Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,002, settled in 1853.
Crescent City grades D− overall, 752nd of 841 graded towns in California, mostly because of safety and incomes. It reports more crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns, including 58 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $36K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. 37% of working residents work locally in Crescent City, above both the California town median (6.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with tsunamis at the top. Crescent City has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them BROTHER JONATHAN (Shipwreck Site) and Cresent City Lighthouse.
Where Crescent City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
7,643 counted in 2010 and 6,673 in 2020; an estimated 6,002 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 10.1% since 2020, after 12.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Crescent City is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 638 in 1860, a low of 343 in 1880, 6,673 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1972 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Crescent City. Close and well known come first.
3 mi National ParkRedwood National Park1.2M visitors a year
5 mi State parkJedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
8 mi Ancient siteBrother Jonathan
19 mi National forestSix Rivers National Forest
40 mi National MonumentOregon Caves National Monument and Preserve64K visitors a year
26 mi State parkPrairie Creek Redwoods State ParkRedwood National Park: Michael Schweppe, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park: Mario Vaden (talk · contribs), Public domain · Brother Jonathan: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Six Rivers National Forest: Clinton Steeds, CC BY 2.0 · Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park: California Department of Parks and Recreation, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crescent City, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Crescent City.
Crescent City draws workers from Bertsch-Oceanview and beyond, but it reports violent crime at about twice the California rate and is a long drive from an emergency room.
Violent crime runs at 9.4 per 1,000 residents, about twice the California rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes fell from 441 to 279 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Crescent City’s violent crime rate is 9.4 per 1,000 residents. Among 437 California towns, just 10 have a higher property crime rate than Crescent City. Crescent City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
| Crescent City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 36 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Del Norte County Unified school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Del Norte High, with 918 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent Elk MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 507 | – |
| Del Norte HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 918 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
3,810 jobs are based in Crescent City, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 38.9 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Only 4 of the 846 California towns we compare have a lower median household income than Crescent City. The average trip to work in Crescent City is 39 minutes. Since 2013, Crescent City has lost 660 jobs, to 3,810 in 2023.
| Crescent City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 39 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $36,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $1,804, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Crescent City home is worth about $359,000, down 1% in a year, 53% below the California typical home. 32% of Crescent City households own their home.
| Crescent City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 32% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,192 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1995, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Crescent City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Beach Front Park, at 39 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Crescent City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beach Front Park | 1 mi | 39 |
| 2. Del Norte County Fairgrounds | — | 24 |
| 3. Brother Jonathan Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Crescent City 3 Nnw weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 256 days, longer than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41.9°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 64.3°.
Crescent City has warm winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. Only 4 of the 846 California towns we compare have a lower July high than Crescent City. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Crescent City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 64°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 42°F | 40°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The nearest emergency room, Curry General Hospital, is 46.1 miles away in a straight line. Against the 1,346 U.S. towns with household incomes like Crescent City’s, it is healthier than 96%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Crescent City beats the California average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 65% of adults had a checkup this year in Crescent City.
| Crescent City | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 65% | 72% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Crescent City | CA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 10% | 11.7% |
| More smokers | 15.4% | 10.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Crescent City; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Crescent City residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
Where Crescent City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Crescent City on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Crescent City.
City in California, United States
Crescent City (Tolowa: Taa-’at-dvn; Yurok: Kohpey; Wiyot: Daluwagh) is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California, United States, of which it is also the county seat. The city is on the North Coast of California and had a total population of 6,673 in the 2020 census, down from 7,643 in the 2010 census. The city is the site of the Redwood National Park headquarters, as well as the historic Battery Point Light. Due to the richness of the local Pacific Ocean waters and the related catch, and ease of access, Crescent City Harbor serves as home port for numerous commercial fishing vessels. The population includes inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison, also within the city limits, a…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Crescent City.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent City | #752 | D− | C− | D− | C+ | B− |
| Bertsch-Oceanview | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
Bertsch-Oceanview has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Bertsch-Oceanview reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Crescent City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Crescent City grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #752 of 841 in California. It grades B− for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 5.3 years of the area's median household income ($67,058 across the Crescent City, CA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
6 notable people were born here, including Justin Miller and Cody Hoffman.
