Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Two Rivers gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $228K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Manitowoc area’s $69K median household income. It grades B overall, 221st of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 87% of the state's. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. On history, just 24 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Two Rivers’ trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile, above both Wisconsin’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is Woodland Dunes Nature Center, 330 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
Where Two Rivers beats most towns.
Frenchside Fishing Village
Census counts: 1,337 in 1860, 11,271 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Two Rivers is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Two Rivers, 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 Two Rivers.
Two Rivers has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Van der Brohe Arboretum | 2.7 mi | 66 |
| 2. Woodland Dunes Nature Center | 1.1 mi | 330 |
| 3. Zander Park | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Two Rivers Public School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Two Rivers High, with 471 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 397 | C− |
| Two Rivers HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 471 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
About one in 5 of Two Rivers’s working residents works in town. Two Rivers’ median household income is $57,000, against $88,000 in Wisconsin’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Two Rivers has added 463 jobs, to 3,240 in 2023.
| Two Rivers | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two Rivers’ median rent is $780 a month. The typical Two Rivers home is worth about $228,000, up 4.1% in a year, 32% below the Wisconsin typical home.
| Two Rivers | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $780 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Two Rivers.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The property crime rate in Two Rivers is 3 per 1,000 residents.
| Two Rivers | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Two Rivers weather station records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.9°, cooler than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 13.3°.
Two Rivers has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 46 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Two Rivers | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 13°F | 11°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,094 U.S. towns with household incomes like Two Rivers’s, it is healthier than 71%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Two Rivers beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Two Rivers.
| Two Rivers | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Two Rivers | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.4% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Two Rivers. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaLambeau Field
6 mi MuseumUSS Cobia
12 mi Ancient siteRouse Simmons
34 mi Stadium & arenaResch Center
32 mi MuseumNational Railroad Museum
33 mi Theme parkBay Beach Amusement ParkLambeau Field: JL1Row, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Cobia: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Rouse Simmons: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Resch Center: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · National Railroad Museum: Dual Freq, CC BY 3.0 · Bay Beach Amusement Park: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Two Rivers; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Two Rivers residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
5 places in Two Rivers on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Two Rivers.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,271 at the 2020 census. It claims to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae (though other cities, such as Ithaca, New York, make the same claim). The city's advertising slogan is "Catch our friendly waves" as it is located along Lake Michigan.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Two Rivers.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Rivers | #221 | B | A | B+ | D | C+ |
| Two Rivers | — | — | B− | — | D | B− |
| Manitowoc | — | — | B− | — | C− | C+ |
| Manitowoc | #261 | B− | A− | B− | C− | C+ |
Two Rivers and Manitowoc have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Two Rivers and Manitowoc report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Two Rivers with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Two Rivers grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #221 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C+ for health, B+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
11 notable people were born here, including Lydia Clarke and Thomas J. Walsh.
