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.
Place dossier plate
SheetWI-CAMBRIDGE-WI · Cambridge, WI 1,507 pop · income 73rd pct
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 Cambridge
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Cambridge on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Susitna North · lowest
42,614
Susitna North · lowest
42,614 median HH income
45.6% of the leader · rank #1
Cambridge · this city
93,424
Cambridge · this city
93,424 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #2
North Richlan… · near
93,434
North Richlan… · near
93,434 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #3
New Gretna · highest
93,438
New Gretna · highest
93,438 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #4
Millerville · near
93,438
Millerville · near
93,438 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #5
Lockeford · near
93,438
Lockeford · near
93,438 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
Advance · near
93,438
Advance · near
93,438 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Cambridge 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: 1,507.
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Cambridge lands in the 73rd percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
73rd
percentile, household income
62nd
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: Cambridge, WI
Wisconsin's Cambridge is a small town, with 1,507 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Cambridge brings in $93,424 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.2%. Home values in Cambridge run a median of $280,000, and the median resident age is 44.4 years. Educational attainment runs 39.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 70.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 2 residential building permits were authorized in Cambridge (Construction Slowdown), down 33% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data.
Living costs in Wisconsin run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Wisconsin scores 94.1 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,097 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Wisconsin run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 59.1 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Cambridge'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Cambridge, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates; 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 Cambridge?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 80.8%. 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. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Which cities make useful reference points for Cambridge?
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 Eagle River (1,508 residents, $52,027 income); Fall Creek (1,502 residents, $82,250 income); Shell Lake (1,513 residents, $56,875 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Bellefonte, DE (1,507 residents); Astor, FL (1,507 residents); Malta, IL (1,507 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.
How far does income reach against housing in Cambridge?
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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What does the education layer cover for Cambridge?
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 39.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Cambridge growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +32 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 2 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.
2020 estimate
1,647
2025 estimate
1,679
Period change
+1.9%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 7.2% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average
B-
City profile score · Cambridge, WI
66/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share B
39.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B
$93,424
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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.
Poverty rate C-
7.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Cambridge profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 74/100 (B) · 39.5%
Household income: 73/100 (B) · $93,424
Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
Poverty rate: 51/100 (C-) · 7.2%
How does Cambridge compare to other US cities?
Here's how Cambridge stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income73% higher than other cities
Home value62% pricier than other cities
Median rent29% 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities
Among the 761 Wisconsin cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Cambridge ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Cambridge only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#113 of 753
85th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#137 of 754
82nd percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#284 of 761
62nd percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#110 of 761
86th 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.
Gauge source note
73rd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Cambridge's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$280,00038th percentilemore affordable than 38% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Cambridge's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,676 of 15,516
More affordable than 57% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,655 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.0×, Cambridge sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,676 of 15,516 and #5,655 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
$93,424Cambridge, WI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Cambridge, 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 Cambridge, WI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)39.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)70.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,507
Median Income
$93,424
Median Home Value
$280,000
Median Age
44.4
Poverty Rate
7.2%
Labor force participation
70.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
39.5%
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Cambridge's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,647 residents
2021
1,681 residents
2022
1,664 residents
2023
1,681 residents
2024
1,692 residents
2025
1,679 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
2
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
3
1
2
$0.7M
2020
15
15
0
$3.3M
2021
27
27
0
$6.0M
2022
2
0
2
$0.6M
2023
10
8
2
$4.7M
2024
2
2
0
$0.7M
Permit volume decreased 33% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
80.8%
Carpool
6.5%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
2.5%
Work from Home
9.8%
Based on 826 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 Cambridge. 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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Cambridge 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.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, 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.