Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sturgeon Bay's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B+, ranked 182nd of 357 in Wisconsin. It has 12 miles of trail and it is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. 52% of working residents work locally in Sturgeon Bay, above both the Wisconsin town median (8.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On civic life, just 18 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do better. Sturgeon Bay has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them JOYS (Shipwreck) and Louisiana Street/Seventh Avenue Historic District.
Where Sturgeon Bay beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,199 in 1880, 9,646 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Sturgeon Bay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sturgeon Bay, 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 Sturgeon Bay.
Sturgeon Bay is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has commutes shorter than most of Wisconsin.
12 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sturgeon Bay is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve, 421 acres with 2 miles of trail.
| Sturgeon Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crossroads at Big Creek | 6.8 mi | 131 |
| 2. Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve | 2 mi | 421 |
| 3. Sunset Park | 0.8 mi | 128 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Sturgeon Bay School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sturgeon Bay High, with 348 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 228 | B |
| Sturgeon Bay HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 348 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 98% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sturgeon Bay.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 77.1°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 12.7°.
Sturgeon Bay’s July high is 77°F. Sturgeon Bay has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Sturgeon Bay’s January low is 13°F.
| Sturgeon Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 13°F | 11°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 4,559 working residents takes 13.3 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
Among 362 Wisconsin towns, just 4 have a lower average trip to work than Sturgeon Bay. The top destinations are Green Bay (5%), Sevastopol (3%) and Sister Bay (2%).
| Sturgeon Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (21% statewide). Sturgeon Bay has grown 2.7% since 2020, to 9,917 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Sturgeon Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.8 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 32% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Sturgeon Bay | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.1% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.6% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.6% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.4% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.7% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Sturgeon Bay home is worth about $384,000, up 2.3% in a year, 14% above the Wisconsin typical home. 60% of households own their home in Sturgeon Bay.
| Sturgeon Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,097 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 8,889 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sturgeon Bay’s, it is healthier than 82%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Sturgeon Bay beats the Wisconsin average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 29% of Sturgeon Bay adults feel lonely.
| Sturgeon Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Sturgeon Bay | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.2% | 9.7% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.9% | 85.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Sturgeon Bay; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Sturgeon Bay residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
10 places in Sturgeon Bay on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Sturgeon Bay.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Sturgeon Bay is a city in Door County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 census. Located at the bay of Sturgeon Bay for which it is named, it is the most populous city on the Door Peninsula, a popular Upper Midwest vacation destination.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Sturgeon Bay.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgeon Bay · Sturgeon Bay | #182 | B+ | C | B+ | B+ | B |
| Nasewaupee | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| Sevastopol | #204 | B | C− | — | A+ | B |
Nasewaupee has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Nasewaupee and Sevastopol report no FBI crime data of their own. Sturgeon Bay and Sturgeon Bay are one community, graded once. Compare Sturgeon Bay with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Sturgeon Bay grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #182 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools.
That is 5.1 years of the area's median household income ($74,795 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
8 notable people were born here, including Arthur G. Hansen and Casey Rabach.
