Scores by category

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

Safety86#2,136/15,637
Economy5#14,827/15,631
Housing54#6,866/14,977
Health36#9,981/15,609
Healthcare39#9,615/15,650
Environment99#142/15,453
Education43#8,901/15,649
Infrastructure19#12,706/15,650
Community87#1,971/15,651
Leisure & amenities89#1,795/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Spooner, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Washburn 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 · high22.2 /10k
99/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashburn County value
Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Wisconsin 3.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWashburn County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.6 µg/m³
98/100Wisconsin 7.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWashburn County value
Voter turnout · high80.5%
96/100Wisconsin 76.3%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWashburn County value
Natural hazard risk · low3.3
96/100Wisconsin 10.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyWashburn County value
Hot days · low2 days
94/100Wisconsin 4 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWashburn County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$900
5/100Wisconsin $1,272United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashburn County value
Flu vaccinations · low29.0%
7/100Wisconsin 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashburn County value
Broadband subscriptions · low84.3%
9/100Wisconsin 90.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Reading scores · low2.70
9/100Wisconsin 3.00United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashburn County value
Unemployment rate · high9.9%
10/100Wisconsin 3.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Median household income · low$44,737
11/100Wisconsin $77,557United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,594 (2015-2019) → 2,278 (2020-2024)
−12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.3% (2015-2019) → 84.3% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
48.2% (2015-2019) → 60.6% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.5× (2015-2019) → 3.7× (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateImproving
35.8% (2015-2019) → 27.2% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Unemployment rateWorsening
4.7% (2015-2019) → 9.9% (2020-2024)
+5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Spooner, Wisconsin improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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

Broadband+19 points65.3% → 84.3%

Declined2

Unemployment+5.2 points4.7% → 9.9%
Inequality+0.0700.414 → 0.484

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Spooner, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.8 min2015-2019	18.0 min2020-2024	−3.9 min	Within the margin of error	85%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.9%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Broadband subscriptions	65.3%2015-2019	84.3%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	35.8%2015-2019	27.2%2020-2024	−8.6 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Effective property tax rate	1.67%2015-2019	1.28%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	83%
High school diploma or higher	87.8%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+1.2×	Within the margin of error	15%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4142015-2019	0.4842020-2024	+0.070	Declined	10%
Median household income	$40,8822015-2019	$44,7372020-2024	+9.4%	Within the margin of error	16%
Poverty rate	22.6%2015-2019	21.6%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent as share of income	29.0%2015-2019	32.9%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Rent-burdened households	48.2%2015-2019	60.6%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Unemployment rate	4.7%2015-2019	9.9%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Declined	3%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.1%2015-2019	9.2%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	33%

“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 Spooner, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Spooner, 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, Spooner, Wisconsin itself moved −7.6 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

2,278 residents (±216)

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: 50–59 women (+4.4 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,278 residents (±216)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

White86%1,953
Black0.0%†1
Hispanic or Latino7.3%†167
Asian1.8%†42
American Indian and Alaska Native0.9%†21
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.1%†94

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+3.5 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,653 residents (±161)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

No high school diploma9.6%†159
High school or GED38%630
Some college19%307
Associate degree11%†179
Bachelor's degree18%302
Graduate degree4.6%†76

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (−8.6 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

1,086 households (±124)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k29%312
$25k–50k25%†269
$50k–75k18%†193
$75k–100k11%†123
$100k–150k10%†114
$150k–200k3.8%†41
$200k or more3.1%†34

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+3.1 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

1,086 households (±124)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own57%617
Rent43%469

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

436 households (±96)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $75049%†213
$750–1,00037%†162
$1,000–1,5006.9%†30

Home values

617 homes (±100)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $150k41%†254
$150k–250k40%247
$250k–400k18%†108

Age of homes

1,168 homes (±152)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

2010 or later1.8%†21
2000–20098.0%†93
1980–199918%†210

Size of homes

1,168 homes (±152)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Studio1.7%†20
1 bedroom12%†138
2 bedrooms34%†394

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

891 workers (±138)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone71%636
Carpool8.0%†71
Public transit0.0%0
Walk4.2%†37
Bike1.2%†11
Work from home15%†136
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.2 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

755 workers (±125)

Spooner, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under 15 min50%381
15–29 min17%†125
30–44 min28%†209

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 Washburn County, the county holding most of Spooner's residents.

Washburn County has 499 employer establishments, 294 for every 10,000 residents (1.18× the US rate of 248; 1.20× Wisconsin's), with 4,261 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,830. The Census Bureau also counts 1,498 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 499; 1,498 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 294; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 4,261
Average annual pay: $43,830; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	46	27.1	1.75×More than typical	100	$52,440	201
Restaurants and other eating places	32	18.8	1.03×About typical	348	$18,902	—
Ambulatory health care services	26	15.3	0.73×Fewer than typical	233	$50,120	37
Lessors of real estate	24	14.1	1.15×About typical	44	$41,545	144
Full-service restaurants	21	12.4	1.61×More than typical	240	$19,438	—
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	19	11.2	9.22×More than typical	96	$15,448	5
Services to buildings and dwellings	19	11.2	1.66×More than typical	23	$44,783	111
Religious organizations	17	10	1.80×More than typical	113	$17,894	—
Building equipment contractors	16	9.4	1.56×More than typical	40	$52,900	34
Landscaping services	15	8.8	2.52×More than typical	23	$41,261	39
Real estate agents and brokers	15	8.8	1.81×More than typical	28	$46,893	31
Truck transportation	14	8.2	1.63×More than typical	131	$53,786	34

Rank places for an industry Open Washburn County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,996 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 $2,973 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Spooner, Wisconsin: $1.31 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2,973; −98% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.31; 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

Forest Service$2,973100%

Top recipients

ERO RESOURCES CORPORATION$2,973100%
R. STRESAU LABORATORY, INC.$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

105.4KFY2017
72.8KFY2018
130.7KFY2019
188.1KFY2020
46.1KFY2021
0FY2022
18.8KFY2023
302.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$2,973100%

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

Spooner, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Washburn County, WI ($591K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.5% of that total.

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

See federal money in Washburn 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.

Spooner, 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.

Washburn County80100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Washburn 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/5575625

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends