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Monday, Mar. 31, 2025

Does Minnesota have more than 10,000 lakes?

Winter Keefer, MinnPost
yes

Despite the nickname “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” Minnesota has more than this number. 

Since the 1990s, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has operated a database tracking the number of lakes in the state. According to that database, there are 11,842 in Minnesota.

This places Minnesota in the No. 3 slot for states with the most lakes in the country, following Alaska and Wisconsin. While this is often touted by Wisconsinites, many Minnesotans point out that part of the reason Wisconsin is considered to have more lakes is the state’s definition of a lake. Specifically, Wisconsin counts smaller bodies of water as lakes. 

Minnesota defines a lake as a body of water with an area of at least 10 acres. Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources includes lakes as small as 2.2 acres.

See a full discussion of this at MinnPost

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