Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Plover is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B overall, ranked 228th of 357 in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $88K. A typical home there costs about $348K, 4.6 years of the Stevens Point area’s $76K median household income. Plover’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, against 22 minutes in Wisconsin’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Plover has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Old Plover Methodist Church and J. H. Morgan House.
Where Plover beats most towns.
12,123 counted in 2010 and 13,519 in 2020; an estimated 14,274 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.6% since 2020, after 11.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Plover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 412 in 1880, a low of 200 in 1950, 13,519 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Plover, 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 Plover.
Plover trades workers with Stevens Point and other neighbors and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
9.2 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The trail density in Plover is 0.8 miles per square mile. Pacawa Park, at 63 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Plover | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Little Plover River Park | 1.4 mi | 52 |
| 2. Pacawa Park | 1 mi | 63 |
| 3. Woyak Park | 0.6 mi | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Stevens Point Area Public School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 522 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
28% of Plover adults have high blood pressure. Plover beats the Wisconsin average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of Plover adults binge drink.
| Plover | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Plover | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 28.2% | 33.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Plover has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Plover’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Plover has about as many jobs (6,219) as working residents, but only 792 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Plover for work: only 12% work in town. Jobs based in Plover grew to 6,219 in 2023, 806 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Stevens Point (33%), Wisconsin Rapids (6%) and Wausau (4%).
| Plover | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin average. 42% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Plover. Plover has grown 5.6% since 2020, to 14,274 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Plover | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 21% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.2, men 35.6.
| Plover | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.3% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.2% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.2% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.7% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.7% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Plover since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 15.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 56% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 234 to 146 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Typical home values rose 6.5% in the year to September 2026.
| Plover | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,089 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Plover
About 5 of every 100 Plover residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
2 places in Plover on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Plover.
Village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States
Plover is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. A central hub of the Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area, it is the most populous village and the second-largest municipality in the county. With a population of 13,519 at the 2020 United States census and an estimated 14,531 in 2026, Plover has emerged as a major regional center for agriculture, food processing, and "Silent Sports" recreation. Situated within the "Central Sands" region of Wisconsin, Plover features a unique topography defined by a flat glacial outwash plain that transitions into rugged terminal moraines to the east. The village is known for its high-density irrigated cropland, lush recreational trails…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Plover.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plover | #228 | B | B− | B | B− | A− |
| Plover | — | — | B | — | B− | B+ |
| Linwood | — | — | B− | — | B− | B+ |
| Whiting | — | — | A− | — | B− | A− |
| Stevens Point | #212 | B | B− | B | B− | B+ |
Plover, Linwood and Whiting have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Plover, Linwood and Whiting report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Plover with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Plover grades B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #228 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− 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−.
4 notable people were born here, including Joe Pavelski and Walt Wilmot.
