Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,693, settled in 1853. 2.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Trash day: look up yoursShawano gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $260K for a typical one, or 3.9 years of the Shawano area’s $66K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 321st of 357 in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 79% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, 10% of its land is conserved. 28% of working residents work locally in Shawano, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On civic life, just 49 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do better. Shawano has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Shawano Post Office and Lincoln School.
Where Shawano beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Shawano is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 890 in 1880, 9,243 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1925 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shawano, 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 Shawano.
Shawano trades workers with Menominee and other neighbors and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Shawano. Shawano beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 35% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Shawano.
| Shawano | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Shawano | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.8% | 12.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.3% | 6.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.6% | 5.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Shawano School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillcrest Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 472 | – |
| Shawano HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 702 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
2.2 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Eberlein Park, at 41 acres.
| Shawano | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kuckuk Park | 0.4 mi | 14 |
| 2. Eberlein Park | — | 41 |
| 3. Memorial Park | — | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
57% of Shawano households own their home. Typical home values rose 8.2% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Shawano is $819 a month.
| Shawano | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $819 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Shawano has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Shawano’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shawano has about as many jobs (5,286) as working residents, but only 1,283 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 15.5 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
About one in 4 of Shawano’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Menominee (9%), Green Bay (5%) and Appleton (3%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Shawano | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Shawano since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 20.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 72% of Wisconsin’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Shawano
About 2 of every 100 Shawano residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
3 places in Shawano on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Shawano.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Shawano ( SHAW-noh) is a city and the county seat of Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,243 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Shawano.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawano | #321 | C | B | B− | C | C− |
| Wescott | #355 | D− | C | — | C | C |
| Waukechon | — | — | B− | — | C | C |
| Richmond | — | — | B− | — | C | C |
| Belle Plaine | — | — | C− | — | C | C |
Waukechon, Richmond and Belle Plaine have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Wescott, Waukechon, Richmond and Belle Plaine report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Shawano with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Shawano grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #321 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C− for health, B− for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
6 notable people were born here, including Billy Reed and Lee Remmel.
