Housing data for Buffalo Lake, MN
Buffalo Lake, MN has an estimated 635 residents and 268 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Renville County.
22.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $759 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 635 (±131)
- Housing units
- 268 (±45)
- Households that rent
- 22.4%
- Median gross rent
- $759
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +2.3%
What stands out in Buffalo Lake
Median real estate taxes: $2,440 (±$441) in Buffalo Lake, higher than in Renville County ($1,691).
Median home value: $113,400 (±$31,193) in Buffalo Lake, lower than in Renville County ($163,200).
Average commute: 29.3 minutes (±3.2) in Buffalo Lake, higher than in Renville County (20.9 minutes).
Housing in Buffalo Lake at a glance
- Median rent: $759 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent by bedrooms: $875 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 37.8% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 22.4% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $66,167 median household income
- Home values: $113,400 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,083 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,440 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 4.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 65.6% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 79.1% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 84.3% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 29.3 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 0 violent crimes per 100,000 residents (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Growth: +2.3% residents since 2015–2019 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- How long people stay: 21.9% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Buffalo Lake against Renville County, its state and the nation
| Buffalo Lake | Renville County | Minnesota | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 635 (±131) | 14,558 (exact) | 5,739,445 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 268 (±45) | 6,916 (±42) | 2,545,030 (±1,535) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 22.4% (±8.9 points) | 19.8% (±1.8 points) | 27.8% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $759 (±$187) | $790 (±$42) | $1,280 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $66,167 (±$5,539) | $70,625 (±$2,917) | $89,062 (±$409) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $113,400 (±$31,193) | $163,200 (±$5,730) | $329,300 (±$903) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,440 (±$441) | $1,691 (±$65) | $3,357 (±$10) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 79.1% (±16.7 points) | 77.0% (±3.4 points) | 52.1% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 29.3 minutes (±3.2) | 20.9 minutes (±1.0) | 22.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 80.0% (±10.2 points) | 85.8% (±1.5 points) | 91.6% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 42.8 years (±15.0) | 42.3 years (±0.6) | 38.8 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Buffalo Lake covers 0.7 square miles of land, about 931 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Buffalo Lake has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 621 (±104) | 635 (±131) | +2.3% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 321 (±38) | 268 (±45) | −16.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $539 (±$122) | $759 (±$187) | +40.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $92,400 (±$11,113) | $113,400 (±$31,193) | +22.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $42,574 (±$7,452) | $66,167 (±$5,539) | +55.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $950 (±$166) | $1,083 (±$132) | +14.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,457 (±$159) | $2,440 (±$441) | +67.5% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 32.0% (±9.0 points) | 22.4% (±8.9 points) | −9.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 12.0% (±13.9 points) | 0.0% (±35.7 points) | −12.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Buffalo Lake
In 2025, the Buffalo Lake Police Department reported 0 violent and 0 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Renville County, the departments that report recorded 62 violent and 339 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Buffalo Lake
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Lake Township | 2.9 mi | — | $277,100 | 14.1% |
| Hector Township | 4.0 mi | — | $240,600 | 8.3% |
| Grafton Township | 4.6 mi | $790 | $244,700 | 15.3% |
| Hector | 4.7 mi | $1,125 | $132,000 | 26.1% |
| Martinsburg Township | 5.7 mi | — | $228,600 | 7.2% |
| Stewart | 6.5 mi | $763 | $125,400 | 19.4% |
| Boon Lake Township | 7.7 mi | $1,063 | $352,300 | 8.1% |
| Collins Township | 9.0 mi | — | $327,200 | 3.5% |
Places in Minnesota most like Buffalo Lake
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenway Township | $698 | $138,200 | $66,094 | 16.1% |
| Stewart | $763 | $125,400 | $65,982 | 19.4% |
| Gibbon | $950 | $102,700 | $55,278 | 22.3% |
| Sherburn | $739 | $106,900 | $59,777 | 23.2% |
| Bowlus | $742 | $158,500 | $77,708 | 21.7% |
| Winthrop | $776 | $169,600 | $69,219 | 18.7% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Minnesota.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Buffalo Lake, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $854 | $859 | $1,014 | $1,404 | $1,695 |
HUD income limits for Buffalo Lake, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,600 | $34,300 | $54,900 |
| 2 people | $23,550 | $39,200 | $62,750 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $44,100 | $70,600 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $49,000 | $78,400 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $52,950 | $84,700 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $56,850 | $90,950 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $60,800 | $97,250 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $64,700 | $103,500 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Renville County, MN, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $94,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Buffalo Lake
How many renters are there in Buffalo Lake?
Buffalo Lake has an estimated 47 (±21) renting households, 22.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Buffalo Lake?
The median household income in Buffalo Lake is $66,167 (±$5,539) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Buffalo Lake, MN?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $113,400 (±$31,193) for owner-occupied homes in Buffalo Lake (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Buffalo Lake?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Buffalo Lake, MN is $1,083 (±$132) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Buffalo Lake?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Buffalo Lake, MN is $2,440 (±$441) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Buffalo Lake?
Buffalo Lake, MN has an estimated 268 (±45) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Buffalo Lake growing?
In Buffalo Lake, the number of residents went from 621 in 2015–2019 to 635 in 2020–2024 (+2.3%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Renville County, MN
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Renville County, MN
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Buffalo Lake Police Department (ORI MN0650600)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Buffalo Lake city, Minnesota (place:08488, in state:27).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .