Vogel's Shore, 1910
Pine Lake’s story
Pine Lake in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1910 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
Explore the history →Pine LakeWI
A town of 2,733. 43% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Population
2,733
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Median home value
$272K
Census ACS
Household income
$84K
median
Median age
52.2
years
Jobs based here
209
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#284 of 357 in WI
Is Pine Lake a good place to live?
Pine Lake is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, ranked 284th of 357 in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $84K. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 62% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $272K, 3.9 years of the county’s $69K median household income. 30% of residents are 65 or older in Pine Lake, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. On history, just 75 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Oneida County Memorial Forest, at 56 acres.
What makes Pine Lake stand out
Where Pine Lake beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Pine Lake for work
Where Pine Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
209jobs based in Pine Lake
2%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Pine Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Pine Lake is from typical.
SchoolsC+Open →Jobs & income209 jobs based hereBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 2.4% of households have no car; 4.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listBOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →HealthAspirus Rhinelander Hospital 3.2 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pine Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pine Lake, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Public Service17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRhinelander Water & Wastewater1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Pine Lake’s trash rules yet
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 Pine Lake ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5450154501 100%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 Pine Lake.
Pine Lake is a second-home town, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Rhinelander and beyond.
#140for trails in WI
0%
conserved · 0 of 28,513 acres
21 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oneida County Memorial Forest | — | 56 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
About one in three of Pine Lake’s working residents commute to Rhinelander
Pine Lake has 209 jobs for its 1,212 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 15.8 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
Most working residents leave Pine Lake for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Pine Lake is 16 minutes. The top destinations are Rhinelander (34%), Wausau (4%) and Pelican (3%).
2%work in town
| Pine Lake | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.4% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Pine Lake2%
Rhinelander34%
Wausau4%
Pelican3%
Eagle River3%
18 mi
median commute distance
209
jobs based in Pine Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Older than Wisconsin overall
22.3% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 6.2% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
People 65 and older are 30% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (22% statewide). Pine Lake’s median age is 52.2 years. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
52.2median age · WI 40.2
| Pine Lake | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.2 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 32% | 29% |
Pine LakeWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
22%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school28%
Some college21%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s26%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Pine Lake | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.3% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.5% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.9% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21.9% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.2% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.8% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Pine Lake has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The Rhinelander Wjfw Tv-12 weather station records that 82 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.6°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 3.4°.
Pine Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
82″snow a winter
| Pine Lake | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter6–25°
Spring27–52°
Summer52–76°
Fall34–53°
Sep 23
typical first frost
May 23
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
Pine Lake is less healthy than 54% of U.S. towns
Pine Lake beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 15% of Pine Lake adults report frequent physical distress.
46%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Pine Lake | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better23 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Pine Lake | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 6.5% |
Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital
3.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
21st
percentile among WI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Cold waves leads a moderate hazard risk in Pine Lake
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pine Lake
17pages on Pine Lake
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pine Lake
About 1 of every 100 Pine Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Pine Lake
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Pine Lake is a town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,724 at the time of the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Roosevelt is located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 45 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,624 ft
Pine Lake’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Pine Lake.
RhinelanderNewboldStellaPelicanSugar CampPine Lake
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Lake | #284 | C+ | B | — | C+ | B− |
| Rhinelander | #226 | B | A− | B− | C+ | C |
| Newbold | #297 | C+ | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Stella | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pelican | #255 | B− | A− | — | C+ | B− |
| Sugar Camp | — | — | B | — | A− | B− |
Sugar Camp has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Pine Lake, Newbold, Pelican and Sugar Camp report no FBI crime data of their own. Stella isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pine Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Pine Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pine Lake, WI a good place to live?
Pine Lake grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #284 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B− for health and C+ for schools.
Is Pine Lake, WI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.