Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
La Crescent's standout: it has 10 miles of trail. Overall it grades A, ranked 71st of 271 in Minnesota. It reports less crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $85K. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. La Crescent’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile, above both Minnesota’s towns (0.5) and U.S. towns (0.4). Of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare, none has a higher January low than La Crescent. Daniel Cameron House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where La Crescent beats most towns.
| Widest gap | La Crescent | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 11.4% |
19.4% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far La Crescent is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 380 in 1870, 5,276 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Crescent, 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 La Crescent.
La Crescent sends many workers across the state line to Onalaska and is one of Minnesota’s best towns for the outdoors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Minnesota (mostly inland flooding).
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #6 of 274 in Minnesota.
9.7 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Stoney Point Park, 59 acres with 2.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stoney Point Park | 2.2 mi | 59 |
| 2. Vetsch Park | 1.7 mi | 25 |
| 3. Lancer Environmental Park | 0.9 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the La Crescent-Hokah School District. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is La Crescent Senior High, with 328 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Crescent-Hokah ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 359 | B |
| La Crescent Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 328 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
At 0 per 1,000 residents, La Crescent’s violent crime rate is against 1.1 in Minnesota’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. La Crescent’s property crime rate is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| La Crescent | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
La Crescent beats the Minnesota average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 27% of La Crescent adults sleep under 7 hours.
| La Crescent | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | La Crescent | MN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.1% | 9.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Minnesota towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Only 10 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than La Crescent. Since 1982, 28 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Crescent.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
67% of working residents cross a state line to work, Onalaska among the top destinations. Jobs based here grew from 1,168 in 2013 to 1,554.
Most working residents leave La Crescent for work: only 15% work in town. The average trip to work in La Crescent is 18 minutes. Since 2013, La Crescent has added 386 jobs, to 1,554 in 2023.
| La Crescent | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 7.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 14% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 8.7°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 100% of Minnesota places with climate records; July afternoons average 83°.
La Crescent has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 7 of the 274 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher July high than La Crescent. About 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). 41% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in La Crescent.
| La Crescent | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.4 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 33% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| La Crescent | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.7% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.6% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.8% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.2% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.6% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Home values rose 32% in five years, to about $359K, against 14% across Minnesota. 63.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.1% across Minnesota.
The typical La Crescent home is worth about $359,000, up 2.6% in a year, close to the Minnesota typical home.
| La Crescent | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $889 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of La Crescent
About 3 of every 100 La Crescent residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
Where La Crescent’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in La Crescent.
City in Minnesota, US
La Crescent ( lə KRESS-ənt) is a city in Houston and Winona counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,276 at the 2020 census. La Crescent is located in the northeast portion of Houston County; the northern edge of the city falls into Winona County. The city is known as the "Apple Capital of Minnesota" because John S. Harris planted apple trees here, resulting in many orchards in the present-day city. It is recognized as a 'Tree City' by the Arbor Day Foundation, and a 'Minnesota GreenStep City' by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with La Crescent.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crescent | #71 | A | C+ | A | B | A− |
| La Crescent Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Dresbach Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
La Crescent Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. La Crescent Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Dresbach Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare La Crescent with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. La Crescent grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #71 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades A− for health, A for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($73,340 across the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN metro 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+.
3 notable people were born here, including Eriah Hayes and Michelle Rifenberg.
