City profile · Wisconsin · Census ACS 2023

Bay City, WI

Bay City's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

358
Residents
$60,625
Median income
$118,400
Median home
$1,097
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with Bay City, WI - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Bay City.

Place dossier plate

Sheet WI-BAY-CITY-WI · Bay City, WI 358 pop · income 36th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-MID · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 358
  • INC-MID $60,625
  • COL-BELOW 94.1
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-LOWER 36th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Seba Dalkai
  • HOME-LOW $118,400
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Seba Dalkai, AZ (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Bay City

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Bay City on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Bay City on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 358.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $60,625. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Bay City - the verdict

Bay City ranks in the 36th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

36th
percentile, household income
17th
percentile, home value
29th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Bay City, WI

Bay City is a small town in Wisconsin, home to 358 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Bay City brings in $60,625 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 1.3%. Typical homes in Bay City are valued around $118,400, and the median resident age is 48.0 years. About 11.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 60.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 1 residential building permits were authorized in Bay City (Low Activity), per Census BPS data.

Living costs in Wisconsin run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Wisconsin at 94.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,097 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Wisconsin, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 59.1 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Bay City's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to housing and income to population change to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Bay City, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

What does the journey to work look like in Bay City?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 88.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.

Compare commute patterns →

2. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Bay City?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 1.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 3

Is Bay City growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +5 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.

See the national growth ranking →

4. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Bay City?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Wisconsin, the closest population matches are Dallas (359 residents, $51,500 income); Ephraim (352 residents, $79,479 income); Mission (365 residents, $50,625 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Topawa, AZ (358 residents); Maynard, AR (358 residents); New Blaine, AR (358 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Population

358 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$60,625 /yr

Below median income · poverty 1.3% (Very low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.1 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average

City profile score · Bay City, WI

52/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Poverty rate A+
1.3%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Cost of living B-
94.1 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Household income F
$60,625

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Bachelor's+ share F
11.1%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Bay City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Poverty rate, Cost of living, Household income, Bachelor's+ share. Poverty rateCost of livingHousehold incomeBachelor's+ share 52 C-
Bay City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Poverty rate: 91/100 (A+) · 1.3%
  • Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
  • Household income: 35/100 (F) · $60,625
  • Bachelor's+ share: 9/100 (F) · 11.1%

How does Bay City compare to other US cities?

Where Bay City sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 36% higher than other cities
Home value 17% pricier than other cities
Median rent 29% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Bay City against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Wisconsin only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Wisconsin-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Bay City near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities

Among the 761 Wisconsin cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bay City ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bay City only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#506 of 753
32nd percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#635 of 754
16th percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#632 of 761
16th percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#628 of 761
17th percentile in Wisconsin
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Wisconsin only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

36thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

36th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Bay City's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$118,400 Among the most affordable more affordable than 83% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). This entry sits in this band. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Bay City $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Bay City's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.0×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,483 of 15,516
More affordable than 90% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,422 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.0×, Bay City sits in the affordable band: national rank #1,483 of 15,516 and #1,422 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$60,625 Bay City, WI median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Bay City, WI Bay City, WI's median household income ($60,625) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Bay City, WI-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Bay City, WI median $60,625/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Bay City, WI median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Bay City, WI.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 11.1%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 1.3%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 60.5%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
358
Median Income
$60,625
Median Home Value
$118,400
Median Age
48.0
Poverty Rate
1.3%
Labor force participation
60.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
11.1%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
440 residents445 residents450 residents 202020212022202320242025 442 residents 447 residents ▲ +1.1%
Bay City's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 442 residents
2021 444 residents
2022 445 residents
2023 449 residents
2024 447 residents
2025 447 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.8
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 0
2020 1
2021 0
2022 0
2023 1
2024 1

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
88.8%
Carpool
6.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.1%
Work from Home
3.2%

Based on 188 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Wisconsin statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Wisconsin at $225 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $45 ).

These are Wisconsin statewide averages, not a meter reading for Bay City. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Wisconsin's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.1 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Bay City is $1,097/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Wisconsin statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 59.1 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Wisconsin statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Bay City sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Bay City compares to similar-size Wisconsin cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Bay City (this city) 358 $60,625
Dallas 359 $51,500
Ephraim 352 $79,479
Mission 365 $50,625
Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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