Living in Prior Lake, MN
Suburb in Minnesota
Prior Lake is a suburb in Minnesota, home to about 28,000 people, with 2.7 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Prior Lake a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 10 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Family-friendly: playgrounds, family attractions and plenty of households with kids
- Mild summers: highs around 81°F
- Dog-friendly: 12 dog parks within 9 mi
👎 Cons
- Higher taxes: about $2,443 state income tax per resident, 1.05% property tax
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Prior Lake ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Prior Lake: common questions
What is the cost of living in Prior Lake?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $436k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,260 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 105, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Prior Lake?
Minnesota collects about $2,443 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.05% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Prior Lake safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.4× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Prior Lake?
Public schools in Prior Lake test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 18 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Prior Lake?
Prior Lake has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 27°F and summer days around 81°F, with roughly 55″ of snow a year.
Does Prior Lake get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, strong wind and tornadoes: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.92 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Prior Lake?
The nearest major airport is MSP, about 15 mi away.
How Prior Lake scores
Each bar compares Prior Lake with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Prior Lake
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Minnesota.
Is Prior Lake right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.