Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waite Park earns a D, better than 6% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and schools. It reports more crime per resident than 94% of U.S. towns, including 20 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its public schools trail 78% of Minnesota towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Waite Park’s property crime rate is 41.2 per 1,000 residents, above both the Minnesota town median (8.6) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). Only 25 of Minnesota’s 572 towns score lower on health. Quarry Park and Nature Reserve, at 708 acres with 6.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Waite Park beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
6,715 counted in 2010 and 8,341 in 2020; an estimated 8,450 in 2025.
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 Waite Park is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 317 in 1900, 8,341 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waite Park, 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 Waite Park.
Waite Park draws workers from St. Cloud and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Minnesota rate.
14 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Waite Park’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Waite Park | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Quarry Park and Nature Reserve | 6.6 mi | 708 |
| 2. Quarry Park Scientific and Natural Area | 4.7 mi | 481 |
| 3. Rivers Edge Park | 1.5 mi | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the St. Cloud Public School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Community ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 572 | C− |
| St. Cloud Area Learning CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 237 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 41.2 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Minnesota rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 618 to 372 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Waite Park reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. The violent crime rate in Waite Park is 2.3 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
8,139 jobs are based in Waite Park, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
21% of residents live below the poverty line in Waite Park. Since 2013, Waite Park has added 1,420 jobs, to 8,139 in 2023. Most working residents leave Waite Park for work: only 12% work in town.
| Waite Park | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 9.7% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waite Park.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
51% of Waite Park households own their home. The typical Waite Park home is worth about $251,000, up 1.9% in a year, 28% below the Minnesota typical home.
| Waite Park | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,117 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 8,735 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waite Park’s, it is healthier than 52%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Waite Park beats the Minnesota average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. Only 4 of the 271 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who worry about having enough food than Waite Park.
| Waite Park | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 19% |
| What stands out | Waite Park | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.5% | 8.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.5% | 11.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Waite Park has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 3° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5 within 15 miles of the center of Waite Park
About 4 of every 100 Waite Park residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where Waite Park’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Minnesota, United States
Waite Park is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 8,341 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Waite Park.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waite Park | #271 | D | C+ | D | C− | C |
| St. Cloud | #269 | C− | B− | D | C− | B− |
| St. Joseph · St. Joseph Township | #210 | B− | B | B+ | C− | B |
St. Joseph Township and St. Joseph are one community, graded once. Compare Waite Park with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
It grades C for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cloud, MN 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+.