Housing data for Lester Prairie, MN
Lester Prairie, MN has an estimated 1,898 residents and 713 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in McLeod County.
14.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $688 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,898 (±233)
- Housing units
- 713 (±74)
- Households that rent
- 14.2%
- Median gross rent
- $688
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −4.2%
What stands out in Lester Prairie
Households that rent: 14.2% (±5.0 points) in Lester Prairie, lower than in McLeod County (22.6%).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 7.4% (±5.0 points) in Lester Prairie, lower than in McLeod County (14.0%).
Median gross rent: $688 (±$74) in Lester Prairie, lower than in McLeod County ($941).
Average commute: 30.0 minutes (±3.7) in Lester Prairie, higher than in McLeod County (23.0 minutes).
- Renters and owners in Lester Prairie
- Types of homes in Lester Prairie
- Commute and cars in Lester Prairie
Housing in Lester Prairie at a glance
- Median rent: $688 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 41.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 14.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $96,544 median household income
- Home values: $237,400 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,709 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $3,022 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 7.4% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 65.3% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 55.4% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 17.1% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 78.5% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 30.0 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −4.2% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 19.0% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Lester Prairie against McLeod County, its state and the nation
| Lester Prairie | McLeod County | Minnesota | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,898 (±233) | 36,798 (exact) | 5,739,445 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 713 (±74) | 15,972 (±71) | 2,545,030 (±1,535) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 14.2% (±5.0 points) | 22.6% (±2.1 points) | 27.8% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $688 (±$74) | $941 (±$58) | $1,280 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $96,544 (±$12,848) | $80,084 (±$3,795) | $89,062 (±$409) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $237,400 (±$12,480) | $246,100 (±$6,149) | $329,300 (±$903) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $3,022 (±$279) | $2,840 (±$89) | $3,357 (±$10) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 55.4% (±9.4 points) | 52.0% (±3.2 points) | 52.1% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 30.0 minutes (±3.7) | 23.0 minutes (±1.3) | 22.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 90.5% (±4.7 points) | 88.5% (±1.7 points) | 91.6% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 32.8 years (±3.0) | 41.6 years (±0.5) | 38.8 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Lester Prairie covers 1.0 square miles of land, about 1,892 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Lester Prairie has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,981 (±231) | 1,898 (±233) | −4.2% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 784 (±75) | 713 (±74) | −9.1% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $543 (±$65) | $688 (±$74) | +26.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $149,800 (±$10,835) | $237,400 (±$12,480) | +58.5% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $59,688 (±$9,259) | $96,544 (±$12,848) | +61.7% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,301 (±$57) | $1,709 (±$69) | +31.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,767 (±$104) | $3,022 (±$279) | +71.0% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 19.1% (±5.7 points) | 14.2% (±5.0 points) | −4.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 5.3% (±8.9 points) | 17.1% (±16.5 points) | +11.8 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 McLeod County
Lester Prairie has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for McLeod County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for McLeod County recorded 100 violent and 686 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Lester Prairie
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Germany | 2.9 mi | $1,107 | $258,000 | 11.9% |
| Bergen Township | 3.0 mi | $1,344 | $389,200 | 8.2% |
| Winsted Township | 3.9 mi | $1,714 | $428,600 | 4.0% |
| Camden Township | 4.8 mi | $1,396 | $456,400 | 5.4% |
| Winsted | 5.2 mi | $834 | $201,900 | 21.0% |
| Hollywood Township | 5.6 mi | $1,260 | $453,900 | 12.4% |
| Mayer | 7.0 mi | $1,563 | $342,700 | 4.5% |
| Plato | 7.7 mi | — | $239,700 | 3.2% |
Places in Minnesota most like Lester Prairie
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rollingstone | $747 | $239,400 | $93,000 | 13.9% |
| Maple Lake | $591 | $246,800 | $93,750 | 16.0% |
| Elgin | $727 | $232,200 | $92,083 | 18.5% |
| Perch Lake Township | $717 | $235,000 | $90,000 | 10.2% |
| Irondale Township | $855 | $296,200 | $86,591 | 10.6% |
| Brevator Township | $675 | $242,500 | $85,313 | 12.5% |
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 Lester Prairie, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $882 | $951 | $1,073 | $1,278 | $1,593 |
HUD income limits for Lester Prairie, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $22,550 | $37,600 | $60,100 |
| 2 people | $25,800 | $42,950 | $68,700 |
| 3 people | $29,000 | $48,300 | $77,300 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $53,650 | $85,850 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $57,950 | $92,750 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $62,250 | $99,600 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $66,550 | $106,500 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $70,850 | $113,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the McLeod County, MN, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $107,300.
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 Lester Prairie
How many renters are there in Lester Prairie?
Lester Prairie has an estimated 97 (±38) renting households, 14.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Lester Prairie?
The median household income in Lester Prairie is $96,544 (±$12,848) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Lester Prairie, MN?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $237,400 (±$12,480) for owner-occupied homes in Lester Prairie (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Lester Prairie?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Lester Prairie, MN is $1,709 (±$69) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Lester Prairie?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Lester Prairie, MN is $3,022 (±$279) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Lester Prairie?
Lester Prairie, MN has an estimated 713 (±74) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Lester Prairie growing?
In Lester Prairie, the number of residents went from 1,981 in 2015–2019 to 1,898 in 2020–2024 (−4.2%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lester Prairie city, Minnesota
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lester Prairie city, Minnesota
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lester Prairie city, Minnesota
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lester Prairie city, Minnesota
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lester Prairie city, Minnesota
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Lester Prairie city, Minnesota
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Lester Prairie city, Minnesota
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: McLeod County, MN
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: McLeod County, MN
- 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 Lester Prairie city, Minnesota (place:36728, 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 .