City · Oconto County, Wisconsin

Gillett, Wisconsin

Gillett is a city in Oconto County, Wisconsin, part of the Green Bay, WI metro area. It has 1,209 residents. Gillett, Wisconsin has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,795 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wisconsin it ranks #350 of 396 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), time spent in the emergency room (low) and restaurants and bars (high). It ranks worst on adult obesity (high), bachelor's degree or higher (low) and pharmacies (low).

63High

Quality-of-life score: #5,795 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wisconsin: #350 of 396 in WI
Population: 1,209 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 895.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 5529050

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety81#2,981/15,637
Economy34#10,314/15,631
Housing84#2,324/14,977
Health37#9,846/15,609
Healthcare31#10,842/15,650
Environment84#2,425/15,453
Education57#6,797/15,649
Infrastructure24#11,910/15,650
Community88#1,943/15,651
Leisure & amenities56#6,925/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Gillett, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Oconto County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Preventable hospital stays · low887 /100k
100/100Wisconsin 2,596 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOconto County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low92 min
98/100Wisconsin 140 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesOconto County value
Restaurants and bars · high16.7 /10k
96/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOconto County value
Hot days · low2 days
94/100Wisconsin 4 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOconto County value
Voter turnout · high78.9%
94/100Wisconsin 76.3%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionOconto County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Wisconsin 4.3 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOconto County value

Weaknesses

Adult obesity · high44.6%
5/100Wisconsin 39.2%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · low9.4%
6/100Wisconsin 33.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
7/100Wisconsin 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOconto County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.3 /10k
7/100Wisconsin 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyOconto County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high114 mi
8/100Wisconsin 40 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauOconto County value
Suicide rate · high25.1 /100k
8/100Wisconsin 16.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOconto County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
43.1% (2015-2019) → 67.1% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
25.8% (2015-2019) → 36.8% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.4% (2015-2019) → 86.6% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
85.5% (2015-2019) → 92.2% (2020-2024)
+6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$44,881 (2015-2019) → $54,844 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.8× (2015-2019) → 2.2× (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Gillett, Wisconsin improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

High school++6.8 points85.5% → 92.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Gillett, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.8 min2015-2019	25.2 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Within the margin of error	43%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.4%2015-2019	9.4%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Broadband subscriptions	78.4%2015-2019	86.6%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Effective property tax rate	1.98%2015-2019	1.79%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	54%
High school diploma or higher	85.5%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Improved	89%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	59%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3742015-2019	0.3562020-2024	−0.019	Within the margin of error	67%
Median household income	$44,8812015-2019	$54,8442020-2024	+22%	Within the margin of error	38%
Poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent as share of income	25.8%2015-2019	36.8%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Unemployment rate	4.9%2015-2019	5.2%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.5%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	22%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Gillett, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Gillett, Wisconsin in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Gillett, Wisconsin itself moved −6.4 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,209 residents (±186)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

509 households (±84)

Gillett, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k16%†81
$25k–50k32%†162
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

509 households (±84)

Gillett, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own81%411
Rent19%†98

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+18.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

558 workers (±122)

Gillett, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone67%376
Carpool1.4%†8
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Green Bay, WI

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Oconto County, the county holding most of Gillett's residents.

Oconto County has 781 employer establishments, 197 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248; 0.80× Wisconsin's), with 7,246 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,640. The Census Bureau also counts 2,520 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 781; 2,520 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 197; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 7,246
Average annual pay: $44,640; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Oconto County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	80	20.1	1.30×More than typical	383	$56,232	297
Restaurants and other eating places	55	13.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	570	$16,974	8
Ambulatory health care services	44	11.1	0.53×Fewer than typical	305	$50,459	63
Truck transportation	42	10.6	2.09×More than typical	224	$59,254	115
Full-service restaurants	34	8.6	1.11×About typical	352	$17,165	—
Construction of buildings	33	8.3	1.10×About typical	93	$49,204	132
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	31	7.8	2.48×More than typical	194	$52,108	74
Religious organizations	31	7.8	1.41×More than typical	109	$14,422	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	31	7.8	1.16×About typical	105	$33,848	159
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	29	7.3	6.02×More than typical	79	$15,937	26
Building equipment contractors	23	5.8	0.96×About typical	120	$66,392	44
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	5.3	1.05×About typical	60	$51,750	58

Rank places for an industry Open Oconto County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 39,745 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Gillett, Wisconsin: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

5.5FY2017
31.4KFY2022

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Gillett, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

Gillett, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Oconto County, WI ($562.2K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Gillett is mostly in Oconto County.

See federal money in Oconto County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Gillett, Wisconsin is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Tony WiedR-WI-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.2%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Oconto County84100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Green Bay, WI94

Other cities and towns in Oconto County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5529050

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends