Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wisconsin Rapids gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $227K, 3.3 years of the Wisconsin Rapids area’s $68K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 343rd of 357 in Wisconsin State. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line, and its crime rate is higher than 81% of U.S. towns, with 49 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. 29% of working residents work locally in Wisconsin Rapids, where Wisconsin State’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 83 of Wisconsin State’s 879 towns score lower on hazard risk. Wisconsin Rapids is home to Mid-State Technical College.
Where Wisconsin Rapids beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Mid-State Technical College | 2,254 |
Elizabeth Daly HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin State), ordered by how far Wisconsin Rapids is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,115 in 1870, 18,877 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wisconsin Rapids, 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 Wisconsin Rapids.
Wisconsin Rapids is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has home values climbing faster than Wisconsin State’s and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin State’s.
12 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Wisconsin Rapids’ trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Robinson Park, at 25 acres.
| Wisconsin Rapids | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ben Hansen Park | 0.9 mi | 21 |
| 2. Witter Park | 0.5 mi | 19 |
| 3. Sand Lot Park | 0.3 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Wisconsin Rapids School District. Two of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Rapids Area MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 943 | C− |
| Lincoln HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,337 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
At 36.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 94% of Wisconsin State’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 483 to 379 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Wisconsin Rapids is 17.7 per 1,000 residents. Wisconsin Rapids reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less. The violent crime rate in Wisconsin Rapids is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Wisconsin Rapids | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.7 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Home values rose 47% in five years, to about $227K, against 31% across Wisconsin State.
56% of households own their home in Wisconsin Rapids. Typical home values rose 7.2% in the year to September 2026.
| Wisconsin Rapids | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $888 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,489 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wisconsin Rapids’s, it is healthier than 55%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Wisconsin Rapids beats the Wisconsin State average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 31% of Wisconsin Rapids adults get no exercise outside work.
| Wisconsin Rapids | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Wisconsin Rapids | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.2% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.2% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wisconsin Rapids.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Wisconsin Rapids has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 7° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Wisconsin Rapids’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Wisconsin Rapids fell to 10,095 in 2023, 1,103 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Stevens Point (9%), Plover (6%) and Marshfield (3%).
| Wisconsin Rapids | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wisconsin Rapids
About 4 of every 100 Wisconsin Rapids residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin State.
3 places in Wisconsin Rapids on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Wisconsin Rapids.
6 towns share a border with Wisconsin Rapids.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Rapids | #343 | C− | B+ | C− | C+ | C |
| Grand Rapids | #175 | B+ | B+ | A | C+ | B− |
| Biron | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seneca | — | — | B | — | C+ | C− |
| Port Edwards | — | — | B+ | — | C− | C− |
| Rudolph | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Sigel | — | — | B− | — | C+ | D |
Seneca, Port Edwards, Rudolph and Sigel have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Seneca, Port Edwards, Rudolph and Sigel report no FBI crime data of their own. Biron isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wisconsin Rapids with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wisconsin Rapids grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #343 of 357 in Wisconsin State. It grades C for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income 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+.
11 notable people were born here, including Bonnie Bartlett and James Daly.
