Housing data for Mountain Lake, MN
Mountain Lake, MN has an estimated 2,070 residents and 773 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Cottonwood County.
27.9% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $929 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 2,070 (±190)
- Housing units
- 773 (±83)
- Households that rent
- 27.9%
- Median gross rent
- $929
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −1.1%
What stands out in Mountain Lake
Homes heated by fuel oil: 0.7% (±1.0 points) in Mountain Lake, lower than in Cottonwood County (3.2%).
Median home value: $143,100 (±$16,650) in Mountain Lake, lower than in Cottonwood County ($169,300).
Housing in Mountain Lake at a glance
- Median rent: $929 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $934 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 27.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 27.9% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $66,490 median household income
- Home values: $143,100 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,342 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,832 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 12.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 58.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 77.5% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 82.5% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 13.7 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 104 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −1.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 25.2% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 3.7% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Mountain Lake against Cottonwood County, its state and the nation
| Mountain Lake | Cottonwood County | Minnesota | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,070 (±190) | 11,458 (exact) | 5,739,445 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 773 (±83) | 5,168 (±63) | 2,545,030 (±1,535) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 27.9% (±6.2 points) | 25.6% (±3.0 points) | 27.8% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $929 (±$234) | $817 (±$75) | $1,280 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $66,490 (±$8,769) | $72,941 (±$5,820) | $89,062 (±$409) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $143,100 (±$16,650) | $169,300 (±$8,902) | $329,300 (±$903) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,832 (±$126) | $1,781 (±$99) | $3,357 (±$10) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 77.5% (±11.0 points) | 77.6% (±5.1 points) | 52.1% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 13.7 minutes (±2.0) | 15.3 minutes (±1.3) | 22.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 85.1% (±4.5 points) | 85.3% (±2.3 points) | 91.6% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 31.5 years (±6.7) | 40.3 years (±1.1) | 38.8 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Mountain Lake covers 1.6 square miles of land, about 1,269 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Mountain Lake has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,092 (±180) | 2,070 (±190) | −1.1% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 957 (±69) | 773 (±83) | −19.2% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $702 (±$225) | $929 (±$234) | +32.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $75,100 (±$6,813) | $143,100 (±$16,650) | +90.5% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $40,054 (±$8,658) | $66,490 (±$8,769) | +66.0% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $794 (±$59) | $1,342 (±$139) | +69.0% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,161 (±$90) | $1,832 (±$126) | +57.8% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 33.9% (±5.7 points) | 27.9% (±6.2 points) | −6.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±5.6 points) | 0.0% (±9.5 points) | 0.0 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 Mountain Lake
In 2025, the Mountain Lake Police Department reported 104 violent and 673 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Cottonwood County, the departments that report recorded 106 violent and 433 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Mountain Lake
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midway Township (Cottonwood County) | 3.2 mi | — | $271,200 | 9.2% |
| Mountain Lake Township | 4.0 mi | — | $234,200 | 2.8% |
| Bingham Lake | 6.2 mi | $917 | $216,700 | 12.2% |
| Carson Township | 6.4 mi | $1,146 | $185,600 | 9.2% |
| Butterfield | 6.8 mi | $678 | $90,400 | 15.8% |
| Lakeside Township (Cottonwood County) | 7.2 mi | — | $291,500 | 0.7% |
| Odin Township | 7.2 mi | — | $310,000 | 5.4% |
| Butterfield Township | 7.5 mi | — | $306,700 | 5.1% |
Places in Minnesota most like Mountain Lake
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallock | $838 | $140,000 | $68,854 | 23.3% |
| Blue Earth | $918 | $143,600 | $66,771 | 30.4% |
| Hector | $1,125 | $132,000 | $63,362 | 26.1% |
| Granite Falls | $920 | $136,700 | $59,375 | 25.5% |
| Austin | $953 | $163,900 | $68,057 | 28.5% |
| Windom | $806 | $169,700 | $74,899 | 31.5% |
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 Mountain Lake, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $737 | $824 | $1,014 | $1,404 | $1,481 |
HUD income limits for Mountain 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 Cottonwood County, MN, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $97,800.
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 Mountain Lake
What is the average rent in Mountain Lake, MN?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Mountain Lake is $929 (±$234) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How many renters are there in Mountain Lake?
Mountain Lake has an estimated 210 (±52) renting households, 27.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Mountain Lake?
The median household income in Mountain Lake is $66,490 (±$8,769) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Mountain Lake, MN?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $143,100 (±$16,650) for owner-occupied homes in Mountain Lake (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Mountain Lake?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Mountain Lake, MN is $1,342 (±$139) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Mountain Lake?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Mountain Lake, MN is $1,832 (±$126) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Mountain Lake growing?
In Mountain Lake, the number of residents went from 2,092 in 2015–2019 to 2,070 in 2020–2024 (−1.1%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mountain Lake city, Minnesota
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mountain Lake city, Minnesota
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mountain Lake city, Minnesota
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mountain Lake city, Minnesota
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Mountain Lake city, Minnesota
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Mountain Lake city, Minnesota
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Mountain Lake city, Minnesota
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Cottonwood County, MN
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Cottonwood County, MN
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Mountain Lake Police Department (ORI MN0170100)
- 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 Mountain Lake city, Minnesota (place:44566, 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 .