Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,387, settled in 1887. 73% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Tomahawk gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $292K, 4.3 years of the county’s $68K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 295th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 26% of working residents work locally in Tomahawk, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 8%. Among 340 Wisconsin towns, just 1 have a lower median rent than Tomahawk. The biggest park or preserve is Bradley Park, at 113 acres.
Where Tomahawk beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Tomahawk is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,816 in 1890, 3,441 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1929 and 3 maps from 1966 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tomahawk, 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 Tomahawk.
Tomahawk trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has commutes shorter than most of Wisconsin.
33% of Tomahawk adults get no exercise outside work. Tomahawk beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 43% of Tomahawk adults have obesity.
| Tomahawk | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Tomahawk | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.4% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 6.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Tomahawk School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Tomahawk High, with 371 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomahawk ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 512 | B+ |
| Tomahawk HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 371 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
| Tomahawk | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sara Park | 0.5 mi | 50 |
| 2. Bradley Park | 0.4 mi | 113 |
| 3. Washington Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Rhinelander weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 3 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Tomahawk has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Tomahawk’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,531 working residents takes 15.4 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
About one in 4 of Tomahawk’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Tomahawk is 15 minutes. The top destinations are Bradley (8%), Wausau (7%) and Rhinelander (6%).
| Tomahawk | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $292K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
Typical home values rose 7.2% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Tomahawk's reported crime rate is well below Wisconsin's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2024.
| Tomahawk | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 8.1 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Tomahawk since 1981.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Tomahawk; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Tomahawk residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
7 notable people were born in Tomahawk.
City in the United States
Tomahawk is a city in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,441 at the 2020 census. The city is located to the northeast of the Town of Tomahawk and is not contiguous with it.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tomahawk grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #295 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C− for health and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 B+.
7 notable people were born here, including Jay Leggett and Mike Webster.