HawthorneWI
A town of 1,021, settled in 1885.
Is Hawthorne a good place to live?
Hawthorne’s best subject grade is an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for walkability. Hawthorne’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 22 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Among 363 Wisconsin towns, just 7 have a lower January low than Hawthorne. Hawthorne's schools rank ahead of 69% of Wisconsin towns. 21% of the land in Hawthorne is conserved, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 3.8% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Douglas County Forest, at 6,048 acres with 4.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Hawthorne has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Hawthorne stand out
Where Hawthorne beats most towns.
1,021 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Hawthorne grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Hawthorne is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Hawthorne: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hawthorne, 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 Hawthorne.
Very low risk in Hawthorne, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hawthorne has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Hawthorne for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Hawthorne has lost 71 jobs, to 86 in 2023. The median household income in Hawthorne is $102,000.
| Hawthorne | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.8% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hawthorne has set aside 20.6% of its land for conservation
13 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Douglas County Forest | 4.4 mi | 6,048 |
| 2. Amnicon Town Forest | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Fewer young adults than Wisconsin overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 11% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 49% of residents (38% statewide). Hawthorne’s median age is 47.7 years. Hawthorne has lost 4.3% of its people since 2020, down to 1,021 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Hawthorne | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.7 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 20% | 18% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 37% and 62% women
The Census survey reached too few of Hawthorne’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.4 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Hawthorne | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.6% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.8% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.3% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.8% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.8% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.5% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Hawthorne
Hawthorne has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 3° and about 60 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hawthorne is healthier than 54% of U.S. towns
Hawthorne beats the Wisconsin average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 41% of Hawthorne adults have obesity.
| Hawthorne | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hawthorne | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Hawthorne
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Hawthorne; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Hawthorne residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
98% of working residents leave Hawthorne for work
Where Hawthorne’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Hawthorne
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Hawthorne is a town in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,058 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Dobie, Hawthorne, Hillcrest, and Hines are located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 46 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,178 ft
Questions about Hawthorne
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hawthorne, 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−.