Is La Prairie, MN a Good Place to Live?
La Prairie is a small town of 623 in Minnesota, with a median household income of $67,917 and a 3.8% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 94 (US average = 100), which is 6% below the national average.
Strengths: La Prairie stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether La Prairie is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All La Prairie city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 94.2La Prairie's overall cost of living index is 94.2, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in La Prairie costs roughly 6% less than the average American city.
| Metric | La Prairie, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $188,600 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $738 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 84.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $67,917 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeLa Prairie's violent crime rate is 139.6 per 100,000 residents — 63% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
| Metric | La Prairie, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | N/A | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | N/A | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 15.2% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 97.5% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
La Prairie sees average highs of 18.9°F in January and 79.7°F in July, with 28.7 inches of annual precipitation and 59.6 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | La Prairie, MN |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 18.9°F |
| Average High — July | 79.7°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 28.7" |
| Annual Snowfall | 59.6" |
Demographics
| Metric | La Prairie, MN | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 623 | — |
| Median Age | 46.8 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.8% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 16.7 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 90.0% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.6% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.8% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.5% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 24.6% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 25.5% | 16.8% |