What it's like to live in Waconia
Waconia is a small city in Minnesota with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Waconia deals with home prices well above the national average, cold, harsh winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- High home prices
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 52" per year
How Waconia compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Waconia
Based on Waconia's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,660
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $53,200 a year
- 42% of Waconia renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$86,200
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $43,100
- Homes cost 3.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,330/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,330 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $431,000. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $431,000 · 42% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Carver County is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Carver County (county-wide)
Safety
49 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Waconia doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Carver County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 383/100k · Policed by Carver County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 20% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 8°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 36% above US
49% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 49% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (35 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Waconia's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($1,330/mo) equals 14% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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