Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,640, settled in 1852. 2.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Trash & recyclingOconto gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $253K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Green Bay metro’s $79K median household income. It grades B overall, 222nd among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 77% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and residents are less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, 11% of its land is conserved. Oconto has 13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oconto Site and Huff Jones House. 26% of working residents work locally in Oconto, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 17 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Oconto beats most towns.
Oconto Site is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 885 in 1860, 4,609 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Oconto is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oconto, 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 Oconto.
Oconto trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Wisconsin (mostly inland flooding).
4.1 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Oconto Sportsmens Club, at 516 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Bay West Shores Wildlife Area-Oconto Marsh Unit | 2.7 mi | 278 |
| 2. Oconto Sportsmens Club | — | 516 |
| 3. Oconto Preserve | — | 157 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Oconto Unified School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oconto ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 340 | C |
| Oconto HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 299 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
44% of Oconto adults have obesity. Oconto beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 18% of Oconto adults smoke cigarettes.
| Oconto | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Oconto | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6.5% |
| More smokers | 17.5% | 13.6% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 32% | 26.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of Wisconsin towns; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 50 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oconto. Only 6 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Oconto.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $253K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles.
The median rent in Oconto is $785 a month. Typical home values rose 7.7% in the year to September 2026. 63% of households own their home in Oconto.
| Oconto | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $785 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
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 12°.
Oconto has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Oconto’s July high is 78°F. About 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Oconto | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Oconto has about as many jobs (2,055) as working residents, but only 547 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Oconto’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Green Bay (11%), Marinette (6%) and Ashwaubenon (4%).
| Oconto | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.3% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Oconto; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Oconto residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
10.6% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
13 places in Oconto on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Oconto.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Oconto is a city and county seat of Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,609 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The city is located partially within the town of Oconto.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Oconto.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oconto | #222 | B | A | B+ | C+ | C− |
| Oconto | — | — | B | — | C+ | C |
| Little River | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C |
Oconto and Little River have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Oconto and Little River report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Oconto with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Oconto grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #222 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C− for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
8 notable people were born here, including Fay Holderness and David G. Classon.
