Town of Porterfield Marinette Co. Wisconsin - Welcome sign, 2011
Porterfield’s story
141 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1885Porterfield is settled
Photo: Doremo · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,927
2025 Census estimate · +1.9% since 2020
Typical home
$269K
+12.1% in a year
Household income
$75K
median
Median age
53.9
years
Jobs based here
61
A commuter town
Is Porterfield a good place to live?
Porterfield’s weakest subject grade is a D− for walkability. On walkability, just 20 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. Porterfield's public schools trail 86% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. On hazard risk, just 45 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. The biggest place to walk is Governor Earl Peshtigo River State Forest, 732 acres with 8.4 miles of trail. Porterfield has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Porterfield for work
Where Porterfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
61jobs based in Porterfield
2%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Porterfield grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Porterfield is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.5 of 20; 1.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →SchoolsDOpen →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listCOpen →Cost of livingCOpen →HealthAurora Medical Center Bay Area 9.3 miles awayB−Open →Jobs & income$75K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landCOpen →HistoryCOpen →Civic life1.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 80° summer afternoons, 49″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 53.9; 22% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Porterfield: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Porterfield, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Public Service17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers85% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTown of Porterfield Recycling CenterDrop-offTown site
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 Porterfield ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes54143, 54159, 5415754143 55% · 54159 42% · 54157 4%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 Porterfield.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Porterfield’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Porterfield for work: only 2% work in town. 2.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Porterfield, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 6.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Since 2013, Porterfield has lost 25 jobs, to 61 in 2023.
2%work in town
| Porterfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Porterfield2%
Marinette38%
Menominee8%
Peshtigo5%
Green Bay4%
11 mi
median commute distance
61
jobs based in Porterfield
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 5% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Porterfield, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Porterfield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Porterfield’s July high is 80°F, close to Wisconsin’s towns (82°F) and below U.S. towns (85°F).
49″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–29°
Spring31–53°
Summer55–78°
Fall37–57°
Oct 5
typical first frost
May 11
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade C
A typical Porterfield home is worth about $269K
The typical Porterfield home is worth about $269,000, up 12.1% in a year, 20% below the Wisconsin typical home. 97% of Porterfield households own their home.
$269KZillow home value
| Porterfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 97% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,281 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Porterfield$269K
Wisconsin$337K
+12.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Porterfield faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Porterfield since 2026.
67risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland flooding
1
paid flood claims since 2026
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB−
Porterfield is less healthy than 55% of U.S. towns
Porterfield beats the Wisconsin average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 28% of adults feel lonely in Porterfield.
45%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Porterfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
2 better22 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Porterfield | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 77.8% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.9% | 85.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.2% | 6.6% |
Aurora Medical Center Bay Area
9.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.3%conserved
| Porterfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
0.3%
conserved · 96 of 33,921 acres
18 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Governor Earl Peshtigo River State Forest | 8.4 mi | 732 |
| 2. Crystal Springs Wayside | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Porterfield
18pages on Porterfield
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Porterfield; the nearest are
University of Wisconsin-Green BayUniversity or college · Public · Green Bay44.8 mi$8,700 in-state tuitionNortheast Wisconsin Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Green Bay47.5 mi$4,960 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Porterfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Porterfield
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Porterfield is a town in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,888 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Bagley Junction, Miles, Porterfield, Rubys Corner, and Walsh are located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 53 sq mi
- Elevation
- 659 ft
Porterfield’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Porterfield.
Menominee TownshipLakeWagnerMarinetteGroverPeshtigoPorterfield
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porterfield | — | — | C | — | D | B− |
| Lake | — | — | B− | — | C− | C+ |
| Wagner | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marinette | #305 | C+ | A− | C+ | D | C+ |
| Grover | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Peshtigo | #317 | C | B | — | C− | B− |
Porterfield, Lake and Grover have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Porterfield, Lake, Grover and Peshtigo report no FBI crime data of their own. Wagner isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Porterfield with a neighbor →
Questions about Porterfield
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Porterfield, WI expensive?
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($61,417 across the Marinette, WI-MI area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.