Living in Ełk
In Ełk, unemployment is 5.3% (2025).
Annual PM2.5 was 14 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. For Ełk, the foreign population count was 98 in March 2021. The unemployment rate was 5.3% at the end of 2025.
Higher unemployment than 65% of Polish cities that publish it, less recorded crime than 97% of Polish cities that publish it and cleaner air than 80% of Polish cities that publish it.
Which Poland-wide rules apply when you move to Ełk?
National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.
Housing and cost
No city-level rent figure is published for Ełk. The available city-level cost figures remain below.
Is Ełk a good place to live?
There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Ełk?
The unemployment rate is 5.3 % (2025). Source: Local Data Bank — Share of registered unemployed persons in the working-age population by sex, total, 20259
Ełk 5.3%
Unemployment rate (%)
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Ełk. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Public Employment Services Poland — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Ełk. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Safety
How safe is Ełk?
Police recorded 1,609 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Crime ascertained by the Police, total per 1,000 population (P2290)2
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 1,609 incidents per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2024 | Crime ascertained by the Police, total per 1,000 population (P2290)2Official · county |
Mobility and administration
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Ełk. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
Polish language classes for foreigners seeking international protection — State Language Course
Office for Foreigners of Poland
For foreigners seeking international protection and receiving social assistance, temporary-protection beneficiaries receiving support.
Polish-language and adaptation courses for repatriates and their families — Newcomer Adaptation
Centre for the Development of Polish Education Abroad (ORPEG)
For repatriates, repatriate family members.
Climate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Ełk?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 14 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Poland 2024 PM2.5 station data3
Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Ełk 14.0
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 9 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — PL NO2 annual mean 2024 (station Ełk, ul. Piłsudskiego)4Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM10 — annual mean | 17 µg/m³ | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA air quality statistics — PL PM10 annual mean 2024 (station Ełk, ul. Piłsudskiego)5Official · nearest-station reading |
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 14 µg/m³country median 16.0 | 31 Dec 2024 | EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Poland 2024 PM2.5 station data3Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme High C | Jan 9.73 · Feb 9.73 · Mar 17.84 · Apr 26.51 · May 28.21 · Jun 30.33 · Jul 31.5 · Aug 34.55 · Sep 33.03 · Oct 20.76 · Nov 15.35 · Dec 9.38 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center11Official |
| Climate Monthly Extreme Low C | Jan -35.96 · Feb -27.28 · Mar -18.86 · Apr -6.16 · May -3.23 · Jun 1.55 · Jul 7.46 · Aug 6.4 · Sep -1.12 · Oct -6.56 · Nov -14.87 · Dec -22.32 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center11Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan -5.41 · Feb -4.21 · Mar 0.41 · Apr 6.81 · May 12.63 · Jun 16.02 · Jul 18.57 · Aug 17.91 · Sep 13.04 · Oct 6.8 · Nov 2.23 · Dec -2.55 °C | 31 Dec 2001 | NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center11Official |
Population and city profile
The city covered 21 km² in 2024. Population density was 2,821 people per km² in 2024.
How many people live in Ełk?
The published population was 59,044 people in March 2011. Source: Ludność w gminach. Stan w dniu 31 marca 2011 r. (NSP 2011 — National Census 2011, population of gminas at 31 March 2011)10
Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 98 is not 0.1% of the population. Each row names its source.
By nationality
National passport99.8%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 21 km² | 31 Dec 2024 | GUS BDL / GUGiK area variable 20187Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 0.1 % | 31 Dec 2011 | Eurostat6Official |
| Foreign residents | 98 people | 31 Mar 2021 | GUS BDL / NSP 2021 non-Polish citizenship variable 16533678Official |
| Population density | 2,821 people/km² | 31 Dec 2024 | Reproducible gmina density for Ełk: population_total_2024 / official area_2024, rounded to the metric contract precision 0.15Official |
| Population | 59,044 people | 31 Mar 2011 | Ludność w gminach. Stan w dniu 31 marca 2011 r. (NSP 2011 — National Census 2011, population of gminas at 31 March 2011)10Official |
Population fell 0.6% between 2011 and 2025, from 59,274 to 58,889.
Alternatives for people set on Ełk
Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.
Pruszków as an Ełk alternative in the same country
Better on 3 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.
