Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,402.
The best of Sanborn’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D for incomes. 12% of residents are under 18 in Sanborn, below both the Wisconsin town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). On cost of living, just 11 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Sanborn's public schools trail 92% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. Only 59 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on history. The biggest place to walk is Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, 242 acres with 1.3 miles of trail. Sanborn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Sanborn beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Sanborn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,270 in 1900, a low of 325 in 1910, 1,381 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Sanborn, 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 Sanborn.
Sanborn beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 18% of Sanborn adults smoke cigarettes, above both Wisconsin’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (14%). 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Sanborn.
| Sanborn | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Sanborn | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.1% | 5.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Sanborn for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Sanborn is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Sanborn has lost 26 jobs, to 103 in 2023.
| Sanborn | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sanborn has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Sanborn’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Sanborn | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | 1.3 mi | 242 |
| 2. Iron County Forest | — | 18 |
| 3. Bad River Powwow Grounds | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sanborn
About 6 of every 100 Sanborn residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
Where Sanborn’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Sanborn is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,381 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Bayfront, Birch, Birch Hill, Diaperville, Franks Field, New Odanah, Odanah, and Sedgwick are located in the town. Long Island, one of the Apostle Islands, is also a part of the town. The entire town is part of the Bad River Reservation of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.