Lake Elmo is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, home to about 13,140 people across 22 square miles. Its ZIP code is 55042.
Homes sold for a median of $236 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Lake Elmo; also West Lakeland
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Lake Elmo. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Lake Elmo’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP)17 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | St. Paul, MN10 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL341 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Lake Elmo; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Lake Elmo had 11,335 residents in the 2020 census, up 65% since 2000.
It’s the 88th largest of 2,727 towns in Minnesota by population.
Washington County grew from 27,808 residents in 1900 to 267,568 in 2020.
Washington County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 79°F in summer, and winter lows average 5°F. About 33.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Stillwater 2sw, MN weather station (4 miles away).
95,631 jobs at 6,542 businesses in Washington County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
151 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Lake Elmo.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Specialist doctors | 5 |
|---|---|
| Dentists | 19 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 15 |
| Mental health providers | 83 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 21 |
| Chiropractors | 8 |
| Pharmacies | 2 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (36 nearby)
Grocery stores
Pharmacies
Libraries (2 nearby)
Museums
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 3 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1852.
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Stillwater Area Public Schools, Northeast Metro 916. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Elmo ElementaryLake Elmo | Pre-K–5 | 697 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Pankalo Education CenterLake Elmo | K–8 | 88 | Special Education | 3.0 mi |
| Oak-Land Middle SchoolLake Elmo | 6–8 | 946 | Public | 3.1 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with West Lakeland.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.