Black BrookWI
A town of 1,471, settled in 1869.
Is Black Brook a good place to live?
The best of Black Brook’s subject grades are a B+ for incomes and civic life; the weakest is a D for walkability. Black Brook’s January low is 4°F, below both Wisconsin’s towns (11°F) and U.S. towns (22°F). Only 7 of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Black Brook. The biggest park or preserve is Snake Creek State Public Fishing Area, at 197 acres. Black Brook has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Black Brook stand out
Where Black Brook beats most towns.
1,471 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Black Brook grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Black Brook is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Black Brook: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Black Brook, 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 Black Brook.
Most of Black Brook’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Black Brook for work: only 1% work in town. Black Brook’s average trip to work is 30 minutes, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 22 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Jobs based in Black Brook fell to 138 in 2023, 46 fewer than in 2013.
| Black Brook | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Black Brook
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Black Brook
Black Brook has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Black Brook is 81°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More middle-aged adults than Wisconsin overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide); people 65 and older are 12% of residents (19% statewide). 27% of Black Brook residents are under 18. Black Brook has grown 4.1% since 2020, to 1,471 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Black Brook | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.5 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 32% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Black Brook | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.3% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.9% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.4% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.9% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.8% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.9% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.4% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
Black Brook ranks healthier than 58% of the country’s towns
Black Brook beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Black Brook.
| Black Brook | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Black Brook | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 29.7% | 26.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Conserved land covers 3.4% of Black Brook
5.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Black Brook’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Black Brook | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kobernick Waterfowl Production Area | 1.7 mi | 132 |
| 2. Boe Waterfowl Production Area | 0.3 mi | 47 |
| 3. Snake Creek State Public Fishing Area | — | 197 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Black Brook
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Black Brook; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Black Brook residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
99% of working residents leave Black Brook for work
Where Black Brook’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Black Brook
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Black Brook is a town in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,425 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,168 ft
Questions about Black Brook
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Black Brook, 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+.