Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,980, settled in 1873. A regional job hub with 20,584 jobs.
Marshfield gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $254K, 3.7 years of the Wisconsin Rapids area’s $68K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 157th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 51% of working residents work locally in Marshfield, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 35 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Marshfield has 16 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gov. William H. Upham House and Wahle-Laird House.
Where Marshfield beats most towns.
Census counts: 669 in 1880, 18,929 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Marshfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marshfield, 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 Marshfield.
Marshfield draws workers from McMillan and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
20,584 jobs are based in Marshfield, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.7 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
The average trip to work in Marshfield is 15 minutes. The top destinations are Wausau (3%), Stevens Point (2%) and Wisconsin Rapids (2%). The median household income in Marshfield is $58,000.
| Marshfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Marshfield Unified School District. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 554 | A |
| Marshfield HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,181 | B+ |
| Washington ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 316 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Since 2021, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marshfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3.8 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Wildwood Park, at 179 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Braem Park | 1.2 mi | 36 |
| 2. Wildwood Park | 0.9 mi | 179 |
| 3. Miller Recreation Area | 0.7 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
60% of households own their home in Marshfield. Typical home values rose 5% in the year to September 2026. Marshfield’s median rent is $842 a month.
| Marshfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 74% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 33% | 39% | 48% |
| Median rent | $842 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Marshfield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 5° and about 57 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (19% statewide). 18% of Marshfield residents are under 18. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Marshfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.2 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Marshfield | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.1% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.3% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.1% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.1% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 8,492 U.S. towns with household incomes like Marshfield’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Marshfield beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Marshfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Marshfield | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 19.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 70% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 277 to 214 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Marshfield; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Marshfield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
Where Marshfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
16 places in Marshfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Marshfield.
5 towns share a border with Marshfield.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshfield · Marshfield | #157 | B+ | B | B− | B+ | B |
| McMillan | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| Cameron | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lincoln | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| Spencer | — | — | — | — | — | — |
McMillan and Lincoln have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. McMillan and Lincoln report no FBI crime data of their own. Cameron and Spencer aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Marshfield and Marshfield are one community, graded once. Compare Marshfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Marshfield grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #157 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
18 notable people were born here, including Andrew Rock and Bob Galvin.
