Is Belle Plaine a good place to live?
Belle Plaine’s weakest subject grade is a C− for cost of living. Only 51 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on cost of living. 28% of residents are 65 or older in Belle Plaine, above both the Wisconsin town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Only 36 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on the outdoors. Belle Plaine has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
98% of working residents leave Belle Plaine for work
Where Belle Plaine’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Belle Plaine grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Belle Plaine is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Belle Plaine: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belle Plaine, 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 Belle Plaine.
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Belle Plaine’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Belle Plaine for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Belle Plaine has lost 50 jobs, to 143 in 2023. 13% of residents live below the poverty line in Belle Plaine, against 6.4% in Wisconsin’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
| Belle Plaine | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools in Belle Plaine fall behind 72% of Wisconsin districts
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf River Lutheran High School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 35 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
On CDC estimates, Belle Plaine is less healthy than 70% of U.S. towns
Belle Plaine beats the Wisconsin average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Belle Plaine.
| Belle Plaine | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Belle Plaine | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.6% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Older than Wisconsin overall
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (19% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (38% statewide). Belle Plaine’s median age is 47.8 years. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Belle Plaine | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.8 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 32% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.2 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Belle Plaine | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.2% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.7% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.7% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 20.8% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.4% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.7% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Belle Plaine has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Belle Plaine has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Belle Plaine is 81°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Low risk in Belle Plaine, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Belle Plaine
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Belle Plaine
About 2 of every 100 Belle Plaine residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Belle Plaine
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Belle Plaine is a town in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,800 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Adams Beach and Belle Plaine are located in the town. The former unincorporated community of Hunting was located partially in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 39 sq mi
- Elevation
- 840 ft
Belle Plaine’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Belle Plaine.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Plaine | — | — | C− | — | C | C |
| Pella | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shawano | #321 | C | B | B− | C | C− |
| Richmond | — | — | B− | — | C | C |
| Waukechon | — | — | B− | — | C | C |
| Matteson | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Belle Plaine, Richmond and Waukechon have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Belle Plaine, Richmond and Waukechon report no FBI crime data of their own. Pella and Matteson aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Belle Plaine with a neighbor →
Questions about Belle Plaine
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Belle Plaine, WI expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.