Rio, WI - Jan. 15, 1917, 1917
Rio’s story
174 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1917.
- 1852Rio is settled
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,123
2025 Census estimate · −0.2% since 2020
Typical home
$251K
+0.7% in a year
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
41.0
years
Jobs based here
308
A commuter town
Is Rio a good place to live?
Rio’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and walkability; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Only 19 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on hazard risk. Rio has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Rio stand out
Where Rio beats most towns.
Typical home value
Rio$251K
Wisconsin$337K
Cost of livingA−
2.8 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 83% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 78% of U.S. towns
4.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Rio6.7
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WI town3.8
Civic lifeA−
74% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Wisconsin town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Small town
1,123 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
LowvilleOtsegoWyocenaSpringvaleRio
How Rio grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Rio is from typical.
Hazard riskhail tops the listC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.1 of 20; 1.2% of households have no carA−Open →SchoolsC−Open →HealthColumbus Community Hospital 13.6 miles awayB+Open →Jobs & income$68K median household income; 308 jobs based hereCOpen →
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.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.0; 20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Rio: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rio, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRio Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpThursdayTrash dayTown 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 hereVillage of Rio ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5396053960 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 Rio.
SchoolsC−
Public schools in Rio fall behind 76% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Rio Community School District. Its two schools are below.
24%of WI districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 169 | B+ |
| Rio Middle/HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 183 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Rio’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Rio for work: only 4% work in town. 18% of Rio residents live below the poverty line, above both the Wisconsin town median (6.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Rio’s average trip to work is 29 minutes.
4%work in town
| Rio | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Rio4%
Madison26%
Portage5%
DeForest5%
Columbus4%
24 mi
median commute distance
308
jobs based in Rio
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
The FEMA risk score in Rio is higher than in most of Wisconsin or the rest of the country
At 76 of 100, Rio’s FEMA risk score is above both Wisconsin’s towns (23 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100).
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HailInland floodingCold waves
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A−
Rio’s typical home value is about $251K
The typical Rio home is worth about $251,000, up 0.7% in a year, 26% below the Wisconsin typical home. 65% of households own their home in Rio.
$251KZillow home value
Typical home value
Rio$251K
Wisconsin$337K
+0.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthB+
Rio ranks healthier than 68% of the country’s towns
Rio beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 21% of Rio adults binge drink.
68%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Rio | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 78% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better31 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Rio | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults getting a yearly checkup | 74% | 77.6% |
Columbus Community Hospital
13.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Rio, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Rio has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 10° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–30°
Spring34–56°
Summer58–80°
Fall39–59°
Oct 10
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 806 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Firemans Park | 0.1 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rio
18pages on Rio
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rio; the nearest are
Herzing University-MadisonUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Madison21.4 mi$13,450 tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonUniversity or college · Public · Madison27.3 mi$11,603 in-state tuitionMoraine Park Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fond du Lac47.2 mi$4,819 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Rio residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Rio for work
Where Rio’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
308jobs based in Rio
4%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Rio
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Rio (pronounced "rye-oh") is a village in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,119 at the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village rests primarily in the town of Otsego. The Village of Rio calls itself "Camper Country USA" due to several campgrounds located near the village. Rio is halfway between Columbus and Portage on Highway 16.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 932 ft
- ZIP code
- 53960
Questions about Rio
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rio, WI expensive?
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−.