Birchwood Wisconsin Downtown WIS48, 2016
Birchwood’s story
125 years in pictures
Census counts: 565 in 1930, 402 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
- 1901Birchwood is settled
BirchwoodWI
A town of 412, settled in 1901.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
412
2025 Census estimate · +2.2% since 2020
Typical home
$347K
+2.8% in a year
Household income
$54K
median
Median age
35.1
years
Jobs based here
259
Balanced
Is Birchwood a good place to live?
Among 363 Wisconsin towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Birchwood. Birchwood’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, above both the Wisconsin town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Birchwood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
412 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
BirchwoodEdgewaterBirchwood
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Birchwood: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Birchwood, and how to reach them.
PowerBarron Electric Coop16.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBirchwood WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Birchwood’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 hereVillage of Birchwood ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5481754817 100%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 Birchwood.
Natural hazards
Low risk in Birchwood, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Birchwood’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Birchwood School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birchwood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 86 | B |
| Birchwood HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 59 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Birchwood
Birchwood has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 79°F, Birchwood’s July high is against 82°F in Wisconsin’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
67″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter6–24°
Spring30–53°
Summer54–77°
Fall34–54°
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
With 1.4 jobs for every working resident, Birchwood draws in 247 commuters
Most working residents leave Birchwood for work: only 7% work in town. The median household income in Birchwood is $54,000. Jobs based in Birchwood fell to 259 in 2023, 40 fewer than in 2013.
7%work in town
| Birchwood | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4.9% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Birchwood7%
Hayward12%
Rice Lake9%
Hayward9%
Spooner5%
25 mi
median commute distance
259
jobs based in Birchwood
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Safety
Crime reported in Birchwood
No violent or property crimes were reported in Birchwood in 2023. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Birchwood is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2023
0
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Health
How healthy Birchwood is
Birchwood beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Birchwood.
| Birchwood | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better23 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Birchwood | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 6.6% |
Marshfield Medical Center - Rice Lake
14.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A typical Birchwood home is worth about $347K
The typical Birchwood home is worth about $347,000, up 2.8% in a year, close to the Wisconsin typical home. 61% of Birchwood households own their home.
$347KZillow home value
Typical home value
Birchwood$347K
Wisconsin$337K
+2.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Outdoors
Birchwood has set aside 1.4% of its land for conservation
1.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
1.4%conserved
1.4%
conserved · 11 of 792 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 1.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dolittle Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Birchwood
19pages on Birchwood
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Birchwood; the nearest are
Northwood Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Rice Lake15.5 mi$4,926 in-state tuitionLac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Hayward21.6 mi$6,030 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Birchwood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Birchwood
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Birchwood is a village in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 402 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Birchwood.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,329 ft
- ZIP code
- 54817
Questions about Birchwood
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Birchwood, WI a good place to live?
Birchwood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.