AldenWI
A town of 3,019, settled in 1869.
Is Alden a good place to live?
Alden grades B overall, 196th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 82% of Wisconsin towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $95K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $371K for a typical one and 4.8 times the county’s $77K median household income. Alden’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 22 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The biggest park or preserve is Flaters Waterfowl Production Area, at 128 acres. Alden's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 81% of U.S. towns.
98% of working residents leave Alden for work
Where Alden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Alden grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Alden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Alden: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alden, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Alden.
Alden is a second-home town and sends many workers across the state line to St. Paul.
Most working residents commute out of Alden
26% of working residents cross a state line to work, St. Paul among the top destinations. Alden has 107 jobs for its 1,630 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Alden for work: only 2% work in town. 2.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Alden. The top destinations are New Richmond (9%), Amery (7%) and Osceola (5%).
| Alden | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Alden is healthier than 70% of U.S. towns
Alden beats the Wisconsin average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 29% of Alden adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Alden | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Alden | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 12.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.5% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Alden has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Alden has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Alden is 82°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer young adults than Wisconsin overall
15.8% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 6.2% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide). Alden’s median age is 50.1 years. Alden has grown 3.1% since 2020, to 3,019 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Alden | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.1 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 32% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Alden | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.9% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.9% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.3% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.5% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Alden
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pike Hole (WDNR) | 0.3 mi | 21 |
| 2. Flaters Waterfowl Production Area | — | 128 |
| 3. Houghdahl South Waterfowl Production Area | — | 60 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Huntington Bank Stadium and 28 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alden. Close and well known come first.
40 mi Stadium & arenaHuntington Bank Stadium
36 mi Stadium & arenaGrand Casino Arena
38 mi Stadium & arenaAllianz Field
36 mi MuseumMinnesota State Capitol
36 mi MuseumJames J. Hill House
37 mi Zoo & aquariumComo Park Zoo and ConservatoryPhoto credits
Huntington Bank Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Casino Arena: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allianz Field: Andy Witchger, CC BY 2.0 · Minnesota State Capitol: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0 · James J. Hill House: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Como Park Zoo and Conservatory: RxS at English Wikipedia, Public domain
.jpg){kind=link}
Everything we know about Alden
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Alden; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Alden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Alden
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Alden is a town in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,918 at the 2020 Census. The unincorporated community of Little Falls is located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 59 sq mi
- Elevation
- 958 ft
Alden’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Alden.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alden | #196 | B | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Garfield | — | — | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Black Brook | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Farmington | — | — | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Star Prairie · Star Prairie | #88 | A− | B | — | A− | B+ |
| Stanton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Osceola | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Garfield, Black Brook and Farmington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Alden, Garfield, Black Brook, Farmington and Star Prairie report no FBI crime data of their own. Stanton and Osceola aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Star Prairie and Star Prairie are one community, graded once. Compare Alden with a neighbor →
Questions about Alden
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Alden, WI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Alden grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #196 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools.
Is Alden, WI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.