Welcome to Emily sign, 2021
Emily’s story
126 years in pictures
Census counts: 351 in 1960, 843 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1913 on.
- 1900Emily is settled
EmilyMN
A town of 870, settled in 1900.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Lorie Shaull · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
870
2025 Census estimate · +3% since 2020
Typical home
$380K
+4.3% in a year
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
57.4
years
Jobs based here
201
A commuter town
Is Emily a good place to live?
38% of residents are 65 or older in Emily, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 18%. Only 1 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher median age than Emily. The biggest place to walk is Emily State Forest, 1,265 acres with 2.2 miles of trail. Emily has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
870 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Fifty LakesCrooked Lake TownshipFairfield TownshipLittle Pine TownshipEmily
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Emily: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Emily, and how to reach them.
PowerCrow Wing Cooperative Power & Light Comp14.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Emily’s trash rules yet
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 hereCrow Wing County ElectionsCrow Wing County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes56447, 5644856447 93% · 56448 7%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 Emily.
Work & commute
Most of Emily’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Emily for work: only 11% work in town. At 31 minutes, Emily’s average trip to work is against 23 minutes in Minnesota’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Emily.
11%work in town
| Emily | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Emily11%
Crosslake16%
Brainerd8%
Baxter4%
Aitkin3%
25 mi
median commute distance
201
jobs based in Emily
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Emily, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Emily has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Emily’s July high is 79°F.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter4–23°
Spring29–52°
Summer55–77°
Fall35–53°
Oct 7
typical first frost
May 6
typical last frost
+2.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Emily
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities.
67risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Safety
Crime reported in Emily
No violent or property crimes were reported in Emily in 2023. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Emily is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2023
0
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Health
Compared with most of Minnesota and the rest of the country, fewer of Emily’s adults feel lonely
24% of Emily adults feel lonely. Among 272 Minnesota towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Emily. 13% of Emily adults report frequent physical distress.
| Emily | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
15 better9 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Emily | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.7% | 9.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.9% | 5.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.4% | 5.9% |
Cuyuna Regional Medical Center
19.9 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
The median rent in Emily is lower than in the typical Minnesota or U.S. town
The median rent in Emily is $680 a month. The typical Emily home is worth about $380,000, up 4.3% in a year, 9% above the Minnesota typical home.
$380KZillow home value
| Emily | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $680 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Emily$380K
Minnesota$349K
+4.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6.3%conserved
| Emily | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
6.3%
conserved · 1,451 of 22,930 acres
7.3 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Emily State Forest | 2.2 mi | 1,265 |
| 2. Land O'Lakes State Forest | — | 6 |
| 3. City of Emily Municipal Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Emily
18pages on Emily
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Emily; the nearest are
Central Lakes College-BrainerdCommunity college · Public · Brainerd31.3 mi$6,249 in-state tuitionBemidji State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Bemidji64.8 mi$10,237 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Emily residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
A commuter town
89% of working residents leave Emily for work
Where Emily’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
201jobs based in Emily
11%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Emily
City in Minnesota, United States
Emily is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 843 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area. Minnesota State Highway 6 and Crow Wing County Road 1 are the main routes in the community.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,293 ft
- ZIP code
- 56447
- Area code
- 218
Questions about Emily
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Emily, MN a good place to live?
Emily has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.