Manitowish Waters gift shop, 2008
Manitowish Waters’s story
Manitowish Waters in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2008.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →
Manitowish WatersWI
A town of 647.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
647
2025 Census estimate · +2.9% since 2020
Typical home
$748K
+17.4% in a year
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
62.6
years
Jobs based here
231
Balanced
Is Manitowish Waters a good place to live?
8.1% of residents are under 18 in Manitowish Waters, against 21% in Wisconsin’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Only one of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare has a higher midpoint age than Manitowish Waters. 19% of the land in Manitowish Waters is conserved, above both the Wisconsin town median (3.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, at 6,359 acres with 4.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Manitowish Waters has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
647 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Boulder JunctionWinchesterLac du FlambeauMercerShermanManitowish Waters
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Manitowish Waters: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Manitowish Waters, and how to reach them.
PowerBayfield Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Manitowish Waters’ trash rules yet
SchoolsNorth Lakeland School DistrictLakeland Union High School District2 districts serve Manitowish Waters; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereTown of Manitowish Waters ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code5454554545 99%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 Manitowish Waters.
Housing
A typical Manitowish Waters home is worth about $748K
81% of households are owner-occupiers in Manitowish Waters. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 17%. Manitowish Waters’ midpoint rent comes in at $1,146 a month.
$748KZillow home value
| Manitowish Waters | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,146 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Manitowish Waters$748K
Wisconsin$337K
+17.4%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Outdoors
18.6% of the land in Manitowish Waters is protected from building
Trails total 15 miles in 4 parks and preserves. In Manitowish Waters, the trail density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
18.6%conserved
18.6%
conserved · 4,241 of 22,789 acres
15 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Powell Marsh Wildlife Area | 8.2 mi | 4,251 |
| 2. Northern Highland American Legion State Forest | 4.5 mi | 6,359 |
| 3. Rest Lake Park Road | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Manitowish Waters has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Manitowish Waters than in 69% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 49% come from inland flooding and 39% from cold waves.
31risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
A typical July afternoon in Manitowish Waters is cooler than in most of Wisconsin or the rest of the country
Manitowish Waters brings cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 77°, January nights drop to 2° and about 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
75″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter5–24°
Spring26–51°
Summer52–75°
Fall33–53°
Sep 21
typical first frost
May 25
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
A job hub: Manitowish Waters has 1.1 jobs for every working resident and draws in 212 commuters
Just 9% of Manitowish Waters’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based in Manitowish Waters grew to 231 in 2023, 62 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Boulder Junction (9%), Minocqua (9%) and Lac du Flambeau (7%). For half of commuters, work is under 18 miles away.
9%work in town
| Manitowish Waters | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Manitowish Waters9%
Boulder Junction9%
Minocqua9%
Lac du Flambeau7%
Presque Isle5%
18 mi
median commute distance
231
jobs based in Manitowish Waters
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
More of Manitowish Waters’ adults have high blood pressure than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
15% of Manitowish Waters adults report frequent physical distress. Among 358 Wisconsin towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Manitowish Waters. The town beats the Wisconsin average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Manitowish Waters | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
16 better8 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Manitowish Waters | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.7% | 9.7% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.5% | 5.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.7% | 8.6% |
Howard Young Medical Center
17.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Manitowish Waters
16pages on Manitowish Waters
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Manitowish Waters; the nearest are
Gogebic Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ironwood, MI28.2 mi$4,800 in-state tuitionLac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Hayward72.9 mi$6,030 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Manitowish Waters residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Manitowish Waters
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Manitowish Waters is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 624 in the 2020 census. The unincorporated community Manitowish Waters, is also located within the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,611 ft
- ZIP code
- 54545
Questions about Manitowish Waters
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Manitowish Waters, WI a good place to live?
Manitowish Waters has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.