Lutsen Mountains, 2001
Lutsen Township’s story
136 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2001.
- 1890Lutsen Township is settled
Lutsen TownshipMN
A town of 536, settled in 1890.
1 bordering townMap →
Height of Land · Photo: John Lorenzen · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
536
2025 Census estimate · −0.7% since 2020
Typical home
$512K
+3.7% in a year
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
52.1
years
Jobs based here
320
Balanced
Is Lutsen Township a good place to live?
36% of residents are 65 or older in Lutsen Township, above both Minnesota’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (18%). No town among the 275 in Minnesota we compare has a lower July high than Lutsen Township. 78% of the land in Lutsen Township is conserved, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 4.7% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Superior National Forest, at 45,201 acres with 67.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Lutsen Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
536 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Tofte TownshipLutsen Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lutsen Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lutsen Township, and how to reach them.
PowerArrowhead Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lutsen Township’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 hereCook County CourthouseCook County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes55612, 5561555612 97% · 55615 3%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 Lutsen Township.
Outdoors
Nearly a third of Lutsen Township is conserved land
116 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Lutsen Township’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
77.8%conserved
77.8%
conserved · 52,514 of 67,510 acres
116 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Superior National Forest | 67.4 mi | 45,201 |
| 2. Lutsen SNA | 2.6 mi | 703 |
| 3. Pat Bayle State Forest | 1.6 mi | 4,061 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
Homes in Lutsen Township are worth about $512K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Lutsen Township home is worth about $512,000, up 3.7% in a year, 47% above the Minnesota typical home. 83% of Lutsen Township households own their home.
$512KZillow home value
Typical home value
Lutsen Township$512K
Minnesota$349K
+3.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Lutsen Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesLightning
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Lutsen Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
Lutsen Township has cold winters and cool summers. The January low in Lutsen Township is -1°F.
74°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter2–21°
Spring25–47°
Summer50–72°
Fall32–49°
Sep 27
typical first frost
May 26
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
74°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
About one in three of Lutsen Township’s working residents commute to Grand Marais
Most working residents leave Lutsen Township for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Lutsen Township fell to 320 in 2023, 137 fewer than in 2013. 5.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Lutsen Township.
14%work in town
| Lutsen Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Lutsen Township14%
Grand Marais36%
Tofte Township8%
Duluth3%
Aitkin1%
17 mi
median commute distance
320
jobs based in Lutsen Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
Compared with most of Minnesota and the rest of the country, fewer of Lutsen Township’s adults feel lonely
Only 4 of the 272 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Lutsen Township. Lutsen Township beats the Minnesota average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. Among 272 Minnesota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Lutsen Township.
| Lutsen Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
11 better13 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Lutsen Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.8% | 9.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.8% | 5.9% |
North Shore Health
17.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 13 attractions →Eagle Mountain and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lutsen Township. Close and well known come first.
10 mi MountainEagle Mountain
23 mi Park & preserveBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
30 mi State parkJudge C. R. Magney State Parkin town Ski areaLutsen Mountains76 runs · 787 ft vertical
38 mi National forestSuperior National Forest
39 mi State parkTettegouche State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Eagle Mountain: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: R27182818 at English Wikipedia (Original text: Reid Priedhorsky (R27182818)), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Judge C. R. Magney State Park: Chris857, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Superior National Forest: No machine-readable author provided. MisterSquirrel~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Tettegouche State Park: Desertson67 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lutsen Township
16pages on Lutsen Township
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lutsen Township; the nearest are
Northland CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ashland, WI83.9 miUniversity of Minnesota-DuluthUniversity or college · Public · Duluth93.1 mi$14,610 in-state tuitionGogebic Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ironwood, MI94.4 mi$4,800 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Lutsen Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Get outside
116 miles of trails in Lutsen Township
77.8% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
2
Lutsen SNA2.6 mi of trails · 703 acres
3
Pat Bayle State Forest1.6 mi of trails · 4,061 acres
Trails © OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
About Lutsen Township
Unincorporated community in Minnesota, US
Lutsen ( LOOT-sən) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lutsen Township, Cook County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 220. Lutsen is located within the Superior National Forest, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It is 18 miles southwest of the city of Grand Marais; and 65 miles northeast of the city of Two Harbors. Cascade River State Park and the Superior Hiking Trail are both nearby. Minnesota Highway 61, formerly part of U.S. Route 61, is the main arterial route in the community. It runs along Lake Superior between Duluth and Grand Portage to the Canadian border.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 11 sq mi
- Elevation
- 669 ft
- ZIP code
- 55612
Questions about Lutsen Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lutsen Township, MN a good place to live?
Lutsen Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.