Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 27,896, settled in 1851. Public schools that outperform most of Minnesota.
Trash & recyclingElk River is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 48th of 271 in Minnesota. The median household earns $109K, its schools outperform 87% of the state's, and it is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. Elk River has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oliver H. Kelley Homestead and Elkhi Stadium. Elk River’s January low is 5°F, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 6°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. Woodland Trails Regional Park, at 376 acres with 8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Elk River beats most towns.
22,974 counted in 2010 and 25,835 in 2020; an estimated 27,896 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8% since 2020, after 12.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Elk River is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Oliver H. Kelley Homestead is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 233 in 1860, 25,835 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1941 and 3 maps from 1961 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elk River, 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 Elk River.
Elk River owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Its public schools are run by the Elk River Public School District. Three of its 25 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Lakes ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 704 | A+ |
| Elk River Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,562 | A− |
| Parker ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 513 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Against the 7,331 U.S. towns with household incomes like Elk River’s, it is healthier than 59%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
22% of Elk River adults binge drink. Elk River beats the Minnesota average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 73% of Elk River adults had a checkup this year.
| Elk River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Elk River | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.7% | 3.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.2% | 5.9% |
| More binge drinkers | 21.6% | 17.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Elk River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Woodland Trails Regional Park | 8 mi | 376 |
| 2. William H. Houlton Conservation Area | — | 342 |
| 3. Hillside Park | — | 77 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 313 to 224 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 24 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Elk River has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Elk River’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Elk River for work: only 16% work in town. 3.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Elk River. The top destinations are Minneapolis (9%), Maple Grove (4%) and Plymouth (4%).
| Elk River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $109,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 9.7% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Elk River home is worth about $399,000, up 2.3% in a year, 14% above the Minnesota typical home.
| Elk River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,283 a month | $1,192 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elk River.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Minnesota average. Elk River has grown 8% since 2020, to 27,896 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Elk River is 37.2 years.
| Elk River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.2 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 33% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.2, men 36.2.
| Elk River | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.6% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.4% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.2% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.6% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Elk River
About 3 of every 100 Elk River residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
3 places in Elk River on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Elk River.
City in Minnesota, United States
Elk River is a city and the county seat of Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States, about 34 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It is at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers. The population was 25,835 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 29, in 2025, making Elk River the second-largest city in the Central Minnesota region after St. Cloud. U.S. Highways 10 and 169 and State Highway 101 are three of the main routes in Elk River. Elk River is 33.2 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 37.4 miles southeast of St. Cloud.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Elk River.
It grades higher overall than all 6 graded towns on its borders; Nowthen (A) comes closest.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk River | #48 | A | B− | B+ | A | A− |
| Otsego | #82 | A | C | — | A | A |
| Big Lake Township | #106 | A− | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Ramsey | #84 | A | C | A | A− | A− |
| Nowthen | #55 | A | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Livonia Township | #65 | A | C+ | — | A | B+ |
| Dayton | #80 | A | C | A | B+ | A |
Otsego, Big Lake Township, Nowthen and Livonia Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Elk River with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Elk River grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #48 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and A for schools.
That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($99,833 across the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
9 notable people were born here, including Joel Otto and Nate Prosser.
