Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
131 people live in this town, settled in 1937.
81% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Crystal Bay, where Nevada’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 29%. No town among the 43 in Nevada we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Crystal Bay. Crystal Bay has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cal-Vada Lodge Hotel and Withers Log House. Crystal Bay has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 3 maps from 1955 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Crystal Bay. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi LakeLake Tahoe
15 mi LakeDonner Lake
13 mi Ski areaPalisades Tahoe Olympic Valley122 runs · 2,542 ft vertical
9 mi Ski areaMount Rose Ski Tahoe57 runs · 1,625 ft vertical
14 mi State parkDonner Memorial State Park7 mi Ski areaNorthstar at Tahoe Resort125 runs · 2,311 ft verticalLake Tahoe: Lara Farhadi, CC BY 2.0 · Donner Lake: J.smith, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley: Jonnyboyca at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Mount Rose Ski Tahoe: Beesmill, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Donner Memorial State Park: Joe Parks from Berkeley, CA, CC BY 2.0
Crystal Bay is unincorporated, so Washoe County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Crystal Bay.
Among working residents in Crystal Bay, 1.3% work locally. Since 2013, Crystal Bay has lost 137 jobs, to 134 in 2023. The top destinations are Incline Village (35%), Reno (21%) and Truckee (5%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 13 miles.
| Crystal Bay | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 100% | 9% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 17% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The seasons in Crystal Bay: chilly, snowy winters, cool summers. July afternoons reach 73°, January nights drop to 21° and about 179 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected losses in Crystal Bay break down as 33% from avalanches and 27% from inland flooding. Compared with 61% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Of the 43 Nevada towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Crystal Bay. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Crystal Bay is ahead of Nevada on 24 and behind on 3. For adults in the town, the share who smoke cigarettes is 5.9%.
| Crystal Bay | Nevada towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.9% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 19% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 25% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 74% | 79% |
| What stands out | Crystal Bay | NV |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 3.9% | 18% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 3.8% | 15.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 15.1% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Among 43 Nevada towns, just 3 have a higher share of households owning their home than Crystal Bay.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Crystal Bay
About 0 of every 100 Crystal Bay residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Nevada.
Where Crystal Bay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Crystal Bay on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Nevada, United States
Crystal Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) located on the north shore of Lake Tahoe in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, Crystal Bay had a population of 337. It is part of the Reno−Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Prior to 2010, it was listed by the U.S. Census Bureau within the Incline Village–Crystal Bay CDP.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Crystal Bay has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
