City profile · Wisconsin · Census ACS 2023

Wind Lake, WI

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

5,028
Residents
$100,306
Median income
$357,500
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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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Wind Lake.

Place dossier plate

Sheet WI-WIND-LAKE-WI · Wind Lake, WI 5,028 pop · income 78th pct

POP-TOWN · INC-HIGH · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-TOWN 5,028
  • INC-HIGH $100,306
  • COL-BELOW 94.1
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-UPPER 78th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Ponce Inlet
  • HOME-MID $357,500
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Ponce Inlet, FL (+ $7 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 Wind Lake

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Wind Lake 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 Wind Lake 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: 5,028.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $100,306. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Wind Lake - the verdict

Nationally, Wind Lake sits in the 78th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

78th
percentile, household income
73rd
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: Wind Lake, WI

Wisconsin's Wind Lake is a small town, with 5,028 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Wind Lake brings in $100,306 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.3%. Home values in Wind Lake run a median of $357,500, and the median resident age is 48.0 years. About 27.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The city is served by 1 public schools according to NCES Common Core of 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). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,097 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Wisconsin's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). 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 Wind Lake'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

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

1. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Wind Lake?

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 Richland Center (5,030 residents, $51,472 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

2. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Wind Lake?

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 3.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

3. Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for Wind Lake?

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. 27.7% 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.

See how the family ranking is built →

Question 4

What does the journey to work look like in Wind Lake?

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.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

5,028 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$100,306 /yr

High income · poverty 3.3% (Low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.1 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average

City profile score · Wind Lake, WI

70/100

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.

Household income B+
$100,306

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

Poverty rate B+
3.3%

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.

Bachelor's+ share C-
27.7%

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).

Wind Lake profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Poverty rate, Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share. Household incomePoverty rateCost of livingBachelor's+ share 70 B
Wind Lake profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 77/100 (B+) · $100,306
  • Poverty rate: 76/100 (B+) · 3.3%
  • Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 54/100 (C-) · 27.7%

How does Wind Lake compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 78% higher than other cities
Home value 73% 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 Wind Lake 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 Wind Lake near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities

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

Median Household Income
#85 of 753
89th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#58 of 754
92nd percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#494 of 761
34th percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#245 of 761
67th 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.

78thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

78th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Wind Lake's home value compares nationally

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

$357,500 27th percentile more affordable than 27% 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%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). This entry sits in this band. $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. Wind Lake $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

Wind Lake's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.6×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,229 of 15,516
More affordable than 41% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#7,417 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 3.6×, Wind Lake sits in the moderate band: national rank #9,229 of 15,516 and #7,417 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

$100,306 Wind Lake, WI median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Wind Lake, WI Wind Lake, WI's median household income ($100,306) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Wind Lake, WI-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Wind Lake, WI median $100,306/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%
Wind Lake, 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 Wind Lake, WI.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 27.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 3.3%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 64.5%

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

Population
5,028
Median Income
$100,306
Median Home Value
$357,500
Median Age
48.0
Poverty Rate
3.3%
Labor force participation
64.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
27.7%

Schools

Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
80.8%
Carpool
7.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.2%
Work from Home
9.6%
Other
1.4%

Based on 2,474 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 Wind Lake. 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 Wind Lake 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 Wind Lake sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

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

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, 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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