City of Mountain Lake, Minnesota - Water Tower, 2018
Mountain Lake Township’s story
154 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2005.
- 1872Mountain Lake Township is settled
Mountain Lake TownshipMN
Today 310 people live in this town, first settled in 1872.
6 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
310
2025 Census estimate · −1.3% since 2020
Median home value
$234K
Census ACS
Household income
$109K
median
Median age
60.8
years
Jobs based here
987
A job hub
Is Mountain Lake Township a good place to live?
Mountain Lake Township’s average commute is 9 minutes, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. No town among the 274 in Minnesota we compare has a higher midpoint age than Mountain Lake Township. The biggest park or preserve is Bennett Wildlife Management Area, at 76 acres. Mountain Lake Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Mountain Lake Township stand out
Where Mountain Lake Township beats most towns.
Small town
310 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Mountain LakeMidway TownshipLakeside TownshipOdin TownshipKimball TownshipButterfield TownshipMountain Lake Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Mountain Lake Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mountain Lake Township, and how to reach them.
PowerSouth Central Electric Assn15.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRed Rock Rural Water SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Mountain Lake Township’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 hereCottonwood County CourthouseCottonwood County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2024
ZIP code5615956159 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 Mountain Lake Township.
Work & commute
A larger share of residents in Mountain Lake Township live below the poverty line than in the typical Minnesota or U.S. town
Most working residents leave Mountain Lake Township for work: only 9% work in town. In Mountain Lake Township, the typical household income is $109,000. Jobs in Mountain Lake Township grew by 910 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 987. The top destinations are Windom (50%), Mountain Lake (4%) and Jackson (4%).
9%work in town
| Mountain Lake Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 29% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Mountain Lake Township9%
Windom50%
Mountain Lake4%
Jackson4%
Great Bend Township4%
11 mi
median commute distance
987
jobs based in Mountain Lake Township
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Mountain Lake Township’s kids attend
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmendorf Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–11 | Grades K–11 | 58 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Who lives here
Compared with most of Minnesota and the rest of the country, fewer of Mountain Lake Township’s residents are under 18
In Mountain Lake Township, 40% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
60.8median age · MN 38.8
| Mountain Lake Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 12% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 33% | 29% |
Mountain Lake TownshipMinnesotaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
22%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma0%
High school15%
Some college35%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s37%
Graduate3%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 38% and 75% women
The Census survey reached too few of Mountain Lake Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±18.9 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Mountain Lake Township | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.3% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 1.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.5% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.6% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 19.3% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 15% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 35.2% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 37.3% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.1% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Mountain Lake Township: snowy winters and pleasant summers
Summer afternoons peak near 82° in July, and January nights bottom out around 6°; snowfall runs to about 44 inches a winter.
44″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–26°
Spring35–55°
Summer59–80°
Fall37–58°
Oct 10
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Mountain Lake Township is
21% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Mountain Lake Township. Only 10 of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Mountain Lake Township. Among adults in the town, 13% have diabetes and 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Mountain Lake Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 23% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
0 better16 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Mountain Lake Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.9% | 8.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.7% | 5.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.5% | 7.5% |
Windom Area Health
11.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Mountain Lake Township is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
Of the losses FEMA expects in Mountain Lake Township, 46% come from inland flooding and 24% from cold waves. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 53% of U.S. communities.
53risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Conservation land takes up 2% of Mountain Lake Township
Trails run 0.9 miles in 3 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Mountain Lake Township: 3, covering 149 acres.
2%conserved
2%
conserved · 454 of 22,613 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bennett Wildlife Management Area | 0.4 mi | 76 |
| 2. Regehr Wildlife Management Area | — | 49 |
| 3. Mountain County Park | — | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mountain Lake Township
18pages on Mountain Lake Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Mountain Lake Township; the nearest are
Iowa Lakes Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Estherville, IA33.5 mi$7,392 in-state tuitionMinnesota State University-MankatoUniversity or college · Public · Mankato48.8 mi$9,572 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Mountain Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
A job hub
Every workday, about 975 people come to Mountain Lake Township for work
Where Mountain Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
987jobs based in Mountain Lake Township
9%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Mountain Lake Township
City in Minnesota, United States
Mountain Lake is a city in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,999 as of the 2020 census. Mountain Lake was initially populated mostly by 1,800 Low German (or more specifically, Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonites from Russia who settled there between 1873 and 1880. The city has become more diverse, with the more recent addition of immigrant groups including Lao, Hmong, and Hispanic people, but a significant proportion of its inhabitants still have Mennonite surnames.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1872
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,302 ft
- ZIP code
- 56159
- Area code
- 507
Questions about Mountain Lake Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mountain Lake Township, MN a good place to live?
Mountain Lake Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.