester Prairie home is worth about $320K
The typical Lester Prairie home is worth about $320,000, up 3.1% in a year, 8% below the Minnesota typical home. Lester Prairie’s median rent is $688 a month.
$320KZillow home value
| Lester Prairie | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $688 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 86% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Lester Prairie$320K
Minnesota$349K
+3.1%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsC−
Conserved land covers 0.1% of Lester Prairie
Among 273 Minnesota towns, just 8 have a lower share of conserved land than Lester Prairie.
0.1%conserved
0.1%
conserved · 1 of 639 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Square Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lester Prairie
19pages on Lester Prairie
The big questions
SchoolsB−Beat 53% of MN districts · 2 schoolsSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2024)HealthBBetter than MN on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA$320K typical home · up 3.1% in a yearWork & commuteA$97K median household income · 475 jobs hereNatural hazardsB+FEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lester Prairie
About 3 of every 100 Lester Prairie residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
About Lester Prairie
City in Minnesota, United States
Lester Prairie is a city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States, along the South Fork of the Crow River. The population was 1,894 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 981 ft
- ZIP code
- 55354
- Area code
- 320
Questions about Lester Prairie
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lester Prairie, MN expensive?
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.