ANGLE VIEW, FACING NORTHEAST. - Reitmeyer Tavern, 13840 U.S. Highway 10, 1993
Cato’s story
156 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1993 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
- 1870Cato is settled
CatoWI
A town of 1,676, settled in 1870.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: User:Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5
Population
1,676
2025 Census estimate · +2.6% since 2020
Median home value
$272K
Census ACS
Household income
$92K
median
Median age
45.8
years
Jobs based here
330
A commuter town
Is Cato a good place to live?
Cato’s best subject grades are a B+ for incomes and a B for cost of living. 96% of households own their home in Cato, above both Wisconsin’s towns (74%) and U.S. towns (73%). Among 341 Wisconsin towns, just 10 have a lower median rent than Cato. On the outdoors, just 27 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. Cato has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
StrongestAHazard risk
What makes Cato stand out
Where Cato beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Cato for work
Where Cato’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
330jobs based in Cato
2%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Cato grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Cato is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Jobs & income$92K median household incomeB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $272K, 3.9 years of the Manitowoc area’s $69K median household incomeBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.7 of 20; 1.5% of households have no car; 2.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →SchoolsC+Open →HealthHoly Family Memorial 9.4 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailDOpen →History1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life4.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Cato: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cato, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Public Service17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWhitelaw Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offWhitelaw Recycling Center, 3 miOpenStreetMap
SchoolsValders Area School DistrictReedsville School District2 districts serve Cato; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereTown of Cato ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes54230, 54220, 54245, 5424754230 78% · 54220 18% · 54245 2% · 54247 1%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 Cato.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Cato
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
13risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
44%of WI districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary/St. Michael School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 55 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Cato’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Cato for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Cato grew to 330 in 2023, 70 more than in 2013. At 22 minutes, Cato’s average trip to work is where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 22 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
2%work in town
| Cato | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.1% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Cato2%
Manitowoc22%
Valders7%
Sheboygan4%
Chilton3%
15 mi
median commute distance
330
jobs based in Cato
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Cato, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Cato has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Cato is 80°F.
43″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–29°
Spring33–53°
Summer57–78°
Fall39–57°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 6
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
On CDC estimates, Cato is less healthy than 51% of U.S. towns
Cato tracks Wisconsin closely on all 32 CDC measures. 20% of Cato adults binge drink.
49%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Cato | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Holy Family Memorial
In Manitowoc · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 8 of 22,182 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Whitelaw Community Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cato
19pages on Cato
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cato
About 2 of every 100 Cato residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Cato
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Cato is a town in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,621 at the 2020 census. A Manitowoc County park is located in the town; it is called "Cato Falls" after a waterfall on the Manitowoc River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 833 ft
- Area code
- 920
Cato’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Cato.
ValdersLibertyFranklinRocklandManitowoc RapidsCato
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cato | — | — | B | — | C+ | B− |
| Valders | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Liberty | — | — | B− | — | B | B− |
| Franklin | — | — | B+ | — | D | B− |
| Rockland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Manitowoc Rapids | — | — | C+ | — | C− | C+ |
Cato, Liberty, Franklin and Manitowoc Rapids have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Cato, Liberty, Franklin and Manitowoc Rapids report no FBI crime data of their own. Valders and Rockland aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cato with a neighbor →
Questions about Cato
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cato, 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 B.