What is the median rent in Forest Lake, MN?

Name: Median rent in Forest Lake, MN, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Forest Lake, MN is $1,421 (±$74) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 2,202 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Forest Lake, the median gross rent went from $1,117 in 2015–2019 to $1,421 in 2020–2024 (+27.2%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,421 (±$74)
Rented homes: 2,202 (±304)
$2,000 or more: 14.2%
Since 2015–2019: +27.2%

How much rent costs in Forest Lake

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Forest Lake	Washington County	Minnesota	United States
Less than $500	4.3% (±2.8 points)	4.0%	8.4%	6.3%
$500 to $999	12.9% (±5.7 points)	7.5%	21.5%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	42.1% (±10.2 points)	26.0%	33.6%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	26.7% (±9.2 points)	29.6%	21.4%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	10.8% (±4.7 points)	19.3%	9.2%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	3.4% (±2.9 points)	6.3%	3.0%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.0% (±1.0 points)	7.3%	3.0%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 42.1% of renting households.

14.2% of rented homes in Forest Lake cost $2,000 or more a month.

Forest Lake against Washington County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Forest Lake	Washington County	Minnesota	United States
Median gross rent	$1,421 (±$74)	$1,710 (±$45)	$1,280 (±$7)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	2,202 (±304)	18,830 (±1,033)	614,257 (±4,397)	42,849,984

In Forest Lake, median gross rent is lower than in Washington County ($1,710).

It is also higher than in Minnesota ($1,280).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In Washington County, Forest Lake ranks 19 of 24 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 193 of 1,347.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Forest Lake has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,117 (±$61)	$1,421 (±$74)	+27.2%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	27.8% (±3.2 points)	27.1% (±3.2 points)	−0.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	2.4% (±4.1 points)	5.0% (±5.6 points)	+2.6 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.

Median gross rent in places near Forest Lake

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Forest Lake
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Forest Lake	—	$1,421 (±$74)	—
Hugo	6.0 mi	$1,891 (±$252)	Higher
Wyoming	6.2 mi	$1,166 (±$132)	Lower
Columbus	6.9 mi	$1,653 (±$411)	Not measurably different
Centerville	7.2 mi	$1,398 (±$177)	Not measurably different
Chisago City	8.7 mi	$1,321 (±$495)	Not measurably different
Lino Lakes	9.5 mi	$1,874 (±$198)	Higher
Marine on St. Croix	10 mi	$2,250 (±$129)	Higher
Linwood Township	10 mi	$1,636 (±$822)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Wyoming, MN ($1,166).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Hugo, MN ($1,891), Lino Lakes, MN ($1,874), Marine on St. Croix, MN ($2,250).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Washington County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
13	Birchwood Village	$1,681 (±$217)
14	Lakeland	$1,668 (±$196)
15	Stillwater	$1,622 (±$246)
16	Lake St. Croix Beach	$1,563 (±$1,427)
17	Oakdale	$1,481 (±$109)
18	Oak Park Heights	$1,443 (±$176)
19	Forest Lake	$1,421 (±$74)
20	Lakeland Shores	$1,375 (±$1,362)
21	Willernie	$1,322 (±$213)
22	Stillwater Township	$1,250 (±$362)
23	St. Marys Point	$1,125 (±$648)
24	Newport	$1,122 (±$81)

Showing 12 of 24 places in Washington County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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 Forest Lake

What is the average rent in Forest Lake, MN?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Forest Lake is $1,421 (±$74) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Forest Lake?

In Forest Lake, the median gross rent went from $1,117 in 2015–2019 to $1,421 in 2020–2024 (+27.2%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Forest Lake cost more than $2,000 a month?

14.2% of rented homes in Forest Lake have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 4.3% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Forest Lake higher than in Washington County?

In Forest Lake, median gross rent is lower than in Washington County ($1,710).

It is also higher than in Minnesota ($1,280).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

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 Forest Lake city, Minnesota (place:21770, in state:27).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.