Is Arbor Vitae a good place to live?
Arbor Vitae is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, ranked 179th of 357 in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 59% of the country. A typical home there costs about $281K, 4.1 years of the county’s $68K median household income. Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, at 27,944 acres with 39.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 60 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on history.
What makes Arbor Vitae stand out
Where Arbor Vitae beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
88% of working residents leave Arbor Vitae for work
Where Arbor Vitae’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Arbor Vitae grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Arbor Vitae is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Arbor Vitae: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Arbor Vitae, 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 Arbor Vitae.
Arbor Vitae has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and has added half again as many jobs in ten years.
0.6% of Arbor Vitae is conserved land
In the comparison, Arbor Vitae comes below both the Wisconsin town median (3.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). 45 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Arbor Vitae | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Northern Highland American Legion State Forest | 39.1 mi | 27,944 |
| 2. Lakeland Union High School Forest | — | 42 |
| 3. Brandy Lake Park | — | 35 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Public schools in Arbor Vitae beat 57% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Woodruff J1 School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Vitae-Woodruff ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 514 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Cold waves leads a very low hazard risk in Arbor Vitae
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 89% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fewer young adults than Wisconsin overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 8% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 26% of residents (19% statewide). 27% of Arbor Vitae residents are under 18, against 21% in Wisconsin’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. The median age in Arbor Vitae is 45.7 years.
| Arbor Vitae | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 45.7 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 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 ±2.9 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Arbor Vitae | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.4% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 3.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.7% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.2% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.8% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.3% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.9% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,500, single groups can be off by several points
Most of Arbor Vitae’s workers commute out: the town has 0.7 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here grew from 637 in 2013 to 1,023.
Most working residents leave Arbor Vitae for work: only 12% work in town. Arbor Vitae’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Jobs based in Arbor Vitae grew to 1,023 in 2023, 386 more than in 2013.
| Arbor Vitae | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Arbor Vitae stands out in Wisconsin and nationally, with a typical July afternoon cooler than most
The Minocqua weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 127 days, shorter than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Minocqua weather station, 6 miles away, records that 99 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Only 4 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower July high than Arbor Vitae. Arbor Vitae has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of Wisconsin and the rest of the country, more of Arbor Vitae’s adults had a checkup this year
81% of adults had a checkup this year in Arbor Vitae. Arbor Vitae beats the Wisconsin average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 6% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Arbor Vitae.
| Arbor Vitae | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Arbor Vitae | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.1% | 9.7% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 12.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.4% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Arbor Vitae
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Arbor Vitae; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Arbor Vitae residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Arbor Vitae
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Arbor Vitae is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,403 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Arbor Vitae is located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 71 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,627 ft
Arbor Vitae’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Arbor Vitae.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Vitae | #179 | B+ | B | — | B | B |
| Lac du Flambeau | #356 | D− | B− | — | D | C− |
| Woodruff | — | — | B+ | — | B | B− |
| Boulder Junction | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| St. Germain | — | — | B | — | B− | B− |
Woodruff, Boulder Junction and St. Germain have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Arbor Vitae, Lac du Flambeau, Woodruff, Boulder Junction and St. Germain report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Arbor Vitae with a neighbor →
Questions about Arbor Vitae
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Arbor Vitae, WI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Arbor Vitae grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #179 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health and B for schools.
Is Arbor Vitae, 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 B.