Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety96#643/15,637
Economy66#5,308/15,631
Housing35#9,808/14,977
Health84#2,564/15,609
Healthcare78#3,520/15,650
Environment88#1,876/15,453
Education91#1,356/15,649
Infrastructure67#5,164/15,650
Community100#3/15,651
Leisure & amenities80#3,171/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where La Crescent, Minnesota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Houston County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mammography screening · high63.0%
100/100Minnesota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHouston County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Minnesota 15.7 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHouston County value
Violent crime rate · low47 /100k
98/100Minnesota 224 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureHouston County value
Food environment index · high9.5
97/100Minnesota 9.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHouston County value
Flu vaccinations · high57.0%
97/100Minnesota 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHouston County value
Property crime rate · low298 /100k
97/100Minnesota 1,412 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureHouston County value

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low44 /100k
5/100Minnesota 383 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHouston County value
Job growth · low-3.3%
6/100Minnesota -0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataHouston County value
New business applications · low7.8 /1k
6/100Minnesota 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauHouston County value
Distance to an airport · high112 mi
7/100Minnesota 43 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauHouston County value
Distance to an emergency room · high14.2 mi
8/100Minnesota 6.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHouston County value
Average weekly wage · low$945
10/100Minnesota $1,480United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHouston County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
36.1% (2015-2019) → 63.5% (2020-2024)
+27 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
2.6 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
8.6% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
24.9% (2015-2019) → 32.8% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$65,074 (2015-2019) → $85,368 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
35.3% (2015-2019) → 40.6% (2020-2024)
+5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, La Crescent, Minnesota improved on 0 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of La Crescent, Minnesota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.5 min2015-2019	17.5 min2020-2024	+0.0 min	Within the margin of error	47%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.3%2015-2019	40.6%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Broadband subscriptions	91.3%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Effective property tax rate	1.38%2015-2019	1.33%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	24%
High school diploma or higher	97.6%2015-2019	93.4%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3942015-2019	0.4362020-2024	+0.042	Within the margin of error	20%
Median household income	$65,0742015-2019	$85,3682020-2024	+31%	Within the margin of error	58%
Poverty rate	6.7%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent as share of income	24.9%2015-2019	32.8%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Rent-burdened households	36.1%2015-2019	63.5%2020-2024	+27 points	Within the margin of error	4%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like La Crescent, Minnesota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of La Crescent, Minnesota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, La Crescent, Minnesota itself moved −22.4 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,251 residents (±30)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−3.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

5,251 residents (±30)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

White89%4,688
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino2.4%†124

Education

3,850 residents (±142)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

No high school diploma6.6%†256
High school or GED23%879
Some college13%†490

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,301 households (±130)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $25k14%†315
$25k–50k14%†316
$50k–75k20%†461
$75k–100k15%†351
$100k–150k16%†378
$150k–200k5.0%†116
$200k or more16%†364

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−11.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,301 households (±130)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Own86%1,978
Rent14%†323

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+8.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

323 households (±114)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $75028%†89
$750–1,00029%†93
$1,000–1,50031%†

Home values

1,978 homes (±141)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under $150k9.5%†188
$150k–250k35%699
$250k–400k29%†581

Age of homes

2,481 homes (±150)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

2010 or later7.4%†184
2000–20097.5%†186
1980–199929%716

Size of homes

2,481 homes (±150)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Studio2.4%†60
1 bedroom2.9%†73
2 bedrooms21%†514

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,630 workers (±245)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Drive alone81%2,135
Carpool1.7%†45
Public transit0.7%†18
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.8%†20
Work from home15%†401
Other0.4%†11

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,229 workers (±252)

La Crescent, Minnesota
Minnesota share

Under 15 min35%777
15–29 min51%1,138
30–44 min11%†249

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Houston County, the county holding most of La Crescent's residents.

Houston County has 394 employer establishments, 211 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.79× Minnesota's), with 4,309 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,473. The Census Bureau also counts 1,448 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 394; 1,448 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 211; US 248 · Minnesota 268
Paid employees: 4,309
Average annual pay: $47,473; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Houston County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	42	22.5	1.45×More than typical	189	$75,497	132
Religious organizations	23	12.3	2.22×More than typical	167	$20,144	—
Ambulatory health care services	17	9.1	0.44×Fewer than typical	140	$62,843	32
Construction of buildings	17	9.1	1.20×About typical	184	$72,212	60
Restaurants and other eating places	17	9.1	0.50×Fewer than typical	161	$14,932	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	14	7.5	1.11×About typical	73	$64,575	73
Automotive repair and maintenance	13	7	1.38×More than typical	61	$49,049	30
Building equipment contractors	13	7	1.16×About typical	108	$72,167	12
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	13	7	2.21×More than typical	37	$76,514	17
Other specialty trade contractors	12	6.4	2.56×More than typical	35	$87,514	48
Landscaping services	11	5.9	1.68×More than typical	65	$64,954	27
Full-service restaurants	10	5.4	0.70×Fewer than typical	124	$12,798	—

Rank places for an industry Open Houston County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 18,682 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $23.6K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in La Crescent, Minnesota: $4.49 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $23.6K; −89% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4.49; US $1,995
Sole-source: 1.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$23.3K99%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$3001.3%

Top recipients

BRENNAN MARINE INC$20K85%
RANT TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$2,91612%
RGP LLC$1,1214.8%
DUBUQUE BARGE AND FLEETING SERVICE CO$3691.6%
WEYMILLER MARINE, INC$3001.3%
BRAUN INTERTEC CORP

Spending by fiscal year

21.8KFY2017
89.4KFY2018
39.5KFY2019
99.8KFY2020
64.2KFY2021
29.2KFY2022
34.1KFY2023
6.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Ship and boat building · 3366$20K85%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing · 5324$2,91612%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$1,1214.8%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$3691.6%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$3001.3%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in La Crescent, Minnesota, so they do not add up across cities.

La Crescent, Minnesota's figures are part of those of Houston County, MN and Winona County, MN ($5.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: La Crescent is mostly in Houston County.

See federal money in Houston County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

La Crescent, Minnesota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Brad FinstadR-MN-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Houston County96100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN95

Other cities and towns in Houston County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2733866

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends