Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Minnesota town. Population 3,443: a town settled in 1883.
Two Harbors grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns. Its place in the ranking is 137th of 271 in Minnesota. On safety it is strong — it reports less crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns. Walkability is a strength too (A): it is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 63% of the country. At about $293K, a typical home costs 3.9 years of the county’s $76K median household income. Two Harbors’ trail density is 4.8 miles per square mile, above both Minnesota’s towns (0.5) and U.S. towns (0.4). Two Harbors's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Two Harbors beats most towns.
1.3% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Minnesota), ordered by how far Two Harbors is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,224 in 1890, a peak of 4,990 in 1910, 3,633 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Two Harbors, 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 Two Harbors.
Two Harbors pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Minnesota norm, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Minnesota (mostly cold waves) and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
Two Harbors’ conserved land covers 1.3% of the town. Trails total 16 miles in 5 parks and preserves. More trails than any other town in Minnesota.
| Two Harbors | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 4.8 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lakeview Park | 0.2 mi | 10 |
| 2. Paul Van Hover Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
| 3. Odegard Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Lake Superior Public School District. Enrollment at Two Harbors’s public school: 367 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 367 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MN on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Two Harbors’ level of violent crime comes in at 0.6 per 1,000 residents. The level of property crime for Two Harbors comes to 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Two Harbors | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 8.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Minnesota towns, with expected losses of about $910 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
48% of Two Harbors’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by strong winds at 26%. One flood insurance claim has been paid locally since 2012. Federal aid has come to Two Harbors households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Two Harbors weather station records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 75.4°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 4.4°.
Two Harbors’ January low is 4°F. No town among the 274 in Minnesota we compare has a lower typical July afternoon high than Two Harbors. About 61 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Two Harbors | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 75°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 4°F | 6°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
13% of adults have diabetes in Two Harbors. Only 8 of the 271 Minnesota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Two Harbors. Two figures for adults in the town: 18% smoke cigarettes, 29% get no exercise outside work. Of 32 CDC measures, Two Harbors beats the Minnesota average on 1 and trails it on 12.
| Two Harbors | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 23% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Two Harbors | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 76.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based in Two Harbors fell to 1,471 in 2023, 88 fewer than in 2013. Among working residents here, 31% work locally. Half of commuters travel less than 24 miles. The middle household income locally is $66,000.
| Two Harbors | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 9.7% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $91,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two Harbors grades A− overall with a typical home of about $293K, below the Minnesota typical value; only 39 of the 123 Minnesota towns graded A− or better can say that. The median property tax bill is $1,524, against $3,357 across Minnesota, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026. In Two Harbors, just over two thirds of households own their home. For Two Harbors, the midpoint rent is $1,079 a month.
| Two Harbors | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,079 a month | $1,199 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Two Harbors. Close and well known come first.
19 mi LighthouseSplit Rock Lighthouse
13 mi State parkGooseberry Falls State Park
30 mi National LakeshoreApostle Islands National Lakeshore261K visitors a year
in town MuseumTwo Harbors Lighthouse
31 mi State parkTettegouche State Park
27 mi MuseumLake Superior Railroad MuseumSplit Rock Lighthouse: Jim Sorbie, CC BY 2.0 · Gooseberry Falls State Park: Chuck Kochmann, Copyrighted free use · Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: NPS Photo, Public domain · Two Harbors Lighthouse: pmarkham, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tettegouche State Park: Desertson67 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Superior Railroad Museum: User resedabear on Flickr, CC BY 2.0
None within 15 miles of Two Harbors; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Two Harbors residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Minnesota.
6 places in Two Harbors on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Two Harbors.
City in Minnesota, United States
Two Harbors is a city and the county seat of Lake County, Minnesota, United States, along the shore of Lake Superior. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 61 serves as a main route in Two Harbors. Gooseberry Falls State Park is 13 miles (21 km) to the northeast. The city is home to a cargo shipping port for mined iron ore.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Two Harbors.
| Town | MN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Harbors | #137 | A− | B | A | C+ | C+ |
| Silver Creek Township | — | — | C | — | C+ | B |
Silver Creek Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Silver Creek Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Two Harbors with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Two Harbors grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #137 of 271 in Minnesota. It grades C+ for health, A for safety and C+ for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
11 notable people were born here, including Philip Berrigan and Johnny Western.
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