Census-designated place · Wisconsin
Chief Lake, Wisconsin
Chief Lake, census-designated place, in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. Chief Lake had 582 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 660 (±165). GEOID 5514440.
Residents, 2020 Census
582
Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 660 ±165
Median household income
$70,833
±$5,153 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $77,485
Median home value
$215,000
±$209,055 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $266,500
Median gross rent
$721
±$191 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $1,087
Where is Chief Lake and what county is it in?
Chief Lake is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for counting, with no city government of its own, in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. It covers 21.3 square miles of land, 27 residents per square mile in 2020.
Chief Lake lies partly within the Town of Hayward and reaches into the Town of Bass Lake (Sawyer County) and the Town of Hunter, towns or townships with their own local government (2020 census blocks).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Chief Lake, and is it growing?
The 2020 Census counted 582 residents in Chief Lake, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 660 (±165).
The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; Chief Lake is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.
| Measure | Chief Lake | Sawyer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 660 ±165 | 18,476 | no clear change |
| Households | 272 ±54 | 8,810 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.41 ±0.41 | 2.04 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 556 ±64 | 16,250 | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Chief Lake?
The median resident of Chief Lake is 49.6 years old; 25.6% are under 18 and 24.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 53.2%, then non-Hispanic white residents at 26.4%.
| Measure | Chief Lake | Sawyer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.6 ±9.7 | 52.8 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 25.6% ±9.1 pts | 17.4% | – |
| 65 years and over | 24.2% ±6.8 pts | 28.5% | – |
| Male | 44.2% ±5.4 pts | 51.7% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6.1% ±5.2 pts | 2.4% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 26.4% ±8.3 pts | 76.9% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.3 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.3 pts | 0.6% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 53.2% ±10.5 pts | 12.9% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.3 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 14.4% ±7.6 pts | 6.2% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.3 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.6% ±0.4 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 3.3% ±2.9 pts | 3.5% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 10.4% ±3.9 pts | 8.7% | – |
| With a disability | 18.6% ±7.0 pts | 15.9% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 5.5% ±2.9 pts | 6.5% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 86.1% ±6.8 pts | 93.7% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 25.6% ±8.4 pts | 27.4% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 12.3% ±6.8 pts | 9.7% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 93.9% ±5.2 pts | 89.3% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.9% ±1.5 pts | 2.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Chief Lake earn?
Half of Chief Lake's 272 households earn less than $70,833 a year (±$5,153), against $60,801 in Sawyer County and $77,485 in Wisconsin. In 2015-2019 it was $62,964 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 23.3% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Chief Lake | Sawyer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,833 ±$5,153 | $60,801 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $103,913 ±$35,612 | $81,432 | – |
| Per capita income | $40,648 ±$15,192 | $38,676 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 23.3% ±10.6 pts | 15.6% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 48.8% ±23.3 pts | 20.5% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 26.8% ±10.5 pts | 13.7% | – |
| Households with a computer | 83.5% ±8.4 pts | 92.7% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 82.7% ±8.3 pts | 85.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Chief Lake?
Owners occupy 78.7% of Chief Lake's occupied homes and renters 21.3%. The median renter pays $721 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Chief Lake | Sawyer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $215,000 ±$209,055 | $236,200 | – |
| Median gross rent | $721 ±$191 | $712 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 12.2% ±16.3 pts | 24.8% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,313 ±$1,118 | $1,323 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 78.7% ±9.7 pts | 76.7% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 21.3% ±9.7 pts | 23.3% | – |
| Housing units | 556 ±64 | 16,250 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±10.0 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 4.9% ±6.9 pts | 4.0% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 78.6% ±5.5 pts | 86.5% | – |
| Mobile homes | 14.0% ±5.3 pts | 5.2% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 2.3% ±2.2 pts | 1.5% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 9.7% ±3.2 pts | 7.8% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 7.0% ±3.2 pts | 9.9% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 6.3% ±5.5 pts | 4.3% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Chief Lake work and get to work?
70.0% of Chief Lake's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 19.1 minutes.
| Measure | Chief Lake | Sawyer County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 51.1% ±8.4 pts | 52.6% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 9.4% ±6.8 pts | 6.0% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 70.0% ±15.0 pts | 70.5% | – |
| Carpooled | 11.2% ±11.0 pts | 11.7% | – |
| Public transportation | 1.2% ±2.1 pts | 1.1% | – |
| Walked | 0.0% ±8.6 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Worked from home | 17.6% ±13.1 pts | 12.7% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 19.1 min ±3.8 | 21.7 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Chief Lake?
No census tract lies mostly in Chief Lake; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9400.01Sawyer County | 2,316 | $41,620 |
| Tract 9400.02Sawyer County | 1,156 | $55,313 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Chief Lake) · Census block assignment files
How does Chief Lake compare with other places in Wisconsin?
Chief Lake is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
Chief Lake's figures with every place in Wisconsin (CSV)
Every place in Wisconsin, sortable · Compare Chief Lake with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Chief Lake?
20 of the 57 figures for Chief Lake on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Chief Lake are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.