Three LakesWI
Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Is Three Lakes a good place to live?
Three Lakes’ best subject grade is an A− for schools; its weakest is a D for walkability. 39% of residents are 65 or older in Three Lakes, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. Among 363 Wisconsin towns, just 2 have a higher median age than Three Lakes. 21% of the land in Three Lakes is conserved, above both Wisconsin’s towns (3.8%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Thunder Lake Wildlife Area, at 3,202 acres. Three Lakes has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Three Lakes stand out
Where Three Lakes beats most towns.
Three Lakes has grown 15% since 2010
2,131 counted in 2010 and 2,413 in 2020; an estimated 2,444 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Three Lakes grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Three Lakes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Three Lakes: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Three Lakes, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Three Lakes.
Older than Wisconsin overall
People 65 and older are 39% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (22% statewide). 16% of residents are under 18 in Three Lakes. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.3 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 62% are men (WI 43%).
| Three Lakes | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.8% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 27.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.3% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.5% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.9% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.3% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,400, single groups can be off by several points
Public schools in Three Lakes beat 79% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Three Lakes School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Lakes ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 160 | A− |
| Three Lakes HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 156 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Most of Three Lakes’ workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Three Lakes’ median household income is $70,000. The top destinations are Rhinelander (14%), Eagle River (11%) and Lincoln (4%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Three Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.8% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical Three Lakes home is worth about $441K
The typical Three Lakes home is worth about $441,000, up 5.4% in a year, 31% above the Wisconsin typical home. 89% of Three Lakes households own their home.
| Three Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $828 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Conserved land covers 21.3% of Three Lakes
9.6 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The trail density in Three Lakes is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Thunder Lake Wildlife Area | — | 3,202 |
| 2. Rice Lake State Natural Area | — | 1,115 |
| 3. Tara Lila LLC Sundstein Road Unit | — | 565 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Three Lakes stands out in Wisconsin and nationally, with a typical July afternoon cooler than most
Only 8 of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower July high than Three Lakes. Three Lakes has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A larger share of adults had a checkup this year in Three Lakes than in most of Wisconsin or the rest of the country
Among 358 Wisconsin towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Three Lakes. Three Lakes beats the Wisconsin average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. Among 358 Wisconsin towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Three Lakes.
| Three Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 78% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Three Lakes | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.5% | 9.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Crime reported in Three Lakes
Three Lakes's reported crime rate is well below Wisconsin's. Only 5 of the 185 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Three Lakes. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2024.
| Three Lakes | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.7 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Moderate risk in Three Lakes, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Three Lakes
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Three Lakes; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Three Lakes residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
84% of working residents leave Three Lakes for work
Where Three Lakes’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Three Lakes
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Three Lakes is a town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,413 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of Three Lakes is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Clearwater Lake is also located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 100 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,657 ft
- ZIP code
- 54562
Three Lakes’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Three Lakes.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Lakes | — | — | B | — | A− | B |
| Sugar Camp | — | — | B | — | A− | B− |
| Hiles | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Washington | — | — | B | — | B− | B− |
| Piehl | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lincoln | #240 | B− | B− | — | B− | B− |
| Stella | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Three Lakes, Sugar Camp and Washington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Three Lakes, Sugar Camp, Washington and Lincoln report no FBI crime data of their own. Hiles, Piehl and Stella aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Three Lakes with a neighbor →
Questions about Three Lakes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Three Lakes, WI a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Is Three Lakes, WI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.