City profile · Wisconsin · Census ACS 2023

Richland Center, WI

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

5,030
Residents
$51,472
Median income
$137,700
Median home
$1,097
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Richland Center.

Place dossier plate

Sheet WI-RICHLAND-CENTER-WI · Richland Center, WI 5,030 pop · income 22nd pct · 5 tracts

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

  • POP-TOWN 5,030
  • INC-MID $51,472
  • COL-BELOW 94.1
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-LOWER 22nd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Winnsboro
  • HOME-LOW $137,700
  • BOOK-FEW 5 tracts

Nearest income peer: Winnsboro, TX (+ $1 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 Richland Center

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Richland Center 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 Richland Center 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: 5,030.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $51,472. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Richland Center - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Richland Center places in the 22nd percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

22nd
percentile, household income
23rd
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: Richland Center, WI

5,030 people live in Richland Center, Wisconsin - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $51,472 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 9.9%. Home values in Richland Center run a median of $137,700, and the median resident age is 44.2 years. Educational attainment runs 18.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 59.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 3 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 50% from five years earlier.

Living costs in Wisconsin run below the national norm: the state registers 94.1 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. 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. 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 Richland Center'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 within-city variation to population change to schools and households to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

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

1. Within-city variation

What can 5 Census tracts reveal inside Richland Center?

That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.

PlainCities matches 5 Census tracts to this city.

Explore Richland Center's tract profiles →

2. Population change

Is Richland Center growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

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.

Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -172 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 3 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 3

What does the education layer cover for Richland Center?

The NCES join finds 7 public schools within the city match. 18.5% 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.

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.

See how the family ranking is built →

Question 4

Which cities make useful reference points for Richland Center?

Within Wisconsin, the closest population matches are Wind Lake (5,028 residents, $100,306 income); Dodgeville (5,013 residents, $72,768 income); Lake Wisconsin (5,051 residents, $116,053 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Myrtletown, CA (5,028 residents); Manheim, PA (5,028 residents); Vandergrift, PA (5,028 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.

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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

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.

Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Richland Center?

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.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
6.4%
Drive alone
78.2%

City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 2,420 workers age 16+.

Compare commute patterns →

Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Richland Center?

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

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.

Household income
$51,472
Home value
$137,700
Value / income
2.7×

City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

5,030 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$51,472 /yr

Low income · poverty 9.9% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.1 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average

City profile score · Richland Center, 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 D
9.9%

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

Bachelor's+ share F
18.5%

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

Household income F
$51,472

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).

Richland Center profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Household income. Cost of livingPoverty rateBachelor's+ shareHousehold income 40 D
Richland Center profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
  • Poverty rate: 40/100 (D) · 9.9%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 30/100 (F) · 18.5%
  • Household income: 22/100 (F) · $51,472

How does Richland Center compare to other US cities?

Richland Center measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 22% higher than other cities
Home value 23% 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 Richland Center 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 Richland Center near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities

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

Median Household Income
#646 of 753
14th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#561 of 754
26th percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#180 of 761
76th percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#439 of 761
42nd 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.

22ndIncome percentile
Gauge source note

22nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Richland Center's home value compares nationally

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

$137,700 Among the most affordable more affordable than 77% 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%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Richland Center $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

Richland Center's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.7×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#4,898 of 15,516
More affordable than 68% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#4,312 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.7×, Richland Center sits in the affordable band: national rank #4,898 of 15,516 and #4,312 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

$51,472 Richland Center, WI median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Richland Center, WI Richland Center, WI's median household income ($51,472) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Richland Center, WI-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Richland Center, WI median $51,472/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%
Richland Center, 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 Richland Center, WI.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 18.5%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 9.9%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 59.7%

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

Population
5,030
Median Income
$51,472
Median Home Value
$137,700
Median Age
44.2
Poverty Rate
9.9%
Labor force participation
59.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.5%

Schools

Total Schools
7
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

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

See the fastest-growing cities →
5,000 residents5,100 residents5,200 residents5,300 residents 202020212022202320242025 5,192 residents 5,020 residents ▼ -3.3%
Richland Center's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 5,192 residents
2021 5,117 residents
2022 5,093 residents
2023 5,115 residents
2024 5,059 residents
2025 5,020 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

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

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
3
housing units authorized
Single-Family
3
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.6
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 2
2020 0
2021 1
2022 0
2023 3
2024 3

Permit volume increased 50% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
78.2%
Carpool
11.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
3.5%
Work from Home
6.4%

Based on 2,420 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 Richland Center. 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 Richland Center 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 Richland Center sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Richland Center 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
Richland Center (this city) 5,030 $51,472
Wind Lake 5,028 $100,306
Dodgeville 5,013 $72,768
Lake Wisconsin 5,051 $116,053
NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

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.

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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