Butternut Towers, 2012
Butternut’s story
149 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2012.
- 1877Butternut is settled
ButternutWI
A town of 364, settled in 1877.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
364
2025 Census estimate · −0.3% since 2020
Typical home
$228K
+5.3% in a year
Household income
$44K
median
Median age
44.6
years
Jobs based here
89
A commuter town
Is Butternut a good place to live?
28% of residents live below the poverty line in Butternut, above both Wisconsin’s towns (6.4%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 2 of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower median household income than Butternut. Butternut has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
364 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
ChippewaAgendaButternut
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Butternut: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Butternut, and how to reach them.
PowerBayfield Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterButternut Waterworks8 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Butternut’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 Butternut ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5451454514 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 Butternut.
Work & commute
Most of Butternut’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Butternut for work: only 3% work in town. Butternut’s average trip to work is 20 minutes, below both the Wisconsin town median (22 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Park Falls (18%), Ashland (8%) and Jacobs (7%).
3%work in town
| Butternut | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Butternut3%
Park Falls18%
Ashland8%
Jacobs7%
Mellen5%
35 mi
median commute distance
89
jobs based in Butternut
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Butternut’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Butternut School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butternut ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 84 | A− |
| Butternut HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 92 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Housing
In Butternut, the median rent runs lower than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
The median rent in Butternut is $626 a month. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. 58% of households own their home in Butternut.
$228KZillow home value
| Butternut | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $626 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Butternut$228K
Wisconsin$337K
+5.3%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Butternut
Butternut has cold winters and pleasant summers. Butternut’s July high is 78°F.
78°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter5–24°
Spring27–51°
Summer52–76°
Fall33–53°
Sep 24
typical first frost
May 22
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
78°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Low risk in Butternut, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
38risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Butternut is
Butternut beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 30% of Butternut adults get no exercise outside work.
| Butternut | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better26 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Butternut | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 6.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.9% | 6.6% |
Flambeau Hospital
6.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,009 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Butternut Area Veterans Park | — | 19 |
| 2. Veterans Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Butternut
19pages on Butternut
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Butternut; the nearest are
Gogebic Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ironwood, MI35.4 mi$4,800 in-state tuitionLac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Hayward41.9 mi$6,030 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Butternut residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Butternut for work
Where Butternut’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
89jobs based in Butternut
3%of working residents work in town
35 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Butternut
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Butternut is a village in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 366 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,496 ft
- ZIP code
- 54514
Questions about Butternut
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Butternut, WI a good place to live?
Butternut has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.