Long Lake, MN, 2014
Long Lake’s story
171 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2014.
- 1855Long Lake is settled
Long LakeMN
A town of 1,944, settled in 1855.
Population
1,944
2025 Census estimate · +11.3% since 2020
Typical home
$440K
+1.6% in a year
Household income
$109K
median
Median age
42.2
years
Jobs based here
1,182
Balanced
Is Long Lake a good place to live?
Long Lake’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and incomes and an A for health; its weakest is a C for cost of living. On hazard risk, just 9 of Minnesota’s 575 towns do better. Long Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Long Lake stand out
Where Long Lake beats most towns.
32 measures vs. Minnesota
7 better24 too close to call1 worse
| Widest gap | Long Lake | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 11.4% |
HealthA
Healthier than 95% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Natural hazardsA
Lower risk than 91% of U.S. communities
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Long Lake6.9
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical MN town4.2
Civic lifeA−
66% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Minnesota town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
How Long Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Long Lake is from typical.
SchoolsBeat 98% of Minnesota districts on tests and graduationA+Open →Jobs & income$109K median household incomeA+Open →HealthPark Nicollet Methodist Hospital 10.9 miles awayAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →Cost of livingCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.8 of 20; 4.4% of households have no car; 1.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 4% conserved landB+Open →History2 notable people born hereC−Open →Civic life6.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−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 42.2; 56% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 75 attractions →U.S. Bank Stadium and 69 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Long Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
4 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
14 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
17 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
14 mi Theme parkValleyfair
23 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino ArenaSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
U.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Long Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Long Lake, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy17.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLong Lake water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offOrono Brush, 4 miOpenStreetMap
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 hereHennepin County Gov't CenterHennepin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2021
ZIP codes55356, 5539155356 95% · 55391 5%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 Long Lake.
HealthA
Long Lake ranks healthier than 94% of the country’s towns
Long Lake beats the Minnesota average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 27% of Long Lake adults have obesity, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 35% and U.S. towns at 35%. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Long Lake.
95%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Long Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
7 better24 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Long Lake | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.4% | 5.7% |
| Fewer women getting mammograms | 74.4% | 78.5% |
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital
10.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Long Lake stands out in Minnesota and nationally: the FEMA risk score there is lower
Long Lake’s FEMA risk score is 9 of 100, below both Minnesota’s towns (40 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). One flood insurance claim has been paid in Long Lake since 1978.
9risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade C
A typical Long Lake home is worth about $440K
The typical Long Lake home is worth about $440,000, up 1.6% in a year, 26% above the Minnesota typical home. The median rent in Long Lake is $1,809 a month.
$440KZillow home value
| Long Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,809 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Long Lake$440K
Minnesota$349K
+1.6%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Long Lake
Long Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 6° and about 54 inches of snow falls in a winter.
54″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–26°
Spring35–55°
Summer60–80°
Fall39–57°
Oct 12
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Long Lake has 1.3 jobs for every working resident, and 1,129 people commute in
Most working residents leave Long Lake for work: only 6% work in town. 22% of Long Lake workers work from home. Since 2013, Long Lake has added 163 jobs, to 1,182 in 2023.
6%work in town
| Long Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Long Lake6%
Minneapolis14%
Plymouth9%
Orono5%
Wayzata5%
11 mi
median commute distance
1,182
jobs based in Long Lake
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.6%conserved
| Long Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
3.6%
conserved · 22 of 604 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nelson Lakeside Park | — | 7 |
| 2. Holbrook Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Dexter Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Long Lake
19pages on Long Lake
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
8 within 15 miles of the center of Long Lake
Herzing University-MinneapolisUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · St. Louis Park8.1 mi$13,450 tuitionAdler Graduate SchoolUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Minnetonka10 miHennepin Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Brooklyn Park11.5 mi$5,940 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Long Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
About Long Lake
City in Minnesota, United States
Long Lake is a small city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States named after the lake the eastern end of town lies on. A commercial hub for the surrounding communities, Long Lake is home to many local shops and businesses. U.S. Highway 12 runs through the town. The population was 1,741 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1855
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 958 ft
- ZIP code
- 55356
- Area code
- 952
Questions about Long Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Long Lake, MN expensive?
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($99,833 across the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
What is Long Lake, MN known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Jon Leuer and Melissa Keller.