Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waupaca gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $326K, 4.5 years of the county’s $73K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 242nd of 357 in Wisconsin. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 14 places on the National Register. 32% of working residents work locally in Waupaca, above both the Wisconsin town median (8.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 37 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is Swan Park, 79 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
Where Waupaca beats most towns.
Danes Hall
Census counts: 1,392 in 1880, 6,282 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 3 maps from 1969 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Waupaca is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waupaca, 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 Waupaca.
Waupaca draws workers from Farmington and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
5,643 jobs are based in Waupaca, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Waupaca’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Waupaca is $53,000. The top destinations are Farmington (6%), Weyauwega (4%) and Appleton (3%).
| Waupaca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Waupaca School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waupaca Learning Center ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 602 | B− |
| Waupaca Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 186 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4.3 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves.
| Waupaca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Swan Park | 1.2 mi | 79 |
| 2. Nels Rasmussen Park | 0.5 mi | 11 |
| 3. Brainerd Bridge Park | 0.4 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Waupaca has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 8° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (19% statewide). 24% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Waupaca.
| Waupaca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 32% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Waupaca | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.6% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.4% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.1% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 22.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 78% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 96 to 70 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Waupaca’s median rent is $783 a month. Typical home values rose 6.3% in the year to September 2026. 61% of Waupaca households own their home.
| Waupaca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $783 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,700 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waupaca’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Waupaca beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Waupaca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Waupaca | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 30% | 26.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Waupaca; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Waupaca residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Waupaca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 places in Waupaca on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Waupaca ( wə-PAK-ə) is a city in and the county seat of Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the Town of Waupaca, and it is politically independent of the town. A portion extends west into the adjacent Town of Farmington, and there is also a noncontiguous area of the city in the Town of Lind to the south. The city is divided into natural areas, city areas, and industrial areas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Waupaca.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waupaca | #242 | B− | B+ | C+ | B | B− |
| Waupaca | — | — | C | — | B | B− |
| Farmington | #211 | B | B− | — | B | B− |
| King | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chain O' Lakes | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lind | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
Waupaca and Lind have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Waupaca, Farmington and Lind report no FBI crime data of their own. King and Chain O' Lakes aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Waupaca with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waupaca grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #242 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B for schools.
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+.
