Deer Lake is an unorganized territory located in Itasca County, Minnesota. As of the 2000 census, the unorganized territory had a total population of 3,286. It is the setting for novels by author Tami Hoag.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the unorganized territory has a total area of 559.4 km² (216.0 mi²). 473.2 km² (182.7 mi²) of it is land and 86.2 km² (33.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 15.41% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 3,286 people, 1,304 households, and 993 families residing in the unorganized territory. The population density is 6.9/km² (18.0/mi²). There are 2,154 housing units at an average density of 4.6/km² (11.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the unorganized territory is 98.05% White, 0.00% African American, 0.91% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.49% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,304 households out of which 28.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% are married couples living together, 3.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% are non-families. 20.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.51 and the average family size is 2.87.

In the unorganized territory the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 105.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 108.1 males.

The median income for a household in the unorganized territory is $47,115, and the median income for a family is $53,520. Males have a median income of $38,393 versus $26,298 for females. The per capita income for the unorganized territory is $19,556. 8.5% of the population and 4.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.1% are under the age of 18 and 16.1% are 65 or older.