Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Manitowoc gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $242K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the Manitowoc area’s $69K median household income. It grades B− overall, 261st of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 48% of working residents work locally in Manitowoc, above both the Wisconsin town median (8.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include USS COBIA (submarine) and ARCTIC (tug) Shipwreck. Manitowoc is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 74% of U.S. towns.
Where Manitowoc beats most towns.
USS COBIA (submarine) is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 3,059 in 1860, 34,626 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Manitowoc is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Manitowoc, 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 Manitowoc.
Manitowoc is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
9.4 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lincoln Park, at 126 acres.
| Manitowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Henry Schuette Park | 3.4 mi | 73 |
| 2. Lincoln Park | 0.8 mi | 126 |
| 3. Silver Creek Park | 0.7 mi | 85 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Manitowoc School District. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 566 | D |
| Lincoln HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,385 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Manitowoc.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values rose 51% in five years, to about $242K, against 31% across Wisconsin.
The median rent in Manitowoc is $804 a month. Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026. 32% of Manitowoc renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Manitowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 32% | 39% | 48% |
| Median rent | $804 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 77.7°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 13.5°.
Manitowoc has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Manitowoc’s July high is 78°F. About 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Manitowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 14°F | 11°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
13% of residents live below the poverty line in Manitowoc. The top destinations are Two Rivers (5%), Sheboygan (4%) and Green Bay (3%). 6.5% of workers work from home in Manitowoc.
| Manitowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin average. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Manitowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.8 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 21% | 22% |
50.3% women, 49.7% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.9 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.8, men 41.7.
| Manitowoc | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.2% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.5% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 9,688 U.S. towns with household incomes like Manitowoc’s, it is healthier than 60%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Manitowoc beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Manitowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Manitowoc | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.2% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 6.5% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 31.8% | 26.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 16.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 61% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 469 to 318 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Manitowoc. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaLambeau Field
in town MuseumUSS Cobia
37 mi LakeLake Winnebago
33 mi Stadium & arenaResch Center
18 mi Ancient siteRouse Simmons
32 mi MuseumNational Railroad MuseumLambeau Field: JL1Row, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Cobia: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Lake Winnebago: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Resch Center: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Rouse Simmons: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · National Railroad Museum: Dual Freq, CC BY 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Manitowoc
About 4 of every 100 Manitowoc residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
12 places in Manitowoc on the National Register of Historic Places.
32 notable people were born in Manitowoc.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Manitowoc ( MAN-it-ə-wok) is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. The population was 34,626 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Manitowoc.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc | #261 | B− | A− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Manitowoc Rapids | — | — | C+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Manitowoc | — | — | B− | — | C− | C+ |
| Newton | — | — | C+ | — | C− | B− |
| Two Rivers | — | — | B− | — | D | B− |
| Two Rivers | #221 | B | A | B+ | D | C+ |
Manitowoc Rapids, Manitowoc, Newton and Two Rivers have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Manitowoc Rapids, Manitowoc, Newton and Two Rivers report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Manitowoc with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Manitowoc grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #261 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
32 notable people were born here, including Merta Sterling and Robert O. Cook.
