EmpireWI
A town of 2,790, settled in 1853.
Is Empire a good place to live?
Empire's standout: the median household earns $125K. Overall it grades B−, 232nd among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. Natural-hazard risk is low. Only 44 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on walkability.
What makes Empire stand out
Where Empire beats most towns.
98% of working residents leave Empire for work
Where Empire’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Empire grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Empire is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 7%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Empire: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Empire, 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 Empire.
Empire owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has household incomes well above the Wisconsin norm.
Very low risk in Empire, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Empire since 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Empire has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
For Empire, that is below both the Wisconsin town median (6.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Most working residents leave Empire for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Empire grew to 679 in 2023, 512 more than in 2013.
| Empire | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Empire has four seasons and pleasant summers
Empire has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 81°F, Empire’s July high is where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 82°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
On CDC estimates, Empire is healthier than 55% of U.S. towns
Against the 5,043 U.S. towns with household incomes like Empire’s, it is less healthy than 87%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Empire beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 44% of adults have obesity in Empire.
| Empire | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Empire | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with obesity | 43.5% | 37.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lake Winnebago and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Empire. Close and well known come first.
19 mi LakeLake Winnebago
19 mi Park & preserveKettle Moraine State Forest
20 mi MuseumEAA Aviation Museum
12 mi MuseumWade House Historic Site
32 mi Theme parkBlue Harbor Resort
31 mi MuseumJohn Michael Kohler Arts CenterPhoto credits
Lake Winnebago: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Kettle Moraine State Forest: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · EAA Aviation Museum: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wade House Historic Site: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Harbor Resort: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · John Michael Kohler Arts Center: self, CC BY-SA 2.5
Everything we know about Empire
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Empire
About 3 of every 100 Empire residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Empire
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Empire is a town in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,774 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 29 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,070 ft
- Area code
- 920
Empire’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Empire.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Taycheedah (B−) comes closest.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | #232 | B− | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Fond du Lac | #327 | C | B | C− | C | C+ |
| Eden | — | — | B | — | A− | B− |
| Forest | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Taycheedah | #243 | B− | B− | — | C+ | B |
| Fond du Lac | #278 | C+ | C+ | — | C | B− |
Eden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Empire, Eden, Taycheedah and Fond du Lac report no FBI crime data of their own. Forest isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Empire with a neighbor →
Questions about Empire
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Empire, WI a good place to live?
Empire grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #232 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Empire, 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−.
What is Empire, WI known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Michael Reilly and Charles Ruggles Boardman.