Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Waconia earns an A+, 31st of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country, its schools outperform 92% of the state's, and the median household earns $111K. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. 49% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Waconia, above both the Minnesota town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Waconia has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Charles Maiser House and Mock Cigar Factory and House. Waconia's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Waconia beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Southview Elementary | K–5 | 544 |
| Bayview Elementary | K–5 | 530 |
| Laketown Elementary | K–5 | 530 |
10,697 counted in 2010 and 13,033 in 2020; an estimated 14,113 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.3% since 2020, after 21.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Waconia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 218 in 1880, 13,033 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waconia, 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 Waconia.
27% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Waconia. Waconia beats the Minnesota average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Waconia.
| Waconia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Waconia | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 11.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Waconia Public School District. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Waconia High School, with 1,335 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waconia Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 885 | A− |
| Waconia High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,335 | A− |
| Laketown ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 530 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Waconia home is worth about $464,000, up 2.7% in a year, 33% above the Minnesota typical home. 80% of Waconia households own their home.
| Waconia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,330 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 82.1°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 77% of Minnesota places with climate records; January nights average 5.6°.
Waconia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Waconia’s January low is 6°F. About 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Waconia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 6°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Waconia for work: only 19% work in town. Jobs based in Waconia fell to 5,322 in 2023, 295 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Eden Prairie (9%), Minneapolis (7%) and Chanhassen (6%).
| Waconia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Median household income | $111,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.0 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Waconia Park, at 118 acres. The trail density in Waconia is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waconia City Park | 0.3 mi | 33 |
| 2. Reitz Lake Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 3. City Square Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Minnesota average. Waconia has grown 8.3% since 2020, to 14,113 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 49% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota.
| Waconia | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.4 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.6 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.4, men 38.4.
| Waconia | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.9% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.5% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.1% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 34.4% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.5% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waconia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaU.S. Bank Stadium
27 mi Stadium & arenaTarget Field
13 mi LakeLake Minnetonka
17 mi Theme parkValleyfair
29 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
35 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino ArenaU.S. Bank Stadium: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Target Field: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Minnetonka: Dan, CC BY 2.0 · Valleyfair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clumpinglitter/, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Waconia
About 3 of every 100 Waconia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
5 places in Waconia on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Waconia.
City in Minnesota, United States
Waconia ( wə-KOHN-yə or wə-KOH-nee-ə) is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States. Waconia attracts visitors to nearby Lake Waconia. The population was 13,033 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Waconia.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waconia | #31 | A+ | C+ | — | A | A |
| Waconia Township | — | — | C− | — | A | A |
| Laketown Township | — | — | B− | — | A | A |
Waconia Township and Laketown Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Waconia, Waconia Township and Laketown Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Waconia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Waconia grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #31 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A for health and A for schools.
That is 4.7 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+.
5 notable people were born here, including Carol Molnau and Bob Stinson.
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