Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hayward grades D overall, 348th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $46K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Its police reported 10 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 87% of U.S. towns. In its favor, 10% of its land is conserved. 33% of working residents work locally in Hayward, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 45 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on walkability. North Wisconsin Lumber Company Office is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Hayward beats most towns.
Where Hayward’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Hayward is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,349 in 1890, 2,533 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1889 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hayward, 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Hayward.
Hayward draws workers from Hayward and beyond, has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
2,836 jobs are based in Hayward, 2.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 12.3 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
Among 362 Wisconsin towns, just 4 have a lower median household income than Hayward. Hayward’s average trip to work is 12 minutes. Jobs based in Hayward grew to 2,836 in 2023, 602 more than in 2013.
| Hayward | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Hayward Community School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hayward High, with 522 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 403 | – |
| Hayward HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 522 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
2.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Hayward is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Hayward | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hayward City Beach | — | 9 |
| 2. Shues Pond Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 106 to 49 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Hayward reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 87% report less. Only 9 of the 182 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Hayward.
| Hayward | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 2016, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hayward.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Hayward Rs weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 124 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 1.5°, colder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 79.4°.
No town among the 362 in Wisconsin we compare has a lower January low than Hayward. Hayward has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Hayward | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 79°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 4,247 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hayward’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Hayward beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 16% of Hayward adults report frequent physical distress.
| Hayward | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Hayward | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.5% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.4% | 3.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 6.2 years of the county’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $376K) costs more against local pay than in 88% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,789, against $3,792 across Wisconsin, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Hayward home is worth about $376,000, up 3.3% in a year, 12% above the Wisconsin typical home. 56% of households own their home in Hayward.
| Hayward | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $829 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hayward
About 2 of every 100 Hayward residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
4 notable people were born in Hayward.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 2,533 at the 2020 census. The city was formally organized in 1883. It is near the Namekagon River and is surrounded by the Town of Hayward.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hayward.
Hayward reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hayward with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hayward grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #348 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 6.2 years of the area's median household income ($60,801 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 B−.
4 notable people were born here, including Sean Duffy and Dan Plante.
