Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,041, settled in 1883.
Milaca gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $240K, 2.4 years of the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income. It grades B overall, 189th among Minnesota's 271 graded towns. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. Milaca has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Mille Lacs County Courthouse and Milaca Municipal Hall. Among 273 Minnesota towns, just 4 have a lower median household income than Milaca. Recreation Park, at 46 acres with 1.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Milaca beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Milaca is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 404 in 1890, 3,021 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 3 maps from 1968 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Milaca, 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 Milaca.
Milaca trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Minnesota rate.
Its public schools are run by the Milaca Public School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Milaca Secondary High, with 730 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milaca ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 865 | B |
| Milaca Secondary HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 730 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $240K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 27 miles. At 2.4 years of the Minneapolis metro’s $100K median household income, the typical home (about $240K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of Minnesota towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
58% of households own their home in Milaca, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 75% and U.S. towns at 73%. The median rent in Milaca is $835 a month. The typical Milaca home is worth about $240,000, up 2% in a year, 31% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Milaca | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $835 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In the comparison, Milaca comes below both Minnesota’s towns (4.7%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). 1.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Milaca | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Recreation Park | 1.1 mi | 46 |
| 2. Reineke Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Trimble Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Milaca has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Milaca’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,279 working residents takes 33.2 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
Most working residents leave Milaca for work: only 19% work in town. 17% of Milaca residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Milaca grew to 1,651 in 2023, 128 more than in 2013.
| Milaca | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.7% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 74 to 38 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 5,639 U.S. towns with household incomes like Milaca’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
38% of adults have high blood pressure in Milaca. Milaca beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 12% of adults have diabetes in Milaca.
| Milaca | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Milaca | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.4% | 76.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.4% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Milaca.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Milaca; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Milaca residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
2 places in Milaca on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Minnesota, United States
Milaca ( mih-LAK-ə) is a city and the county seat of Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,021 at the time of the 2020 census. It is situated on the Rum River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Milaca.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milaca | #189 | B | A− | C+ | B | B− |
| Milaca Township | — | — | A− | — | B | B− |
| Borgholm Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | B− |
Milaca Township and Borgholm Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Milaca Township and Borgholm Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Milaca with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Milaca grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #189 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B for schools.
Not for the area. 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 A−.
2 notable people were born here, including Belle Bennett and Larry Brink.
