Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Median home value$370,100
Minneapolis $374,000
Median rent$1,283/mo
Minneapolis $1,440/mo
Cost-burdened households22%
Minneapolis 28%
Elk River
Sherburne County26,793 residentsElk River Public School District
61
C
Suburbgrade score
38th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. Strongest on employment & income, held back by amenities.
61
Minneapolis median 62
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Elk River yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Elk River is like to live in, by category
Bars show Elk River against Minneapolis. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 71/100
B−
Within-state proficiency90th pct
Minneapolis median 72nd pct
Student–teacher ratio20.4
Minneapolis median 16.1
Graduation rate91%
Minneapolis median 89%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 71/100
B−
Housing cost index95
Minneapolis 100
Eff. tax rate1.13%
Minneapolis 1.04%
Local sales tax8.14%
Minneapolis median 8.14%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 48/100
D+
Mean commute27.4 min
Minneapolis 23.9 min
Under 30 minutes56%
Minneapolis 68%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Minneapolis median 6.5 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 42/100
D−
Restaurants & cafés14
Minneapolis median 35 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Minneapolis median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks15
Minneapolis median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Median household income$108,741
Minneapolis $99,833
Unemployment1.6%
Minneapolis 4.1%
Professional occupations43%
Minneapolis 49%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Elk River yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Elk River on amenities
Elk River's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Crystal23 mi from Elk RiverB+ 64 C+ Maple Grove16 mi from Elk RiverB+ 67 C+ New Hope22 mi from Elk RiverB 58 C Brooklyn Park19 mi from Elk RiverB− 63 C+ Buffalo18 mi from Elk RiverB− 57 C− Champlin14 mi from Elk RiverC+ 66 C+ Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Elk River
Is Elk River, MN a good place to live?
Elk River scores 61 out of 100, 38th of 60 Minneapolis suburbs. It is strongest on employment & income and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Elk River expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $370,100, 1% below the Minneapolis median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.13%. $1,283/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Elk River?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Elk River sit at the 90th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 20.4 student–teacher ratio. Elk River is served by Elk River Public School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Elk River?
The mean commute is 27.4 min, with 56% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Elk River?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 14 restaurants and cafés and 15 parks, which grades D− on amenities.
Are the homes in Elk River old or new?
The median home in Elk River was built in 1997 — newer than the Minneapolis median of 1981. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 80% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Minneapolis lists
Best Minneapolis suburbs for familiesMost affordable Minneapolis suburbsBest Minneapolis suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown MinneapolisMost walkable Minneapolis suburbsBest Minneapolis suburbs for young professionalsCompare Elk River
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