Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,330, settled in 1910.
The best of Crosby’s subject grades is an A− for walkability; the weakest is a D for incomes. Only 11 of Minnesota’s 574 towns score lower on incomes. Crosby has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ironton Sintering Plant Complex and Soo Line Depot. Crosby has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Crosby beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Crosby is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crosby, 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 Crosby.
The typical Crosby home is worth about $197,000, down 1.4% in a year, 44% below the Minnesota typical home. 54% of Crosby households own their home, against 75% in Minnesota’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Crosby’s median rent is $849 a month.
| Crosby | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $849 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Crosby-Ironton Public School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Crosby-Ironton Secondary, with 455 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyuna Range ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 533 | B+ |
| Crosby-Ironton SecondaryLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 455 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Crosby has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Crosby’s July high is 80°F, where Minnesota’s towns sit at 82°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household income in Crosby is $42,000. Since 2013, Crosby has lost 1,210 jobs, to 671 in 2023. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Crosby.
| Crosby | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Crosby's reported crime rate is well below Minnesota's. Only 9 of the 170 Minnesota towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Crosby. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Crosby | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
38% of Crosby adults have high blood pressure. Crosby beats the Minnesota average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 28% of Crosby adults feel lonely.
| Crosby | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Crosby | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.3% | 76.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, 625 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
| Crosby | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area | 1.1 mi | 625 |
| 2. Crosby Memorial Park | — | 13 |
| 3. George F Crosby Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Crosby. Close and well known come first.
23 mi LakeMille Lacs Lake11 mi Theme parkPaul Bunyan Land
13 mi AttractionKenney Lake Overlook
24 mi MuseumMille Lacs Indian Museum16 mi GardenNorthland ArboretumMille Lacs Lake: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kenney Lake Overlook: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mille Lacs Indian Museum: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Crosby; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Crosby residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
3 places in Crosby on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Crosby.
City in Minnesota, United States
Crosby is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,360 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area. Crosby is adjacent to its twin city of Ironton, in the Cuyuna Iron Range.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Crosby.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crosby | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Irondale Township | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Ironton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cuyuna | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wolford Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Crosby and Irondale Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Crosby and Irondale Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Ironton, Cuyuna and Wolford Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Crosby with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
9 notable people were born here, including Thomas W. Simons, Jr. and Brittany Chambers.
