Samuels' Cave
Barre’s story
Barre in pictures
Census counts: 908 in 1990, 1,234 in 2010. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1927 on.
Explore the history →BarreWI
A town of 1,262.
Population
1,262
2025 Census estimate · −0.5% since 2020
Median home value
$384K
Census ACS
Household income
$106K
median
Median age
37.1
years
Jobs based here
122
A commuter town
Is Barre a good place to live?
The best of Barre’s subject grades are an A− for incomes and schools; the weakest is a C for cost of living. Of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Barre. 13% of residents are 65 or older in Barre, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. On civic life, just 26 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do worse. Coulee Experimental Forest, at 1,115 acres with 5.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Barre has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,262 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
MedaryGreenfieldBangorHamiltonBarre
How Barre grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Barre is from typical.
Jobs & incomeA−Open →SchoolsBeat 81% of Wisconsin districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $384K, 5.2 years of the La Crosse metro’s $73K median household incomeCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 2.4% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthMayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical Center 8.6 miles awayBOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9% conserved landCOpen →HistoryC+Open →Civic life0 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Barre: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barre, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy15.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBostwick Valley MHPNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers80% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Barre’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Barre ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes54601, 5466954601 66% · 54669 34%Census 2020
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 Barre.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
About half of Barre’s working residents commute to La Crosse
Most working residents leave Barre for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Barre has added 66 jobs, to 122 in 2023. At $106,000, Barre’s median household income is above both the Wisconsin town median ($87,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000).
1%work in town
| Barre | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $106,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 10% | 12% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Barre1%
La Crosse47%
Onalaska10%
West Salem5%
Sparta3%
7 mi
median commute distance
122
jobs based in Barre
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
More children than Wisconsin overall
Children under 18 are 34% of residents (21% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Barre is 37.1 years. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
37.1median age · WI 40.2
| Barre | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.1 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 32% | 29% |
BarreWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school25%
Some college19%
Associate’s14%
Bachelor’s30%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
57% women, 43% men
About 77 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.6 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Barre | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.9% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.4% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.2% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.1% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.1% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.3% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Barre has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Barre has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 8° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
43″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–28°
Spring35–56°
Summer59–80°
Fall39–58°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Barre ranks healthier than 63% of the country’s towns
Barre beats the Wisconsin average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 29% of Barre adults have high blood pressure. Only 10 of the 358 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Barre.
63%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Barre | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 11% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
5 better23 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Barre | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.8% | 3.4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.4% | 11.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 8.2% | 6.7% |
Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical Center
8.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
8.7%conserved
| Barre | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.7% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
8.7%
conserved · 1,141 of 13,140 acres
5.4 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coulee Experimental Forest | 5.2 mi | 1,115 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Moderate risk in Barre, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Barre
18pages on Barre
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Barre
University of Wisconsin-La CrosseUniversity or college · Public · La Crosse8 mi$10,070 in-state tuitionWestern Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · La Crosse8.7 mi$4,820 in-state tuitionViterbo UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · La Crosse8.9 mi$34,250 tuition
About 3 of every 100 Barre residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Barre for work
Where Barre’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
122jobs based in Barre
1%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Barre
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Barre ( BARR-ee) is a town in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,267 at the 2020 census. It is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town hall is in the unincorporated community of Barre Mills.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 21 sq mi
- Elevation
- 719 ft
- Area code
- 608
Questions about Barre
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Barre, 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.