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Place dossier plate
SheetWI-LAKE-DELTON-WI · Lake Delton, WI 3,522 pop · income 10th 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 Lake Delton
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Lake Delton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mahanoy City · lowest
38,047
Mahanoy City · lowest
38,047 median HH income
22.6% of the leader · rank #1
Portola · near
42,385
Portola · near
42,385 median HH income
25.1% of the leader · rank #2
Lake Delton · this city
42,386
Lake Delton · this city
42,386 median HH income
25.1% of the leader · rank #3
Borup · near
42,386
Borup · near
42,386 median HH income
25.1% of the leader · rank #4
Sheldon · near
42,386
Sheldon · near
42,386 median HH income
25.1% of the leader · rank #5
Marlinton · near
42,386
Marlinton · near
42,386 median HH income
25.1% of the leader · rank #6
Merton · highest
168,661
Merton · highest
168,661 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 Lake Delton 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: 3,522.
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Lake Delton lands in the 10th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
10th
percentile, household income
25th
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: Lake Delton, WI
Lake Delton is a small town in Wisconsin, home to 3,522 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $42,386 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 5.9%. Home values in Lake Delton run a median of $144,100, and the median resident age is 40.2 years. Educational attainment runs 16.9% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 73.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 13 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 63% from five years earlier.
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. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,097 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $225 across Wisconsin, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 59.1 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Lake Delton'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 population change to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Lake Delton, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history.
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
Is Lake Delton growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -57 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 13 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 downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Which cities make useful reference points for Lake Delton?
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 Black River Falls (3,514 residents, $57,712 income); Waterloo (3,542 residents, $78,103 income); Sauk City (3,500 residents, $82,813 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Fairview CDP (Westchester County), NY (3,522 residents); Nowata, OK (3,522 residents); Mahanoy City, PA (3,522 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Lake Delton?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.4%. 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.
What does the education layer cover for Lake Delton?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 16.9% 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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Lake Delton?
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 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.4×
Home value
$144,100
Household income
$42,386
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average
D
City profile score · Lake Delton, WI
40/100
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.
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+
5.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
16.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$42,386
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Lake Delton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
Poverty rate: 60/100 (C+) · 5.9%
Bachelor's+ share: 25/100 (F) · 16.9%
Household income: 10/100 (F) · $42,386
How does Lake Delton compare to other US cities?
Where Lake Delton sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income10% higher than other cities
Home value25% 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 Lake Delton 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 Lake Delton near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities
Among the 761 Wisconsin cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Lake Delton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Lake Delton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#709 of 753
6th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#536 of 754
29th percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#355 of 761
53rd percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#478 of 761
37th 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
10th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Lake Delton's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$144,100Among the most affordablemore affordable than 75% 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
Lake Delton's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,572 of 15,516
More affordable than 45% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,959 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.4×, Lake Delton sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,572 of 15,516 and #6,959 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$42,386Lake Delton, WI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Lake Delton, 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 Lake Delton, WI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)16.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)73.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
3,522
Median Income
$42,386
Median Home Value
$144,100
Median Age
40.2
Poverty Rate
5.9%
Labor force participation
73.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
16.9%
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Lake Delton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
3,508 residents
2021
3,490 residents
2022
3,486 residents
2023
3,470 residents
2024
3,475 residents
2025
3,451 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
13
housing units authorized
Single-Family
13
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
8
8
0
$6.3M
2020
10
10
0
$2.5M
2021
16
12
4
$4.4M
2022
115
12
103
$15.5M
2023
8
8
0
$3.8M
2024
13
13
0
$5.0M
Permit volume increased 63% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.4%
Carpool
14.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.6%
Work from Home
6.4%
Other
2.6%
Based on 2,187 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 Lake Delton. 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 Lake Delton 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 Lake Delton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Lake Delton 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.