- Unemployment: 2.3% Pruszków vs 5.3% Ełk−57%
- Median gross pay, region: €2,036 Pruszków vs €1,643 Ełk+24%
- Nearest airport: 11.0 km Pruszków vs 102.0 km Ełk−89%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,778 Pruszków vs 1,609 Ełk+11%
- Residents: 58,144 Pruszków vs 59,044 Ełk−2%
- Annual PM2.5: 14.0 µg/m³ Pruszków vs 14.0 µg/m³ Ełksame level
Budapest as an Ełk alternative in another country
Better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Median gross pay, region and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.
- Nearest airport: 18.0 km Budapest vs 102.0 km Ełk−82%
- Median gross pay, region: €2,534 Budapest vs €1,643 Ełkno percentage
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,396 (2025) Budapest vs 1,609 (2024) Ełkno percentage
- Annual PM2.5: 13.0 µg/m³ Budapest vs 14.0 µg/m³ Ełk−7%
Alternative cities in Poland
Other cities in Poland to compare with Ełk, nearest in population first.
How does Ełk compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Ełk's.
Ełk in rankings
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Ełk when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.
Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.
Open the official coverage guideSchool for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 7 to 18, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: oddział przygotowawczy (preparatory unit; min 3 h/week Polish as foreign language within 20-26 h/week). How to enrol a child (gov.pl).
A country-wide rule for Poland; Ełk's school authority applies it locally.
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Ełk?
The published population was 59,044 people in March 2011. Source: Ludność w gminach. Stan w dniu 31 marca 2011 r. (NSP 2011 — National Census 2011, population of gminas at 31 March 2011).
Is the air quality good in Ełk?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 14 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Poland 2024 PM2.5 station data.
How safe is Ełk?
Police recorded 1,609 incidents per 100,000 (2024). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Crime ascertained by the Police, total per 1,000 population (P2290).
What is the unemployment rate in Ełk?
The unemployment rate is 5.3 % (2025). Source: Local Data Bank — Share of registered unemployed persons in the working-age population by sex, total, 2025.
What is the typical salary around Ełk?
The median gross salary is 1,643 EUR/month. Source: bdl.stat.gov.pl.
How many foreign residents live in Ełk?
98 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: GUS BDL / NSP 2021 non-Polish citizenship variable 1653367.
Is Ełk a good place to live?
Ełk may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 29). Ełk, Poland: population, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version e176bb0128e134801bc26e5132df07b7]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pl/elk/ Retrieved 2026-09-29. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_e-k-poland-population-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_eb7fd8652de7,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Ełk, Poland: population, salary, cost of living, jobs},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-09-29},
version = {e176bb0128e134801bc26e5132df07b7},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pl/elk/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-09-29. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Ełk, Poland: population, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pl/elk/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version e176bb0128e134801bc26e5132df07b7; retrieved 2026-09-29; built 2026-09-29.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
- bdl.stat.gov.pl bdl.stat.gov.pl · checked 2026-08-27
- Crime ascertained by the Police, total per 1,000 population (P2290) bdl.stat.gov.pl · checked 2026-09-25
- EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — Poland 2024 PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
- EEA air quality statistics — PL NO2 annual mean 2024 (station Ełk, ul. Piłsudskiego) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- EEA air quality statistics — PL PM10 annual mean 2024 (station Ełk, ul. Piłsudskiego) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
- GUS BDL / GUGiK area variable 2018 bdl.stat.gov.pl · checked 2024-12-31
- GUS BDL / NSP 2021 non-Polish citizenship variable 1653367 bdl.stat.gov.pl · checked 2021-03-31
- Local Data Bank — Share of registered unemployed persons in the working-age population by sex, total, 2025 Local Data Bank · bdl.stat.gov.pl · checked 2026-07-27
- Ludność w gminach. Stan w dniu 31 marca 2011 r. (NSP 2011 — National Census 2011, population of gminas at 31 March 2011) Ludność w gminach. Stan w dniu 31 marca 2011 r. (NSP 2011 · api.dane.gov.pl · checked 2026-09-18
Show 5 more sources
- NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
- Netia 600 Mbps fixed internet netia.pl · checked 2026-09-15
- Orange Poland mobile plan orange.pl · checked 2026-09-15
- OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
- Reproducible gmina density for Ełk: population_total_2024 / official area_2024, rounded to the metric contract precision 0. bdl.stat.gov.pl · checked 2024-12-31
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.