City · Pierce County, Wisconsin

River Falls, Wisconsin

River Falls is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area. It has 16,719 residents. River Falls, Wisconsin has a quality-of-life score of 95 out of 100 (very high), ranking #820 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wisconsin it ranks #93 of 396 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent-burdened households (low), hospital quality rating (high) and rent as share of income (low). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), public EV charging ports (low) and pharmacies (low).

95Very high

Quality-of-life score: #820 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wisconsin: #93 of 396 in WI
Population: 16,719 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 2,242.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 5568275

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.

Safety90#1,549/15,637
Economy58#6,512/15,631
Housing88#1,737/14,977
Health75#3,980/15,609
Healthcare62#6,020/15,650
Environment90#1,553/15,453
Education95#817/15,649
Infrastructure80#3,120/15,650
Community87#2,085/15,651
Leisure & amenities71#4,480/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Rent-burdened households · low33.0%
99/100Wisconsin 43.7%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Wisconsin 3.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPierce County value
Rent as share of income · low23.9%
97/100Wisconsin 27.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Time spent in the emergency room · low96 min
97/100Wisconsin 140 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPierce County value
Restaurants and bars · high15.9 /10k
96/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPierce County value
High school diploma or higher · high98.5%
96/100Wisconsin 93.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$945
10/100Wisconsin $1,272United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPierce County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.9 /10k
11/100Wisconsin 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyPierce County value
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
11/100Wisconsin 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPierce County value
Mental health providers · low83 /100k
11/100Wisconsin 282 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePierce County value
New business applications · low9.0 /1k
15/100Wisconsin 12.0 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauPierce County value
Grocery stores · low1.1 /10k
21/100Wisconsin 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPierce County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
15,638 (2015-2019) → 16,719 (2020-2024)
+6.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
46.5% (2015-2019) → 33.0% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.8% (2015-2019) → 93.9% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$59,440 (2015-2019) → $83,627 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
38.9% (2015-2019) → 44.9% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateWorsening
4.7% (2015-2019) → 10.1% (2020-2024)
+5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, River Falls, Wisconsin improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved5

Property tax−0.5 points1.95% → 1.46%
Rent burden−14 points46.5% → 33.0%
Household income+41%$59,440 → $83,627
Bachelor's++6 points38.9% → 44.9%
Broadband+9.1 points84.8% → 93.9%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of River Falls, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.3 min2015-2019	22.0 min2020-2024	+1.7 min	Within the margin of error	29%
Bachelor's degree or higher	38.9%2015-2019	44.9%2020-2024	+6 points	Improved	74%
Broadband subscriptions	84.8%2015-2019	93.9%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Improved	55%
Child poverty rate	4.7%2015-2019	10.1%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Effective property tax rate	1.95%2015-2019	1.46%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	90%
High school diploma or higher	95.0%2015-2019	98.5%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	41%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4172015-2019	0.4082020-2024	−0.009	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$59,4402015-2019	$83,6272020-2024	+41%	Improved	75%
Poverty rate	16.0%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent as share of income	27.9%2015-2019	23.9%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Rent-burdened households	46.5%2015-2019	33.0%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	87%
Unemployment rate	2.1%2015-2019	3.3%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.0%2015-2019	4.4%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	55%

“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 River Falls, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of River Falls, 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, River Falls, Wisconsin itself moved +9.6 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

16,719 residents (±27)

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

5,754 households (±316)

River Falls, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k10%†604
$25k–50k19%1,089
$50k–75k17%982

Homes

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

Owners and renters

5,754 households (±316)

River Falls, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own55%3,170
Rent45%2,584

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

9,587 workers (±480)

River Falls, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone75%7,176
Carpool5.3%†507
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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-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 Pierce County, the county holding most of River Falls's residents.

Pierce County has 788 employer establishments, 183 for every 10,000 residents (0.74× the US rate of 248; 0.75× Wisconsin's), with 7,134 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,331. The Census Bureau also counts 2,962 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 788; 2,962 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 183; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 7,134
Average annual pay: $45,331; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	63	14.6	0.94×About typical	370	$66,454	218
Restaurants and other eating places	54	12.5	0.68×Fewer than typical	712	$18,250	14
Ambulatory health care services	44	10.2	0.49×Fewer than typical	397	$59,154	110
Truck transportation	36	8.4	1.65×More than typical	215	$61,047	77
Full-service restaurants	31	7.2	0.94×About typical	456	$18,090	5
Religious organizations	31	7.2	1.30×More than typical	160	$21,788	—
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	28	6.5	5.36×More than typical	169	$18,787	9
Gasoline stations	24	5.6	1.72×More than typical	275	$22,989	—
Construction of buildings	23	5.3	0.71×Fewer than typical	40	$54,550	113
Lessors of real estate	21	4.9	0.40×Fewer than typical	24	$63,958	276
Services to buildings and dwellings	21	4.9	0.72×Fewer than typical	180	$36,317	164
Offices of other health practitioners	20	4.6	0.76×Fewer than typical	67	$30,612	69

Rank places for an industry Open Pierce County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 43,070 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 $8,985 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in River Falls, Wisconsin: $0.54 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $8,985; +556% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.54; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$8,68197%
Defense Logistics Agency$3033.4%

Top recipients

PURE ENVIRO-MANAGEMENT, LLC$8,68197%
WC BRANHAM INC$3033.4%

Spending by fiscal year

4.1KFY2017
4.6KFY2018
2.4KFY2019
42.1KFY2020
51.9KFY2021
2.5KFY2022
3.4KFY2023
1.8KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$8,68197%
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing · 3363$3033.4%

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 River Falls, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

River Falls, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Pierce County, WI and St. Croix County, WI ($7.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Pierce 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.

River Falls, Wisconsin is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI93

Other cities and towns in Pierce 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/5568275

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends