Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,172, settled in 1885. 3.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
The median household income is $42K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. Overall it grades C−, 334th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. 5% of its land is conserved. Its weakest subject is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 83% of the country. 37% of working residents work locally in Ladysmith, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On civic life, just 27 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do better. State Bank of Ladysmith is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Ladysmith beats most towns.
Where Ladysmith’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 Ladysmith is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,352 in 1910, 3,216 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ladysmith, 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 Ladysmith.
Ladysmith draws workers from Flambeau and beyond, has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
2,441 jobs are based in Ladysmith, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
No town among the 362 in Wisconsin we compare has a lower median household income than Ladysmith. Ladysmith’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Ladysmith fell to 2,441 in 2023, 410 fewer than in 2013.
| Ladysmith | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Ladysmith School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ladysmith ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 328 | B |
| Ladysmith HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 255 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,925 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ladysmith’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
15% of adults have diabetes in Ladysmith. Only 8 of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Ladysmith. 42% of adults have obesity in Ladysmith.
| Ladysmith | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Ladysmith | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.9% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Ladysmith home is worth about $188,000, up 9.8% in a year, 44% below the Wisconsin typical home. 53% of Ladysmith households own their home.
| Ladysmith | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $882 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Ladysmith is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Ladysmith | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Ladysmith 3w weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 117 days, shorter than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Ladysmith has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 3° and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ladysmith.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is O J Falge Park, at 68 acres.
| Ladysmith | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. O J Falge Park | 0.2 mi | 68 |
| 2. Greenwood Park | — | 38 |
| 3. Memorial Park | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Ladysmith; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Ladysmith residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
7 notable people were born in Ladysmith.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Ladysmith is a city and the county seat of Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States, where U.S. Route 8 and Wisconsin Highway 27 meet and cross the Flambeau River. The population was 3,216 at the 2020 census. The town has transitioned from logging in the 1800s to a 2025 economy dominated by manufacturing, then healthcare and social assistance, retail, and public administration.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Ladysmith.
Flambeau and Grant aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ladysmith with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ladysmith grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #334 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C− for health, B+ for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($59,944 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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Ron Kovic and Lois Capps.