Scores by category

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

Safety59#6,420/15,637
Economy41#9,176/15,631
Housing82#2,711/14,977
Health40#9,367/15,609
Healthcare82#2,875/15,650
Environment96#552/15,453
Education58#6,558/15,649
Infrastructure22#12,251/15,650
Community93#1,022/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,341/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Rhinelander, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Oneida 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

Restaurants and bars · high27.0 /10k
99/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOneida County value
Hot days · low1 days
97/100Wisconsin 4 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOneida County value
Mammography screening · high58.0%
97/100Wisconsin 53.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOneida County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.2 µg/m³
95/100Wisconsin 7.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOneida County value
Average commute time · low15.9 min
95/100Wisconsin 22.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Voter turnout · high79.1%
94/100Wisconsin 76.3%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionOneida County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high39.2 /100k
1/100Wisconsin 16.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOneida County value
Firearm deaths · high28.8 /100k
3/100Wisconsin 13.4 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOneida County value
Comfortable days · low22.6%
5/100Wisconsin 24.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOneida County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high129 mi
6/100Wisconsin 40 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauOneida County value
Distance to an airport · high111 mi
7/100Wisconsin 37 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauOneida County value
Broadband subscriptions · low84.9%
10/100Wisconsin 90.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

PopulationRising
7,570 (2015-2019) → 8,316 (2020-2024)
+9.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
2.3 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
18.4% (2015-2019) → 5.5% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.9% (2015-2019) → 84.9% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
47.4% (2015-2019) → 40.3% (2020-2024)
−7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$40,822 (2015-2019) → $51,421 (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Rhinelander, Wisconsin improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved2

Broadband+10 points74.9% → 84.9%
Household income+26%$40,822 → $51,421

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Rhinelander, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.4 min2015-2019	15.9 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	54%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.0%2015-2019	22.4%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Broadband subscriptions	74.9%2015-2019	84.9%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	60%
Effective property tax rate	1.82%2015-2019	1.44%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
High school diploma or higher	91.0%2015-2019	94.0%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	66%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4892015-2019	0.4302020-2024	−0.059	Within the margin of error	87%
Median household income	$40,8222015-2019	$51,4212020-2024	+26%	Improved	46%
Poverty rate	14.1%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent as share of income	28.9%2015-2019	25.6%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Rent-burdened households	47.4%2015-2019	40.3%2020-2024	−7.1 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.5%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%

“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 Rhinelander, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rhinelander, 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, Rhinelander, Wisconsin itself moved +8.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

8,316 residents (±26)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39
20–29
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 30–39 women (+3.2 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,316 residents (±26)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

White93%7,710
Black1.1%†91
Hispanic or Latino1.9%†157

Education

5,797 residents (±271)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

No high school diploma6.0%†348
High school or GED28%1,612
Some college29%1,679

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

3,573 households (±233)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k21%760
$25k–50k28%985
$50k–75k20%726
$75k–100k12%†414
$100k–150k11%†393
$150k–200k6.9%†247
$200k or more1.3%†48

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+4.6 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,573 households (±233)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own66%2,342
Rent34%1,231

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,099 households (±223)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $75045%†494
$750–1,00025%†280
$1,000–1,50029%†316

Home values

2,342 homes (±244)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $150k62%1,463
$150k–250k29%687
$250k–400k6.4%†151

Age of homes

4,352 homes (±248)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

2010 or later2.8%†120
2000–20093.4%†149
1980–199923%1,019

Size of homes

4,352 homes (±248)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Studio4.0%†175
1 bedroom12%†505
2 bedrooms37%1,619

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,827 workers (±324)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone73%2,778
Carpool10%†401
Public transit0.0%0
Walk7.6%†291
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.7%†293
Other1.7%†64

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−8.4 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,534 workers (±312)

Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under 15 min76%2,680
15–29 min9.3%†327
30–44 min7.0%†247

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Oneida County, the county holding most of Rhinelander's residents.

Oneida County has 1,387 employer establishments, 364 for every 10,000 residents (1.46× the US rate of 248; 1.49× Wisconsin's), with 13,728 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,782. The Census Bureau also counts 3,182 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,387; 3,182 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 364; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 13,728
Average annual pay: $49,782; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	123	32.2	2.08×More than typical	583	$70,744	326
Restaurants and other eating places	104	27.3	1.48×More than typical	1,072	$22,762	11
Ambulatory health care services	102	26.7	1.28×More than typical	1,266	$89,524	102
Construction of buildings	66	17.3	2.29×More than typical	251	$51,442	194
Full-service restaurants	57	14.9	1.95×More than typical	486	$26,492	7
Building equipment contractors	52	13.6	2.26×More than typical	286	$57,920	41
Lessors of real estate	49	12.8	1.04×About typical	124	$39,121	389
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	48	12.6	10.4×More than typical	186	$16,306	18
Offices of physicians	42	11	1.70×More than typical	602	$120,113	21
Services to buildings and dwellings	40	10.5	1.55×More than typical	155	$35,535	236
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	35	9.2	2.78×More than typical	187	$58,283	21
Automotive repair and maintenance	30	7.9	1.56×More than typical	117	$46,179	49

Rank places for an industry Open Oneida County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 38,156 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 $47.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Rhinelander, Wisconsin: $5.67 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $47.2K; −79% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.67; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 36%; 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

Forest Service$28.6K61%
Department of the Navy$17.8K38%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$4220.9%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$3800.8%

Top recipients

LAKE SHORE SYSTEMS, INC.$17.8K38%
LUMBERJACK RESOURCE CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT INC$7,79617%
ERO RESOURCES CORPORATION$7,28615%
PANACEA CONSTRUCTION GROUP LLC$2,9106.2%
EVEREST FIRE AUTHORITY LLC$2,0064.3%

Spending by fiscal year

46.7KFY2017
165.3KFY2018
64KFY2019
53.2KFY2020
52.9KFY2021
109.4KFY2022
130.6KFY2023
83.9K

Top industries (NAICS)

Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$16.8K36%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$7,79617%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$7,28615%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$4,1558.8%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$2,6575.6%

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 Rhinelander, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

Rhinelander, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Oneida County, WI ($2.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.8% of that total.

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

See federal money in Oneida 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.

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

House

Thomas P. TiffanyR-WI-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 10.4%

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.

Oneida County94100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Oneida 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/5567200

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends