Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Superior’s subject grades are an A for incomes and the outdoors; the weakest is a D for walkability. On walkability, just 67 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. 29% of the land in Superior is conserved, above both Wisconsin’s towns (3.8%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Douglas County Forest, at 5,619 acres. On civic life, just 67 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do worse. Superior has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Superior beats most towns.
Oliver E. WilliamsonWhere Superior’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Superior is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 11,983 in 1890, a peak of 40,384 in 1910, 26,751 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1886 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Superior, 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 Superior.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pattison State Park | 7.6 mi | 1,565 |
| 2. St. Louis/Red River Stream Bank Protection Area | 0.8 mi | 6,459 |
| 3. Douglas County Forest | — | 5,619 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Superior School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Corners ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 200 | C |
| Maranatha Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 38 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Superior.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Superior for work: only 3% work in town. At $118,000, Superior’s median household income is where Wisconsin’s towns sit at $87,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Jobs based in Superior grew to 302 in 2023, 91 more than in 2013.
| Superior | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $118,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Superior has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Superior is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). Superior’s median age is 48.5 years. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Superior | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.5 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.2 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Superior | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.4% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.4% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.8% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.4% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.3% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.9% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.9% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
Superior tracks Wisconsin closely on all 32 CDC measures. 41% of Superior adults have obesity.
| Superior | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Superior. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Zoo & aquariumGreat Lakes Aquarium
14 mi MuseumLake Superior Railroad Museum
14 mi MuseumDuluth Depot10 mi Zoo & aquariumLake Superior Zoo
10 mi MuseumFairlawn Mansion
14 mi MuseumLake Superior Maritime Visitor CenterGreat Lakes Aquarium: Tmajewski, Public domain · Lake Superior Railroad Museum: User resedabear on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Duluth Depot: Hikki Nagasaki, Public domain · Fairlawn Mansion: Nfarmakes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Superior
About 3 of every 100 Superior residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
45 notable people were born in Superior.
City and county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 census. Superior and nearby Duluth, Minnesota, sit at the western tip of Lake Superior and together form the Twin Ports, a major Great Lakes harbor. Bordered by Saint Louis, Superior, and Allouez bays, the city is framed by two rivers: the Nemadji and the Saint Louis. Superior is at the junction of U.S. Route 2 and U.S. Route 53 immediately north of, and adjacent to, both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior. It is an industrial city, with ship harbors along two sides, several large rail yards, an oil refinery, and a shipyard. Superior and neighboring Duluth…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Superior.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior · Superior | — | — | B | — | C | B− |
| Oliver | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Summit | — | — | B | — | C | B− |
| Parkland | — | — | A | — | C | B |
| Superior | #294 | C+ | B | C | C | B− |
| Oakland | — | — | B− | — | C | B |
Superior, Summit, Parkland and Oakland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Superior, Summit, Parkland and Oakland report no FBI crime data of their own. Oliver isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Superior and Superior are one community, graded once. Compare Superior with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
45 notable people were born here, including Oliver E. Williamson and Jeffrey Williams.
