Big Lake is a medium-sized city located in the state of Minnesota. With a population of 12,610 people and five associated neighborhoods, Big Lake is the 93rd largest community in Minnesota. Big Lake has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Big Lake, where the median household income is $113,333.00.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 8.75% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Because of many things, Big Lake is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Big Lake really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Big Lake perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

In Big Lake, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 33.02 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average.

In terms of college education, Big Lake is somewhat better educated than the 21.84% who have a 4-year degree or higher in the typical US community: 26.91% of adults 25 and older in the city have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Big Lake in 2022 was $40,849, which is upper middle income relative to Minnesota and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $163,396 for a family of four.

Big Lake is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Big Lake home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Big Lake residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Big Lake include German, Norwegian, Irish, Polish, and Swedish.

The most common language spoken in Big Lake is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.