2009-0722-MedicineLake, 2009
Medicine Lake’s story
139 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005.
- 1887Medicine Lake is settled
Population
1,342
2025 Census estimate · +297% since 2020
Typical home
$1.15M
+4.3% in a year
Household income
$184K
median
Median age
44.5
years
Jobs based here
21
A commuter town
Is Medicine Lake a good place to live?
Medicine Lake’s best subject grades are an A+ for incomes, schools, and health; its weakest is a D for walkability. 70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Medicine Lake, above both the Minnesota town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). No town in Minnesota scores higher than Medicine Lake on incomes. Medicine Lake's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 85% of U.S. towns. Medicine Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Medicine Lake stand out
Where Medicine Lake beats most towns.
Small town
1,342 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Medicine Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Medicine Lake is from typical.
Jobs & income$184K median household income; 21 jobs based hereA+Open →SchoolsBeat 98% of Minnesota districts on tests and graduationA+Open →HealthNorth Memorial Health Hospital 3.9 miles awayA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.5 of 20; 1.3% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 19% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 1% conserved landB−Open →HistoryLess recorded history than most townsC+Open →Civic life0.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 74 attractions →U.S. Bank Stadium and 69 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Medicine Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
7 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
10 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
6 mi LakeBde Maka Ska
16 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
9 mi LakeLake MinnetonkaSources: 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 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bde Maka Ska: Tyler Vigen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Medicine Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Medicine Lake, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy17.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPlymouth water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpRepublic ServicesTrash haulerTown site
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 code5544155441 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 Medicine Lake.
HousingCost of living grade C+
A typical Medicine Lake home is worth about $1.15M
81% of households live in a home they own in Medicine Lake. Typical home values rose 4.3% in the year to September 2026. In Medicine Lake, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,150 a month.
$1.15MZillow home value
| Medicine Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,150 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Medicine Lake$1.15M
Minnesota$349K
+4.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthA+
On CDC estimates, Medicine Lake is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns
Medicine Lake: nearly a third of adults have high blood pressure. CDC measures, 32 in all: Medicine Lake beats Minnesota on 18 and trails on 2. Among adults locally, 26% have obesity and 12% report frequent mental distress.
97%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Medicine Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 23% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
18 better12 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Medicine Lake | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 11.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.2% | 8.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 8.5% |
North Memorial Health Hospital
3.9 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−
Top of a very low hazard risk in Medicine Lake: inland flooding
Flood insurance has paid out on 5 claims in Medicine Lake since 1982. Compared with 81% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. 38% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 23%.
19risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
5
paid flood claims since 1982
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Medicine Lake work out of town
Half commute less than 7 miles. Medicine Lake’s typical journey to work stands at 17 minutes. The share of residents in Medicine Lake who live below the poverty line: 2.7%. The top destinations are Minneapolis (22%), Plymouth (11%) and Minnetonka (8%).
0%work in town
| Medicine Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Medicine Lake0%
Minneapolis22%
Plymouth11%
Minnetonka8%
St. Louis Park5%
7 mi
median commute distance
21
jobs based in Medicine Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Medicine Lake, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 82° and January nights of 6°, with about 54 inches of snow 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
OutdoorsB−
Medicine Lake keeps 1.4% of its land conserved
Parks and preserves in Medicine Lake: one, of 5 acres.
1.4%conserved
1.4%
conserved · 3 of 234 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jevne Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Medicine Lake
18pages on Medicine Lake
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
27 within 15 miles of the center of Medicine Lake
Herzing University-MinneapolisUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · St. Louis Park1.6 mi$13,450 tuitionMinneapolis Community and Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Minneapolis6.7 mi$6,161 in-state tuitionUniversity of Minnesota-Twin CitiesUniversity or college · Public · Minneapolis9.1 mi$17,214 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Medicine Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Medicine Lake for work
Where Medicine Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
21jobs based in Medicine Lake
0%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Medicine Lake
City in Minnesota, United States
Medicine Lake is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. Located on a peninsula that juts into a lake of the same name. The population was 337 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 1,342 in 2025.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1887
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 899 ft
- Area code
- 763
Questions about Medicine Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Medicine Lake, MN expensive?
That is 11.5 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+.