Gem Lake, Minnesota Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 483, Gem Lake's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Gem Lake is a small community located in Minnesota, within Ramsey County. The total population is 483. It ranks as the 509th most populous out of 914 Census-designated places in Minnesota.

Age Demographics

The median age in Gem Lake is 57.3 years. This is 48% higher than the state median of 38.8 years. 12.2% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Gem Lake is $124,583. This is 40% higher than the state median of $89,062. It is also 54% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 3.1%. This is 67% lower than the state poverty rate of 9.3%. This exceptionally low poverty rate indicates strong economic prosperity across the community. The unemployment rate is 0.5%. This is 89% lower than the state rate of 4.1%. The median home value is $568,900. Housing costs are 73% higher than the state median of $329,300. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.6x. 87.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 21% higher than the state average of 72.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

Gem Lake has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 95.0% of all residents. Asian residents account for 1.5%. The Asian population (1.5%) is well below the state average of 5.1%.

Education

50.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Gem Lake in the top 10% of all cities in the state for educational attainment. This is 29% higher than the state rate of 39.4%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. No surveyed resident aged 25 or older reported leaving school before earning a high school diploma, though a rate of exactly 100% reflects the limits of a small sample. Notably, 22.1% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Gem Lake, Minnesota is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Minnesota state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 914 Census-designated places in Minnesota. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.