Micro area · Wisconsin
Marinette, WI-MI micropolitan area
Marinette, WI-MI is a micropolitan area of 2 counties in Wisconsin, Michigan, home to 65,515 residents. Marinette, WI-MI micropolitan area has a quality-of-life score of 66 out of 100 (high), ranking #314 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Wisconsin it ranks #25 of 26. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), severe housing problems (low) and job growth (high). It ranks worst on distance to an Amtrak station (high), new business applications (low) and suicide rate (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #314 of 925 metro and micro areas
- Wisconsin
- #25 of 26 in WI
- Population
- 65,515 (2025)
- Land area
- 2,444 mi²
- Density
- 26.8 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 31940
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 64 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety51#451/924
- Economy50#460/925
- Housing99#14/925
- Health54#426/925
- Healthcare43#522/923
- Environment63#339/917
- Education47#495/925
- Infrastructure33#617/925
- Community82#171/925
- Leisure & amenities87#118/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Marinette, WI-MI micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Restaurants and bars · high18.2 /10k97/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
- Severe housing problems · low8.7%97/100Wisconsin 12.4%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Job growth · high2.9%
- Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.414
- Rent-burdened households · low37.2%
- Rent as share of income · low24.5%
Weaknesses
- Distance to an Amtrak station · high146 mi7/100Wisconsin 40 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- New business applications · low7.8 /1k
- Suicide rate · high27.5 /100k8/100Wisconsin 16.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Comfortable days · low23.2%11/100Wisconsin 24.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- Distance to an emergency room · high12.6 mi12/100Wisconsin 5.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
- Firearm deaths · high22.4 /100k15/100Wisconsin 13.4 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureWorsening
17% (2021) → 40% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+23 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- New business applicationsImproving
4.9 /1k (2020) → 7.8 /1k (2025)
+59%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- New homes permittedImproving
2.5 /1k (2021) → 3.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+58%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
- Firearm deathsWorsening
14.8 /100k (2021) → 22.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+52%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
- Distance to an airportImproving
160 mi (2020) → 80 mi (2025)
−50%5 yearsUS 33 mi → 33 mi
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.7% (2015-2019) → 86.5% (2020-2024)
+9.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
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.
Metro and micro areas like Marinette, WI-MI micropolitan area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Marinette, WI-MI micropolitan area 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Marinette, WI-MI
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
States
The share of the area's residents living in each state.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
Other metro and micro areas in Wisconsin
Areas based in Wisconsin, best score first.
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI73
- Madison, WI98
- Green Bay, WI94
- Appleton, WI98
- Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI75
- Eau Claire, WI94
- Oshkosh-Neenah, WI95
- La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN95
- Kenosha, WI77
- Janesville-Beloit, WI72
- Wausau, WI95
- Sheboygan, WI92
- Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI83
- Fond du Lac, WI85
- Beaver Dam, WI77
- Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI89
- Manitowoc, WI84
- Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI87
- Stevens Point-Plover, WI97
- Baraboo, WI91
- Platteville, WI74
- Sparta, WI71
- Rice Lake, WI81
- Menomonie, WI91
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Escanaba, MI70Alike on Homeownership, Avg temperature, Frost days
- Iron Mountain, MI-WI86Alike on Restaurants, Homeownership, Median age
- Shawano, WI62Alike on Avg temperature, Frost days, Transit use
- Cadillac, MI39Alike on Homeownership, Avg temperature, Comfortable days
- Rice Lake, WI81Alike on Restaurants, Avg temperature, Frost days
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement