White Bear Lake, MN — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Minnesota·White Bear Lake

Ramsey County · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington · population 23,479

ShrinkingSmall-town feel
View watchlist →
60
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where White Bear Lake stands

At or near all-time high. population shrinking 1.4% per year.

Median home $360,452
1-year +3.1%
5-yr CAGR +3.2%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -1.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$360k$198k$257k$316k$375k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
72/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,675/mo$1,415$1,602$1,78920242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent10910910020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 17.9
Lean buy

At a 17.9 price-to-rent ratio, White Bear Lake is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
65 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
54 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
23 · w16%
Rent YoY
65 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
64 · w10%
Long thesis

White Bear Lake has held up across the cycle: home values at $360,452 with +3.2% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

White Bear Lake's population is shrinking 1.4% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About White Bear Lake

White Bear Lake is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, with an estimated population of 23,479. It anchors the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area. The population has contracted 1.4% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in White Bear Lake is $360,452 as of 2026-04, up 3.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.2% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in White Bear Lake average $1,675 per month, up 3.0% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 60 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

Bull case

Quiet strength: +3.1% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

Bear case

Net out-migration: population shrinking 1.4% per year — services, schools, and tax base will follow.
Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Ramsey County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Ramsey County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like White Bear Lake

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
22° / 4°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 62°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
198
~54% of year
Annual precip
28″ rain
45″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current White Bear Lake listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$84,300
Minnesota state median
Top industries (state-level)
Medical DevicesFinanceManufacturing

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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