Knife RiverMN
A town of 131.
Is Knife River a good place to live?
Knife River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
131 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Knife River: who provides what
Knife River is unincorporated, so Lake County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Knife River.
Compared with most of Minnesota and the rest of the country, the median age in Knife River is higher
48% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 39% across Minnesota. People 65 and older are 94% of residents (17% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 6% of residents (38% statewide).
| Knife River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 87.7 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 27% and 61% women
The Census survey reached too few of Knife River’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±17 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Knife River | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 0% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 0% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 0% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 0% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.1% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.3% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 88.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.7% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.2% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 0% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.9% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 25.2% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
Most of Knife River’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Two Harbors (26%), Duluth (26%) and Silver Creek Township (8%). Knife River: 11% of residents live below the poverty line. Half the trips to work are shorter than 17 miles.
| Knife River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
18% of Knife River is conserved land
Knife River’s trail network density stands at 0.9 miles per square mile, above both the Minnesota town median (0.5) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Walkers can cover 0.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves locally: one, of 17 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knife River Aquatic Management Area | 0.4 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Knife River, a typical July afternoon runs cooler than in the typical Minnesota or U.S. town
Winters in Knife River are cold, snowy and summers cool. July afternoons reach 76°, January nights drop to 5° and about 61 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Knife River is
The share of adults in Knife River who say their health is fair or poor: 15%. This Minnesota town does better than the Minnesota average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2. 14% of adults in Knife River report frequent mental distress; 29% feel lonely.
| Knife River | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Knife River | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.5% | 7.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.4% | 9.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow puts the typical Knife River home at about $391K
Only one of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare has a higher home-ownership rate than Knife River. Home values are up 3.4% over the year to September 2026.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Knife River, mostly cold waves
39% of Knife River’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 32%. Compared with 50% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Split Rock Lighthouse and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Knife River. Close and well known come first.
26 mi LighthouseSplit Rock Lighthouse
35 mi National LakeshoreApostle Islands National Lakeshore261K visitors a year
20 mi State parkGooseberry Falls State Park
19 mi MuseumLake Superior Railroad Museum
19 mi Zoo & aquariumGreat Lakes Aquarium
38 mi State parkTettegouche State ParkPhoto credits
Split Rock Lighthouse: Jim Sorbie, CC BY 2.0 · Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: NPS Photo, Public domain · Gooseberry Falls State Park: Chuck Kochmann, Copyrighted free use · Lake Superior Railroad Museum: User resedabear on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Great Lakes Aquarium: Tmajewski, Public domain · Tettegouche State Park: Desertson67 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Everything we know about Knife River
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Knife River; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Knife River residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
100% of working residents leave Knife River for work
Where Knife River’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Knife River
Unincorporated community in Minnesota, United States
Knife River is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Minnesota, United States; located on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The community is located between Duluth and Two Harbors on the North Shore Scenic Drive (County 61), at the mouth of the Knife River, from which it gets its name. Knife River is located 8 miles southwest of the city of Two Harbors. The boundary line between Lake and Saint Louis counties is nearby. Knife River is located within Lake No. 2 Unorganized Territory of Lake County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 636 ft
- ZIP code
- 55609
Questions about Knife River
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Knife River, MN a good place to live?
Knife River has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.