Spencer, Wis, 1912
Spencer’s story
152 years in pictures
Census counts: 526 in 1890, a low of 362 in 1910, 1,818 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1912 and a map from 1981 on.
- 1874Spencer is settled
SpencerWI
A town of 1,809, settled in 1874. A typical home costs 3 years of the Wausau metro’s $78K median household income.
Population
1,809
2025 Census estimate · −0.5% since 2020
Typical home
$232K
+9% in a year
Household income
$70K
median
Median age
38.7
years
Jobs based here
879
Balanced
Is Spencer a good place to live?
Spencer’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living. On cost of living, just 3 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Spencer is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. Among 341 Wisconsin towns, just 4 have a lower median rent than Spencer. Spencer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Spencer stand out
Where Spencer beats most towns.
Typical home value
Spencer$232K
Wisconsin$337K
Cost of livingA+
3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 96% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Natural hazardsA−
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
WalkabilityB+
More walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
7.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
How Spencer grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Spencer is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 22% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.4 of 20; 6% of households have no carB+Open →Jobs & income$70K median household income; 879 jobs based hereBOpen →SchoolsBOpen →HealthMarshfield Medical Center 7.9 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0% conserved landC+Open →History3 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life3.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 79° summer afternoons, 45″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.7; 15% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Spencer: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spencer, and how to reach them.
PowerClark Electric Coop14.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSpencer Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Spencer’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 hereVillage of Spencer ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5447954479 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 Spencer.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Spencer, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities.
22risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB
Spencer’s public schools outperform 63% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Spencer School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Spencer Junior High/High, with 329 students.
63%of WI districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 290 | B+ |
| Spencer Junior High/HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 329 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A+
A typical Spencer home is worth about $232K
The typical Spencer home is worth about $232,000, up 9% in a year, 31% below the Wisconsin typical home.
$232KZillow home value
Typical home value
Spencer$232K
Wisconsin$337K
+9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
In Spencer, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Spencer has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 79°F, Spencer’s July high is where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 82°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
45″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter8–25°
Spring31–53°
Summer55–77°
Fall35–55°
Oct 5
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
About one in three of Spencer’s working residents commute to Marshfield
Most working residents leave Spencer for work: only 9% work in town. 2.1% of Spencer residents live below the poverty line, below both Wisconsin’s towns (6.4%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). The average trip to work in Spencer is 19 minutes.
9%work in town
| Spencer | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.1% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Spencer9%
Marshfield36%
Spencer3%
Abbotsford2%
Wisconsin Rapids2%
11 mi
median commute distance
879
jobs based in Spencer
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB−
On CDC estimates, Spencer is less healthy than 52% of U.S. towns
Spencer beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Spencer.
48%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Spencer | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better31 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Spencer | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.5% | 9.9% |
Marshfield Medical Center
7.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.3%conserved
0.3%
conserved · 3 of 1,252 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Arc Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Spencer
19pages on Spencer
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Spencer; the nearest are
Mid-State Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wisconsin Rapids35.6 mi$5,002 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity or college · Public · Stevens Point39 mi$9,488 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Spencer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Famous people from Spencer
3 notable people were born in Spencer.
About Spencer
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Spencer is a village in Marathon County, Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,818 at the 2020 census. The village, which lies between two marshes (Spencer Marsh to the northwest and McMillan Marsh to the southeast) was founded in 1874 at a branch on the Wisconsin Central Railway. Today it sits at the crossroads of Wisconsin Highway 13 (WIS 13) and WIS 98 and serves as the terminus of several Marathon County Trunk Highways. Spencer lies about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Marshfield, along WIS 13.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,312 ft
- ZIP code
- 54479
Spencer’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Spencer.
SpencerShermanSpencer
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer · Spencer | — | — | A+ | — | B | B− |
| Sherman | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Spencer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Spencer reports no FBI crime data of its own. Sherman isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Spencer and Spencer are one community, graded once. Compare Spencer with a neighbor →
Questions about Spencer
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Spencer, 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+.
What is Spencer, WI known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Dave Dudley and Tyler Dennett.