Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Elbow Lake’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and schools and an A− for civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. Elbow Lake has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Grant County Courthouse. Elbow Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Elbow Lake beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| West Central Area N. El. | PK–4 | 144 |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Elbow Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 267 in 1890, 1,276 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1967 and 2 maps from 1911 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elbow Lake, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Elbow Lake.
The West Central Area school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. Elbow Lake’s only public school teaches 144 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Central Area N. El.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 144 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Elbow Lake’s going rate for rent is $742 a month, where Minnesota’s towns sit at $1,196 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Home values are up 2.6% over the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: in Elbow Lake, 69% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Elbow Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $742 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
One declared disaster, in 2001, has brought federal aid to Elbow Lake households. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 73% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 41% come from inland flooding and 28% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 1°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7.4% of Elbow Lake workers work remotely from home, below both Minnesota’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (11%). Most working residents leave Elbow Lake for work: only 18% work in town. Elbow Lake: nearly a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Fergus Falls (15%), Alexandria (10%) and Ashby (8%).
| Elbow Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
17% of adults in Elbow Lake smoke cigarettes; 26% have been diagnosed with depression. For adults in the town, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 31%.
| Elbow Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Elbow Lake | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.2% | 5.4% |
| More smokers | 17.2% | 13.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.3% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Elbow Lake; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Elbow Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
2 places in Elbow Lake on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Minnesota, United States
Elbow Lake is a city and county seat of Grant County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,276 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
