Unemployment in Crosslake (1.6%) is lower than in 89% of U.S. towns
About one in five stay in Crosslake for work; outside it, Brainerd is the main destination (9%, 23 miles). For jobs and income Crosslake is better than 54% of U.S. towns (B−); for walkability it is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns (B+). A typical one-way commute lasts 29 minutes; Minnesota averages 23, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Crosslake in brief
Crosslake has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Crosslake went from 723 in 2013 to 1,272 in 2023, +76%. The jobs ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Crosslake’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Crosslake is Brainerd, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (80) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 882 working residents, small shifts move the shares; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Inside Crosslake’s Jobs & income grade
Unemployment holds Crosslake’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 7% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Crosslake could be anywhere from C to B+.
What work there is in Crosslake: 1,272 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Crosslake, 2013 → 2023: 723 → 1,272. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Crosslake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of Crosslake commutes less than 22 miles
About 35% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In and out of Crosslake on a workday
On a workday 684 residents head out to work, 198 work right here, and 1,074 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,800 people are in Crosslake on a workday afternoon, 16% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.44 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Crosslake’s residents
Where Crosslake clocks in
9% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Each way, about 29 minutes from Crosslake
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Crosslake workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 749 commuters (the 20% who work from home are left out). Across Minnesota: 84% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Few in Crosslake walk, bike or ride to work
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.7% across Minnesota, on an EPA index of 6.9.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 941 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.1% of Crosslake households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Crosslake’s commuters take a bus or train.
Crosslake is 2,112th of 5,207 U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,300 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Greenfield MN | 2,962 | $154K | 1.2% | 0.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Empire MN | 3,063 | $148K | 1.9% | 0.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | May Township MN | 2,638 | $137K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,110 | Thunderbolt GA | 2,534 | $75K | 17.6% | 3.5% | 3% | B− |
| 2,111 | Wilder KY | 3,108 | $71K | 18.6% | 3.5% | 1% | B− |
| 2,112 | Crosslake MN | 2,412 | $80K | 8.6% | 1.6% | 22% | B− |
| 2,113 | Navarre OH | 1,805 | $60K | 8.5% | 5.0% | 4% | B− |
| 2,114 | Jackson Township IN | 1,777 | $86K | 8.1% | 7.8% | 5% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,207 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Crosslake, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Crosslake and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Breezy Point (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Crosslake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crosslake | – | B− | B+ | 29 min | $79,635 |
| Fairfield Township | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Ideal Township | under 2% | B | C | 25 min | $108,355 |
| Fifty Lakes | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Mission Township | under 2% | — | — | 40 min | — |
| Breezy Point | 3% | B− | C− | 26 min | $85,938 |
Same-state neighbors only. Fairfield Township, Fifty Lakes and Mission Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Crosslake’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Crosslake: questions
What is the median household income in Crosslake?
$79,635 (±$16,689) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Crosslake?
8.6%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Crosslake?
29 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Crosslake work?
22% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Brainerd (9%, 23 mi), Baxter (4%, 25 mi), Jenkins (4%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Crosslake walkable?
Crosslake is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Crosslake without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Crosslake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Crosslake
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.