Rib Lake Historic Marker, 2003
Rib Lake’s story
Rib Lake in pictures
Census counts: 1,018 in 1910, 935 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2003 and 2 maps from 1979 on.
Explore the history →Rib LakeWI
A town of 760.
Population
760
2025 Census estimate · −0.7% since 2020
Median home value
$226K
Census ACS
Household income
$79K
median
Median age
46.6
years
Jobs based here
120
A commuter town
Is Rib Lake a good place to live?
35% of the land in Rib Lake is conserved, above both the Wisconsin town median (3.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Taylor County Forest, 16,664 acres with 21.7 miles of trail. Rib Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
760 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
GreenwoodCorningWestboroSpiritHillRib Lake
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Rib Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rib Lake, and how to reach them.
PowerPrice Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offRib Lake Recycling Center, 2 miOpenStreetMap
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 Rib Lake ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes54470, 5449054470 83% · 54490 17%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 Rib Lake.
Outdoors
nearly a third of the land in Rib Lake is protected from building
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 37 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Rib Lake: 2, covering 16,867 acres. The density of trails here is 0.5 miles per square mile.
34.8%conserved
34.8%
conserved · 16,606 of 47,686 acres
37 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Taylor County Forest | 21.7 mi | 16,664 |
| 2. Rib Lake School Forest | 1.7 mi | 203 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commute
Most of Rib Lake’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.4 jobs for each of them
Half the trips to work are shorter than 18 miles. Rib Lake’s typical journey to work stands at 26 minutes. Most people who work leave Rib Lake to do it: just 6% work in town. The top destinations are Medford (28%), Rib Lake (9%) and Browning (4%).
6%work in town
| Rib Lake | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Rib Lake6%
Medford28%
Rib Lake9%
Browning4%
Medford3%
18 mi
median commute distance
120
jobs based in Rib Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Top of a low hazard risk in Rib Lake: inland flooding
On expected storm and flood damage, Rib Lake sits below 70% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 45% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 34% to cold waves.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Rib Lake
In July, afternoons reach 78°; in January, nights fall to 3°, and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
62″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter7–24°
Spring29–52°
Summer54–76°
Fall34–53°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 11
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Rib Lake is
Rib Lake: 17% of adults binge drink. Of 32 CDC measures, Rib Lake beats the Wisconsin average on 1 and trails it on 12. Among adults here, 44% have obesity, against 38% in Wisconsin’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. In Rib Lake, nearly a third of adults get no exercise outside work, and 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Rib Lake | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
1 better19 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Rib Lake | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.3% | 77.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.5% | 9.9% |
Aspirus Medford Hospital & Clinics
17.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rib Lake
17pages on Rib Lake
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rib Lake; the nearest are
Northcentral Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wausau33.5 mi$4,889 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity or college · Public · Stevens Point61.7 mi$9,488 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Rib Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Rib Lake for work
Where Rib Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
120jobs based in Rib Lake
6%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Rib Lake
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Rib Lake is a village in Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States located at the junction of Wisconsin Highway 102 and Taylor County Highway D. The population was 935 at the 2020 census. The village is completely surrounded by the Town of Rib Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,581 ft
- ZIP code
- 54470
Questions about Rib Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rib Lake, WI a good place to live?
Rib Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.