Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,470, settled in 1869. 65% more nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town.
Lake Crystal’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living, schools, and civic life. On cost of living, just 48 of Minnesota’s 573 towns do better. 27% of residents are under 18 in Lake Crystal, above both Minnesota’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (22%). On civic life, just 17 of Minnesota’s 572 towns do better. Lake Crystal has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Lake Crystal beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lk Crystal Wellcome Memorial El | PK–5 | 423 |
| Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Sec | 6–12 | 506 |
| LCWM Alp | 9–12 | — |
Where Lake Crystal’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Lake Crystal is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Crystal, 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 Lake Crystal.
Its public schools are run by the Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Sec, with 506 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lk Crystal Wellcome Memorial ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 423 | A+ |
| Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial SecLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 506 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Lake Crystal for work: only 13% work in town. 4.8% of workers work from home in Lake Crystal, below both the Minnesota town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (11%). The top destinations are Mankato (31%), North Mankato (11%) and South Bend Township (4%).
| Lake Crystal | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4.8% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The violent crime rate in Lake Crystal is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Lake Crystal | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Lake Crystal tracks Minnesota closely on all 32 CDC measures. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Lake Crystal.
| Lake Crystal | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lake Crystal has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 6° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Lake Crystal home is worth about $293,000, up 3.2% in a year, 16% below the Minnesota typical home. Lake Crystal’s median rent is $825 a month.
| Lake Crystal | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $825 a month | $1,196 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Lake Crystal | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Robinson Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Lake Crystal Park | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake Crystal.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Crystal. Close and well known come first.
19 mi MuseumWanda Gág House10 mi GardenSibley Park
19 mi MuseumBrown County Museum
36 mi MuseumWaseca County Historical Society Museum
32 mi GardenGaylord City ParkWanda Gág House: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Brown County Museum: Flip Schulke, Public domain · Waseca County Historical Society Museum: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2 · Gaylord City Park: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Crystal
About 3 of every 100 Lake Crystal residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
City in Minnesota, United States
Lake Crystal is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States, established in 1869. The population was 2,539 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Mankato, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lake Crystal.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Crystal | — | — | A | B+ | A | B+ |
| Judson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Garden City Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lake Crystal has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Judson Township and Garden City Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lake Crystal with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
65% more nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town.
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 A.
