Rice LakeMN
A town of 244.
Is Rice Lake a good place to live?
16% of the land in Rice Lake is conserved, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 4.7% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest park or preserve is White Earth State Forest, at 323 acres. Rice Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
244 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Rice Lake: who provides what
Rice Lake is unincorporated, so Clearwater County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Rice Lake.
Natural hazards: low risk in Rice Lake, mostly inland flooding
In Rice Lake, the FEMA hazard score is 20 of 100, below both Minnesota’s towns (40 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Expected losses in Rice Lake break down as 50% from inland flooding and 20% from cold waves.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Rice Lake stands out in Minnesota and nationally: a larger share of its residents live below the poverty line
Rice Lake’s average trip to work comes in at 27 minutes. Of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Rice Lake. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 2% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Bagley (28%), Mahnomen (15%) and Bemidji (10%).
| Rice Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 48% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Rice Lake
A winter brings about 52 inches of snow, with January nights at -3° and July afternoons at 79°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
15.5% of the land in Rice Lake is protected from building
1.5 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves. Rice Lake’s density of trails stands at 0.1 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 2, covering 573 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. White Earth State Forest | 0.2 mi | 323 |
| 2. Perch Lake Wildlife Management Area | — | 250 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
More of Rice Lake’s adults smoke cigarettes than in the typical Minnesota or U.S. town
No town among the 272 in Minnesota we compare has a higher share of adults who worry about having enough food than Rice Lake. Among adults here, 38% sleep under 7 hours. Only 3 of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Rice Lake. CDC measures, 32 in all: Rice Lake beats Minnesota on 2 and trails on 20.
| Rice Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 14% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 16% | 19% |
| What stands out | Rice Lake | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.2% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 29.3% | 33.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 27.8% | 11.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Rice Lake
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rice Lake; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Rice Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
98% of working residents leave Rice Lake for work
Where Rice Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Rice Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rice Lake, MN a good place to live?
Rice Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.