Hokenson Fishing Dock · National Register of Historic Places
Russell’s story
113 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1913Russell is settled
RussellWI
A town of 1,644, settled in 1913.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,644
2025 Census estimate · +5.2% since 2020
Median home value
$118K
Census ACS
Household income
$48K
median
Median age
34.9
years
Jobs based here
306
Balanced
Is Russell a good place to live?
Russell’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and the outdoors and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Russell, against 6.4% in Wisconsin’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town in Wisconsin scores lower than Russell on incomes. Russell's public schools trail 96% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. 15% of the land in Russell is conserved, above both Wisconsin’s towns (3.8%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Bayfield County Forest, at 7,435 acres with 6.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On civic life, just 31 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do better. Russell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Russell stand out
Where Russell beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA+
Lower risk than 99% of U.S. communities
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Russell8.8
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WI town3.8
Civic lifeA+
2.3 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Wisconsin town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
A growing town
Russell has grown 28% since 2010
1,279 counted in 2010 and 1,553 in 2020; an estimated 1,644 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Russell grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Russell is from typical.
Hazard riskcold waves tops the listA+Open →Jobs & income$48K median household incomeD−Open →SchoolsD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $118K, 1.7 years of the county’s $71K median household incomeAOpen →HealthLess healthy than 85% of U.S. towns; Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center 26.3 miles awayDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.7 of 20; 14.5% of households have no car; 8.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsAOpen →History1 place on the National RegisterCOpen →Civic life8.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+Open →
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 Russell: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Russell, and how to reach them.
PowerBayfield Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterRed Cliff North water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers83% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Russell’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 Russell ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code5481454814 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 Russell.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
In Russell, the FEMA risk score runs lower than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
The FEMA risk score in Russell is 1 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Russell since 1985.
1risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingStrong wind
1
paid flood claims since 1985
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthD
Russell stands out in Wisconsin and nationally: a larger share of its adults have diabetes
17% of adults have diabetes in Russell. Among 358 Wisconsin towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Russell. 44% of adults have obesity in Russell.
15%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Russell | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 33% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
2 better12 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Russell | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.7% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.3% | 77.8% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.5% | 6.7% |
Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center
26.3 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Russell has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Russell has cold, snowy winters and cool summers. Russell’s July high is 76°F.
106″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–25°
Spring29–48°
Summer53–73°
Fall37–53°
Oct 8
typical first frost
May 20
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
15.4%conserved
15.4%
conserved · 9,772 of 63,621 acres
23 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bayfield County Forest | 6.3 mi | 7,435 |
| 2. Frog Bay Tribal National Park | 1.8 mi | 160 |
| 3. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | 0.2 mi | 1,124 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Most of Russell’s workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
About one in 5 of Russell’s working residents works in town. Only 4 of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Russell. Jobs based in Russell grew to 306 in 2023, 30 more than in 2013.
22%work in town
| Russell | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Russell22%
Bayfield28%
Bayfield17%
Washburn4%
Ashland4%
5 mi
median commute distance
306
jobs based in Russell
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 74% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Russell
18pages on Russell
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Russell; the nearest are
Northland CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ashland25.4 miGogebic Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ironwood, MI46 mi$4,800 in-state tuitionUniversity of Minnesota-DuluthUniversity or college · Public · Duluth, MN59.1 mi$14,610 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Russell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Russell
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Russell is a town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,553 at the 2020 census, up from 1,279 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Red Cliff and Sand Bay are located in Russell. Red Cliff is the administrative center of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. York Island and Raspberry Island (of the Apostle Islands) are part of the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 100 sq mi
- Elevation
- 787 ft
Russell’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Russell.
BayfieldRussell
How the neighbors grade
Russell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Russell reports no FBI crime data of its own. Bayfield isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Russell with a neighbor →
Questions about Russell
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Russell, 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.