Lake townsMinnesota2026
Minnesota Lake Towns
Two Harbors, West Cook and Lutsen Township were the most booked of the 8 lake towns in Minnesota on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 4,869, 3,689 and 3,431 stays. July is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 3.6 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
- Most booked of these 8
- Two Harbors 4,869 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 8
- Lutsen Township $68,372 a year
- Highest rated of these 8
- Crosslake 4.92 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 8
- Crosby $231 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 8
- Crosslake 4.5 nights
Ranking
Minnesota Lake Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Two Harbors | 4,869 | $294 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | West Cook. Includes Grand Marais. | 3,689 | $395 |
| 3 | Lutsen Township | 3,431 | $514 |
| 4 | Crosby | 3,130 | $231 |
| 5 | Alexandria | 2,765 | $448 |
| 6 | Crosslake | 2,699 | $484 |
| 7 | Nisswa | 2,648 | $471 |
| 8 | Brainerd | 2,637 | $400 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5. Airbnb data files some places as one district or township, so West Cook and rows like it cover several towns.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
7 of 8 are busiest in July. Two Harbors peaks in August. Among guests who left a review, Minneapolis is the top home city in all 8. Houses are the largest home type in 5 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Two Harbors
Of the 8 lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more homes, Two Harbors had the highest occupancy, at 49%, and had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 42%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- West Cook
In the 12 months to October 2026, cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in West Cook, Minnesota, at 48% of homes.
- Lutsen Township
Of the 8 lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more homes, Lutsen Township had the highest nightly rate, at $514, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 4Crosby
Of the 8 lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more homes, Crosby had the lowest nightly rate, at $231, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 5Alexandria
Of the 8 lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more homes, Alexandria had the most Airbnb homes, at 136, and was booked furthest ahead, about 99 days before arrival, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 6Crosslake
Of the 8 lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more homes, Crosslake had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 72%, and had the highest guest rating, at 4.92, in the 12 months to October 2026. Cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in Crosslake, at 53% of homes.
- 8Brainerd
In the 12 months to October 2026, cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in Brainerd, Minnesota, at 49% of homes.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
July, August and June rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the lake towns in Minnesota, and April and February as the quietest. July is the busiest month in 7 of the 8, while Two Harbors peaks in August. Across the 8 towns, nightly rates run lowest in April, at about $344, and highest in July, at about $494. Across the 8 towns, stays run longest in July, at 4.7 nights, and shortest in January, at 2.7 nights.
July ranks first, February last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July | 4.7 nights | $494 |
| 2 | August | 3.6 nights | $471 |
| 3 | June | 3.9 nights | $459 |
| 4 | September | 2.9 nights | $413 |
| 5 | October | 2.9 nights | $372 |
| 6 | May | 3.5 nights | $378 |
| 7 | November | 3.4 nights | $356 |
| 8 | December | 3.2 nights | $366 |
| 9 | March | 3.3 nights | $356 |
| 10 | January | 2.7 nights | $359 |
| 11 | April | 4.4 nights | $344 |
| 12 | February | 2.8 nights | $362 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 98.8% come from within the United States. The top home cities among those guests are Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Duluth. Brainerd draws the most from abroad, at 1.6%, among towns with 100 or more homes.
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
98.8% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 8 towns on this list, Lutsen Township has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $68,372 a year. Of those 8, Two Harbors has the highest occupancy, at 49%, and Crosby has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $231. The most booked of the 8, Two Harbors, earns about $48,040 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 8
A year, AirROI estimate
- Lutsen Township $68,372
- Crosslake $54,993
- Nisswa $53,471
- West Cook $50,688
- Two Harbors $48,040
Highest occupancy of these 8
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Two Harbors 49%
- West Cook 46%
- Lutsen Township 41%
- Brainerd 40%
- Crosslake 40%
Lowest nightly rate of these 8
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Crosby $231
- Two Harbors $294
- West Cook $395
- Brainerd $400
- Alexandria $448
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular lake town in Minnesota?
By AirROI's estimates, Two Harbors is the most booked of the 8 lake towns in Minnesota, with 4,869 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. West Cook is second, with 3,689. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable lake town in Minnesota?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more homes, the lowest are Crosby ($231), Two Harbors ($294) and West Cook ($395). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small lake towns in Minnesota?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 8 lake towns it lists in Minnesota are Nisswa (102), Lutsen Township (105) and Brainerd (108). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What lake towns in Minnesota offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among lake towns in Minnesota with 100 or more homes, the highest are Lutsen Township ($68,372), Crosslake ($54,993) and Nisswa ($53,471). Among the same towns, Two Harbors has the highest occupancy, at 49%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on the shore of a lake or large reservoir, and the lake has to be a main reason to come. The town's own listings can back that up, with 35% of its homes listing lake access, or 25% of its titles naming the lake with 10% of homes listing it. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 55,263 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.