Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Barron gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $226K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the Rice Lake area’s $66K median household income. It grades C overall, 320th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $47K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 28% of working residents work locally in Barron, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 5 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower median household income than Barron.
Where Barron beats most towns.
Edward N. and Mary T. Stebbins HouseWhere Barron’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Barron is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 183 in 1880, 3,733 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1897 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barron, 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Barron.
Barron draws workers from Rice Lake and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
2,843 jobs are based in Barron, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 3,567 in 2013 to 2,843.
About one in 4 of Barron’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Barron fell to 2,843 in 2023, 724 fewer than in 2013. The average trip to work in Barron is 27 minutes.
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Barron Area School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Barron High, with 310 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 324 | C+ |
| Barron HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 310 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Typical home values rose 4.4% in the year to September 2026. Barron’s median rent is $946 a month.
| Barron | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $946 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Barron has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 3° and about 53 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Barron's reported crime rate is well below Wisconsin's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025.
| Barron | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,825 U.S. towns with household incomes like Barron’s, it is healthier than 84%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Barron beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 30% of Barron adults get no exercise outside work.
| Barron | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Barron | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.3% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 5.5% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 60.5% | 67.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.9 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Rockman's Woods, at 28 acres.
| Barron | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.1% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kiwanis Park | 0.4 mi | 27 |
| 2. Rockman's Woods | — | 28 |
| 3. Anderson Park | 0.1 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Barron
About 1 of every 100 Barron residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
3 notable people were born in Barron.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Barron is a city in and the county seat of Barron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,733 at the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Barron.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Barron grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #320 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C+ for health and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
3 notable people were born here, including Charles C. McDonald and Ben Hur Lampman.
