Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,231, settled in 1888.
Ely gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $283K, 3.9 years of the Duluth metro’s $72K median household income. It grades A− overall, 116th of 271 graded towns in Minnesota. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $44K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 45% of working residents work locally in Ely, above both Minnesota’s towns (9.7%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 10 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score higher on walkability. Ely's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Ely beats most towns.
2.4% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Ely is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 901 in 1890, a peak of 6,156 in 1930, 3,268 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1938 and 3 maps from 1933 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ely, 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 Ely.
Ely pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Minnesota (mostly cold waves) and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
Count the trails in 3 parks and preserves and they come to 4.3 miles. The density of trails for Ely comes to 1.5 miles per square mile.
| Ely | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Whiteside Park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 2. Superior National Forest | — | 18 |
| 3. Semer's Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Ely Public School District. Of its 4 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. 4 public schools serve Ely, with 529 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 201 | B |
| Memorial High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 181 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 100% of Minnesota towns, with expected losses of about $933 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Expected losses in Ely break down as 75% from cold waves and 18% from inland flooding. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median household earns $43,901, against $89,062 across Minnesota, one input to its C− for jobs and income.
Among 273 Minnesota towns, just 6 have a higher midpoint age than Ely. In Ely, 28% of residents are 65 or older. Minnesota has 39% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 32%.
| Ely | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 7.9% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 52.1 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 17% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Ely | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.4% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.4% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.3% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.3% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.3% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.7% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.9% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.1% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.6% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
The Ely weather station records that about 7 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average -4.8°, colder than in 100% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 77.9°.
Only 2 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower January low than Ely. The peak summer temperature locally is 78°F. About 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Ely | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | -5°F | 6°F | 22°F |
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ely grades A− overall with a typical home of about $283K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that. Home values rose 32% in five years, to about $283K, against 14% across Minnesota.
Homes in Ely are typically worth about $283,000, up 5.8% in a year, 19% below the Minnesota typical home. For Ely, the median rent is $627 a month. Among households in the town, 63% are owner-occupiers.
| Ely | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $627 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 1,143 working residents takes 14.3 minutes, against 22.7 across Minnesota.
The top destinations are Morse Township (7%), Virginia (6%) and Tower (6%). Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Ely dropped by 174, to 1,297. For Ely, the typical journey to work is 14 minutes. Only one of the 273 Minnesota towns we compare has a lower median household income than Ely.
| Ely | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ely’s violent crime rate is 1.9 per 1,000 residents. In Ely, the level of property crime is 9.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Ely | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.7 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 3,642 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ely’s, it is healthier than 93%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Minnesota it is less healthy than 82% of the 271 graded towns: Minnesota sets a high bar.
For adults in Ely, the share who have high blood pressure is 35%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Ely beats Minnesota on 1 and trails on 11. Two figures for adults in the town: 33% sleep under 7 hours, 16% smoke cigarettes.
| Ely | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Ely | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.4% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.7% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Ely; the nearest are
About 10 of every 100 Ely residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
5 places in Ely on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Ely.
City in Minnesota, United States
Ely ( EE-lee) is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,268 at the 2020 census. Located on the Vermilion iron range, Ely once had several iron ore mines. It is an entry point for campers and canoers into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Canada's Quetico Provincial Park wilderness area. The International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center are nearby. Ely's main street has nature outfitters, outdoor clothing stores, and restaurants. MN 1, MN 169, and County Road 21 (Central Avenue) are Ely's main routes. The city is 16 mi (26 km) south of the Canadian border and is within the Superior National Forest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Ely grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #116 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades B− for health, B for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Jessica Biel and Matt Dean.
