Forest Lake, MN

Census Place

2024 Population

20,729

US Senator

Amy Klobuchar

Democratic(DFL) Party

US Senator

Tina Smith

Democratic(DFL) Party

2024 Median Age

39.6

2.06% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

7.02%

4.17% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$92,944

3.41% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Forest Lake, MN is home to a population of 20.7k people, from which 97.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.17% of Forest Lake, MN residents were born outside of the country (1.07k people).

In 2024, there were 24 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (17.8k people) in Forest Lake, MN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 741 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 615 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.3%

2024 Citizenship

96%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.3% of Forest Lake, MN residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Forest Lake, MN was 96%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Forest Lake, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Forest Lake, MN

White (Non-Hispanic)
17.8k ± 679
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
741 ± 344
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
615 ± 450

3.79%

Hispanic Population

785 people

3.79% of the people in Forest Lake, MN are hispanic (785 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Forest Lake, MN as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Minnesota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
61,898 ± 6,075 people
Somalia
36,765 ± 4,692 people
India
31,170 ± 4,323 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Minnesota was Mexico, the natal country of 61,898 Minnesota residents, followed by Somalia with 36,765 and India with 31,170.

Foreign-Born Population

5.17%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.07k people

6.09%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.26k people

As of 2024, 5.17% of Forest Lake, MN residents (1.07k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Forest Lake, MN was 6.09%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Forest Lake, MN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
269 ± 93
Gulf War (1990s)
95 ± 55
Korea
94 ± 70

Forest Lake, MN has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.83 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Forest Lake, MN.

Economy

The economy of Forest Lake, MN employs 11.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Forest Lake, MN were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,976 people), Retail Trade (1,364 people), and Manufacturing (1,158 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($93,973), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($91,346), and Finance & Insurance ($90,151).

Employment

Occupations

11.3k

2024 Value

± 847

0.927%

1 Year growth

± 10.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest Lake, MN grew at a rate of 0.927%, from 11.2k employees to 11.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Forest Lake, MN, are Management Occupations (1,374 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,253 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,077 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Forest Lake, MN.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Minnesota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

11.3k

2024 Value

± 847

0.927%

1 Year growth

± 10.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest Lake, MN grew at a rate of 0.927%, from 11.2k employees to 11.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Forest Lake, MN, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,976 people), Retail Trade (1,364 people), and Manufacturing (1,158 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Forest Lake, MN, though some of these residents may live in Forest Lake, MN and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$62,261

Median earning men ± $7,614

$52,182

Median earning women ± $5,233

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($89,020), Public Administration ($82,614), and Wholesale Trade ($81,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,833), Manufacturing ($65,579), and Wholesale Trade ($61,250).

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Minnesota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Minnesota is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Forest Lake, MN. Showing the available data for Minnesota.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (50.9%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (46.7%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (0.738%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Minnesota went to Kamala Harris with 50.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (46.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.738%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Minnesota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Minnesota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Minnesota.

Amy Klobuchar

Senator from Minnesota

Assumed office on January 3, 2007
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party and its members are counted as Democrats.

Tina Smith

Senator from Minnesota

Assumed office on January 3, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Al Franken.{{Cite news |url=http://abc7chicago.com/news/franken-to-make-announcement-thursday-as-chorus-grows-for-his-resignation/2747124/ |title=Franken to make announcement Thursday as chorus grows for his resignation |date=December 6, 2017 |work=ABC7 Chicago |access-date=December 9, 2017 }}

Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are the senators currently representing Minnesota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Minnesota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Forest Lake, MN was $393,500 in 2024, which is 1.18 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $375,900 to $393,500, a 4.68% increase. The homeownership rate in Forest Lake, MN is 72.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Forest Lake, MN have an average commute time of 24.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Forest Lake, MN is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$393,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,271

$6,042

Median Property Taxes

±$554

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Forest Lake, MN the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Forest Lake, MN compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

72.9%

Homeownership

2024

64.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.9% of the housing units in Forest Lake, MN were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 71.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Forest Lake, MN compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$92,944

Median Household Income

± $8,689

8.29k

Number of Households

± 733

In 2024, the median household income of the 8.29k households in Forest Lake, MN grew to $92,944 from the previous year's value of $89,879.

The following chart displays the households in Forest Lake, MN distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Forest Lake, MN is from Minnesota.

0.452

2024 Wage GINI in Minnesota

0.454

2023 Wage GINI in Minnesota

In 2024, the income inequality in Minnesota was 0.452 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.568% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Minnesota was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Minnesota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Minnesota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.2%)
Worked At Home (17.7%)
Carpooled (6.6%)

In 2024, 72.2% of workers in Forest Lake, MN drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.7%) and those who carpooled to work (6.6%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Forest Lake, MN have a shorter commute time (24.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.24% of the workforce in Forest Lake, MN have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Forest Lake, MN compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Forest Lake, MN distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Forest Lake, MN have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

7.02% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Forest Lake, MN (1.45k out of 20.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 12 - 14.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Forest Lake, MN is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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