Lake of the Woods County
For Americans thinking of retiring to Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, from another state or instead of a move abroad. Lake of the Woods County has 3,770 residents, 1,144 of them aged 65 or older (30.3 %) (US Census Bureau, county population estimates by age, 1 July 2025). Largest places: Baudette, Williams, Roosevelt (Census, 1 July 2024).
Where Lake of the Woods County stands, on the six criteria
Lake of the Woods County's own figures, each against every US county that has the same figure. Cost of living is its area's: the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no price level for a single county.
| Criterion | Lake of the Woods County |
|---|---|
| Cost of living BEA price level, all items (US = 100); lower is better |
85.9 Cheaper than 76% of the other 3,142 US counties
Every county in the area shares this figure. BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, all items, Minnesota nonmetropolitan portion · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-10-28
|
| Taxes on a retired couple state and local tax on the example retired couple, USD a year; lower is better |
USD $2,943 (90% margin USD $2,493–$3,393) Lower than 55% of the other 3,110 US counties
The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · figure for 2025
|
| Healthcare access share of residents 65+ living in a county with a 4- or 5-star CMS hospital; higher is better |
No hospital in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS A fact for this county, not a ranking: a county without such a hospital may sit near one next door.
CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026 · figure for 2026 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Safety homicides per 100,000 a year, 2020–2024, by state of residence; lower is better |
no data Lake of the Woods County had fewer than 20 homicides in 2020–2024: CDC WONDER publishes no reliable rate below that. |
| Climate months a year whose mean daily high is 18–29 °C (64–84 °F), 1981–2010; more is better |
4.0 months a year More than 7% of the other 3,143 US counties
CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al. · figure for 2010 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Natural-hazard risk expected yearly loss to buildings from natural hazards, per USD $1,000 of buildings; lower is better |
USD $1.86 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 23% of the other 3,143 US counties
FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB) · figure for 2025 · checked 2026-10-28
|
Taxes on a retired couple in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota
The published example couple's state and local tax in Lake of the Woods County for tax year 2025, in its three parts. Only the income tax is the same across Minnesota; the property tax uses Lake of the Woods County's own Census figures.
| State income tax Minnesota's 2025 rules — the same in every Minnesota county |
USD $645 |
|---|---|
| Local income tax none in this calculation: a county income tax is held only for Maryland and Indiana |
USD $0 |
| Property tax on a USD $350,000 home Lake of the Woods County's own median taxes paid ÷ median home value |
USD $2,298 |
| State and local tax, a year | USD $2,943 |
Sources: Minnesota Department of Revenue, 2025 Form M1 Instructions; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25103, county.
How Minnesota taxes each kind of retirement income, line by line
What Medicare costs in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota
For the published example couple, both 67 and married: what Medicare premiums cost a year for two in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, and the most a bad year can cost. What care itself costs depends on a person's health, so it is not estimated here.
Medicare Advantage, with drug coverage
No Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage is offered here (CMS, plan year 2027).
Original Medicare, with a drug plan
USD $5,669 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,997)
Medigap: no federal price list — not in this total.
No yearly maximum on Original Medicare alone.
Part B for two, plus the middle of the 9 standalone drug plans offered in the state.
The 2027 Part B premium is not yet published (CMS usually publishes it in November); 2026's is used.
Source: CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027; CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, 14 Nov 2025).
Retiring to Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota: pros and cons, by the figures
Retiring to Lake of the Woods County, judged on the figures above: a pro is a figure in the top fifth of US counties, a con one in the bottom fifth. Figures in between get no verdict.
Pros
None of Lake of the Woods County's figures is in the top fifth of US counties.
Cons
- Climate: fewer than 61% of the other 3,143 US counties (4.0 months a year). CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al.
The largest places in Lake of the Woods County
By population in the county; a place split across counties counts only the part in Lake of the Woods County. We do not cover these places in depth yet.
- Baudette: 935 residents
- Williams: 156 residents
- Roosevelt: 3 residents
US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 sub-county population estimates (SUB-EST2024), 1 July 2024.
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