2009-0620-Colby-CH, 2009
Colby’s story
153 years in pictures
Census counts: 259 in 1880, 1,952 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
- 1873Colby is settled
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0
Population
1,957
2025 Census estimate · −1.9% since 2020
Typical home
$220K
+9.2% in a year
Household income
$50K
median
Median age
38.3
years
Jobs based here
960
Balanced
Is Colby a good place to live?
The best of Colby’s subject grades is an A− for walkability; the weakest is a D for incomes. Only 39 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on incomes. Colby has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Colby stand out
Where Colby beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 82% of U.S. towns
6.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Colby7.9
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WI town3.8
Civic lifeA−
2 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Wisconsin town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
How Colby grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Colby is from typical.
Jobs & income$50K median household incomeDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.8 of 20; 10.9% of households have no carA−Open →HealthLess healthy than 78% of U.S. towns; Aspirus Medford Hospital & Clinics 15.6 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksB−Open →History2 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life7.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.3; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Colby: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colby, and how to reach them.
PowerClark Electric Coop14.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterColby WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTuesdayTrash dayTown site
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 hereCity of Colby ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5442154421 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 Colby.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Colby, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
13risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC
Colby’s public schools trail 73% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Colby School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Colby High, with 306 students.
27%of WI districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colby ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 354 | C+ |
| Colby HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 306 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Compared with most of Wisconsin and the rest of the country, more of Colby’s adults get no exercise outside work
37% of Colby adults get no exercise outside work, above both Wisconsin’s towns (26%) and U.S. towns (25%). 18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Colby. Colby beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
22%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Colby | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 7.1% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better15 too close to call17 worse
| What stands out | Colby | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 14.2% | 8% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.1% | 12.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 6.5% |
Aspirus Medford Hospital & Clinics
15.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C+
A typical Colby home is worth about $220K
The typical Colby home is worth about $220,000, up 9.2% in a year, 35% below the Wisconsin typical home. 53% of Colby households own their home, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 74% and U.S. towns at 73%. Colby’s median rent is $854 a month.
$220KZillow home value
| Colby | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $854 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Colby$220K
Wisconsin$337K
+9.2%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Colby has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Colby has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Colby is 79°F.
57″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter7–25°
Spring31–53°
Summer55–77°
Fall35–55°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 11
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
In Colby, the median household income runs lower than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
19% of Colby residents live below the poverty line. Among 363 Wisconsin towns, just 10 have a lower median household income than Colby. Jobs based in Colby grew to 960 in 2023, 192 more than in 2013.
11%work in town
| Colby | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Colby11%
Abbotsford21%
Medford8%
Marshfield4%
Hull4%
11 mi
median commute distance
960
jobs based in Colby
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Colby
18pages on Colby
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Colby; the nearest are
Northcentral Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wausau33.1 mi$4,889 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity or college · Public · Stevens Point45.1 mi$9,488 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Colby residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Colby
City in Wisconsin, United States
Colby is a city in Clark and Marathon counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,952 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,275 were in Clark County, and 677 were in Marathon County. The city is bordered by the Town of Colby, the Town of Hull, and the City of Abbotsford. Colby cheese was first created in Colby.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,352 ft
- ZIP code
- 54421
Colby’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Colby.
ColbyHullAbbotsfordColby
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby · Colby | — | — | C+ | — | C | C− |
| Hull | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Abbotsford | — | — | A− | — | D | C− |
Colby and Abbotsford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Colby and Abbotsford report no FBI crime data of their own. Hull isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Colby and Colby are one community, graded once. Compare Colby with a neighbor →
Questions about Colby
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Colby, WI expensive?
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($67,400 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Colby, WI known for?
2 notable people were born here, including George Washington Blanchard and Kirk Baumgartner.