Detailed map of, 2008
Elbow Lake’s story
Elbow Lake in pictures
Census counts: 104 in 2000, 118 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2008 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
Explore the history →Elbow LakeMN
This town in Minnesota has a population of 76.
Is Elbow Lake a good place to live?
43% of residents live below the poverty line in Elbow Lake, against 7% in Minnesota’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town among the 274 in Minnesota we compare has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Elbow Lake. The biggest park or preserve is White Earth State Forest, at 74 acres. Elbow Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
76 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Elbow Lake: who provides what
Elbow Lake is unincorporated, so Becker County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerWild Rice Electric Coop14.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet2 providers49% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesBecker CountyBecker County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBecker County CourthouseBecker County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code5658956589 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Elbow Lake.
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Elbow Lake
Expect July afternoons of 79° and January nights of -3°, with about 52 inches of snow a winter.
52″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter1–20°
Spring29–51°
Summer54–77°
Fall33–52°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Outdoors
Conservation land takes up 10.6% of Elbow Lake
2 parks and preserves cover 75 acres in Elbow Lake.
10.6%conserved
10.6%
conserved · 89 of 846 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. White Earth State Forest | — | 74 |
| 2. City Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Health
Compared with most of Minnesota and the rest of the country, more of Elbow Lake’s adults report frequent physical distress
Of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Elbow Lake. The share of adults in Elbow Lake who say their health is fair or poor: 27%. This Minnesota town beats the Minnesota average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21.
| Elbow Lake | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 10% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
3 better8 too close to call21 worse
| What stands out | Elbow Lake | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72.8% | 68.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.1% | 76.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 25.8% | 11.4% |
Mahnomen Health Center
22.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Elbow Lake, mostly inland flooding
FEMA puts 65% of Elbow Lake’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 9% to tornadoes. Its natural-hazard score from FEMA comes in at 46 of 100. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities.
46risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Elbow Lake
15pages on Elbow Lake
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Elbow Lake; the nearest are
White Earth Tribal and Community CollegeCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Mahnomen22.5 mi$5,490 tuitionNorthwest Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Bemidji38.6 mi$6,254 in-state tuitionBemidji State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Bemidji39 mi$10,237 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Elbow Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
About Elbow Lake
Census-designated place in Minnesota, US
Elbow Lake is a census-designated place in Becker and Clearwater counties in Minnesota, United States. Its population was 95 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,601 ft
- Area code
- 218
Questions about Elbow Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elbow Lake, MN a good place to live?
Elbow Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.