Crow Wing County, MN
County Profile
67,686 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Crow Wing County, MN.
Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable counties measured: unemployment is 4.6% and the Opportunity signal places Crow Wing County in the bottom 22%.
In the public schools here, 57% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.5 students for every teacher.
589 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 6% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.6% — higher than in all but 31% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Employment fell 2.9% over the past year, to 32,951 employed residents.
29% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 75% of measured US counties.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023 | $81,745 | 84th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023 | $66,182 | 70th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$2,8912024 ACS 5-Year | $72,589 | Top 31%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,0152024 ACS 5-Year | $41,886 | Top 20%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per-capita personal income2023 | $57,246 | Top 46%of 1,389 | 2023 |
| Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.7% | Top 25%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 23.7 min | Top 35%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.3% | Top 25%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 73.8% | 27th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 32,951 | Bottom 49%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | −1.9% | Bottom 26%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −2.9% | Bottom 10%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 34,551 | 49th percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 79.2% | Top 32%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.3% | 59th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | +0.6% | Bottom 13%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 4.6% | Bottom 31%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 13.2% | 81st percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
57% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 66% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 14.5 students for every full-time teacher across 19 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainerd Senior High | BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 1,805 | 20.1 | 46% | 69% |
| Forestview Middle | BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 1,626 | 15.6 | 63% | 70% |
| Pequot Lakes Senior High | PEQUOT LAKES PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 599 | 15.4 | 52% | 62% |
| Pequot Lakes Middle | PEQUOT LAKES PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 581 | 20.8 | 61% | 74% |
| Eagle View Elementary | PEQUOT LAKES PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 557 | 12.7 | 78% | 67% |
| Cuyuna Range Elementary | Crosby-Ironton Public School Dist. | 533 | 13.7 | 42% | 62% |
| Baxter Elementary | BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 506 | 15.3 | 82% | 72% |
| Crosby-Ironton Secondary | Crosby-Ironton Public School Dist. | 455 | 16.3 | 51% | 67% |
| Riverside Elementary | BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 407 | 10.4 | 65% | 62% |
| Lowell Elementary | BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 355 | 14.2 | 82% | 77% |
| Garfield Elementary | BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 250 | 12.5 | 72% | 52% |
| Nisswa Elementary | BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT | 249 | 13.8 | 67% | 62% |
39.3% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Minnesota’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota is up 43% over five years, and up 3.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,283 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.74% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,120, some 15% above the $971 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,120 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $44,800 a year, about 62% of the median household income here of $72,589.
The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $971 a month.
A median home at $306,800 costs 3.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $88,809, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against Crow Wing County’s median household income of $72,589, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2 | +3.8% | 57th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2 | +42.5% | 37th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Minnesota’s figure2026 Q2 | +88.5% | 39th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 3.5 | Bottom 19%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 77.0% | 64th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±722024 ACS 5-Year | 42,683 | 80th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $854 | Top 35%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,345 | Top 31%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,120 | Top 43%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$502024 ACS 5-Year | $971 | Bottom 34%of 3,215 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$9,2872024 ACS 5-Year | $306,800 | 82nd percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$552024 ACS 5-Year | $2,283 | 72nd percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$3,6012024 ACS 5-Year | $88,809 | Top 26%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.03%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.74% | 45th percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.0% | Bottom 47%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±4162024 ACS 5-Year | 12,232 | 98th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.7% | 96th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.5% | 1st percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±4392024 ACS 5-Year | 13,281 | 93rd percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 68,642 in 2024.
Permitting has turned upward after moving the other way the year before: 621 units authorized in 2025, up 48% on the prior year.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 68,642 residents in 2024, up 0.5% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
Federal tax returns show Crow Wing County gained about 0.8% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $81,745, above the $66,182 of households that moved out.
At 8.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Cass County, MN 397 people · 12% of arrivals
- Hennepin County, MN 251 people · 7.8% of arrivals
- Aitkin County, MN 150 people · 4.7% of arrivals
- Morrison County, MN 144 people · 4.5% of arrivals
- Anoka County, MN 124 people · 3.9% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Cass County, MN 454 people · 16% of departures
- Hennepin County, MN 193 people · 7.0% of departures
- Morrison County, MN 122 people · 4.4% of departures
- Aitkin County, MN 116 people · 4.2% of departures
- Stearns County, MN 101 people · 3.7% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 0°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 24.5 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 38, in the Good band, and one day a year passes 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 55 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 24.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 0°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 82°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 1 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 38 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 59°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 65% of it. Cold wave is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, strong wind, wildfire, hail, landslide, winter weather, ice storm, drought, earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Crow Wing County records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 16.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at about 11.1 per 100,000 residents in Crow Wing County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe Crow Wing County as a whole. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest Duluth Intl at 92 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 89.9% | Top 27%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 92 mi | Bottom 5%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 1 | Bottom 3%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.6% | Top 21%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth Intl | DLH | 92 mi | 10,591 ft |
| Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold-Chamberlain | MSP | 119 mi | 11,006 ft |
| Hector Intl | FAR | 133 mi | 9,001 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Income | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
Cities in Crow Wing County, MN
ZIP areas
Only ZIP areas whose income or home value differ from their city’s by at least ten percent get a profile of their own, so this is a selection rather than every ZIP code in the county.