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Forest
Wisconsin

Population

$56K

Median Income

$229K

Median Home

R+26

Politics

Economy

Median Household Income$56K

This county

national avg ~$75K

Poverty Rate13.9%

This county

national avg ~11.5%

Unemployment Rate4.7%

This county

national avg ~3.8%

GDP per Capita$44,111

Federal Spending per Capita$3,793

Median Individual Earnings$39K

This county

national avg $45K

Professional/Management Workers31.1%

Average Adjusted Gross Income$66K

Avg Credit Score687

Work From Home %6.5%

This county

national avg 17.0%

Population Under 1819.4%

This county

national avg 22.0%

Single-Person Households28.9%

This county

national avg 28.0%

Banks & Finance Firms7

Income (20th Percentile)$24K

Income (80th Percentile)$101K

Income (95th Percentile)$183K

Bachelor's Degree or Higher19.4%

This county

national avg 35.0%

Less Than High School9.7%

This county

national avg 11.0%

Knowledge Economy GDP %2.9%

Dependency Ratio1.13

Medicare Spending / Person$3,836

SS Benefits / Person$5,499

Education Wage Premium2.01x

Median Earnings (Bachelor's)$49K

Median Earnings (Graduate)$63K

Median Earnings (HS Diploma)$31K

Public Assistance Recipients3.6%

Average Annual Wage$46K

Professional Services Concentration0.23x national

This county

1.0 = national average share

Housing

Median Home Value$215K

This county

$285K state avg

$303K national

Market Rent (ZORI)$593/mo

This county

$1200/mo state avg

$1400/mo national

Property Tax Rate1.23%

This county

1.51% state avg

1.10% national

Annual tax on median home: $1,968

Affordability & Supply

HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR)$973/mo

Home Price Change (1 yr)+27.3%

Home Value to Income Ratio2.4x income

Severely Cost-Burdened Households9.3%

Homeownership Rate81.3%

This county

national avg ~65%

Market Activity

Listings with Price Cuts— Low — market moving fast

9.9%

Active Listings

New Listings / Month

Source: Zillow Research · Updated monthly

Days on Market (Redfin)— Slow — buyers have leverage

62 days

Months of Supply (Redfin)— High inventory — buyers market

6.3 mo

Sold Above List (Redfin)

25.0%

Sale-to-List Ratio (Redfin)— Buyers market — homes selling below list

98.3%

Source: Redfin · Updated monthly

Health

Life Expectancy72.9 yrs

This county

national avg ~78.5 years

Food Insecurity10.5%

This county

national avg ~11%

Food Environment Index7.3 / 10

This county

higher = better access

Primary Care Shortage Score17

This county

national avg 5

Mental Health Shortage Score15

Dental Care Shortage Score22

Healthcare Shortage Score18.0

Healthcare Offices11

Obesity Rate (BRFSS)45.8%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Smoking Rate (BRFSS)20.6%

This county

national avg 14.0%

Poor Health Rate (BRFSS)22.3%

This county

national avg 18.0%

Physical Inactivity (BRFSS)32.4%

This county

national avg 24.0%

High Blood Pressure (BRFSS)33.9%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Active Physicians4

Nursing Home Rating4.0 / 5

This county

national avg ~3 stars

ER Visits per 1,000 Medicare Patients497 / 1,000

Medicare Cost per Beneficiary$10,083

Uninsured (under 65)7.9%

This county

national avg ~10%

Adults with Depression27.6%

Education

Math Test Scores2.87 grade level

Reading Test Scores2.83 grade level

HS Diploma Holders2,267

Bachelor's Degree Holders736

HS Completion Rate90.3%

This county

national avg ~85%

Safety

Violent Crime Rate4.0 / 1,000

This county

national avg ~4.0

Drug Overdose Rate44.1 / 100K

This county

national avg ~21/100K

Traffic Fatalities2

Social Vulnerability (CDC SVI)38th pct

Drug Overdose Deaths (2024)-999.0 / 100K

Climate & Air Quality

Natural Amenity Scale-2.6

January Sunshine-1.19

January Temperature-1.78

Average Temp41°F

Avg High Temp52°F

Avg Low Temp30°F

Median AQIAQI 42

Good Air Days252 days/yr

Unhealthy Air Days12 days/yr

Annual Precipitation31.4 in/yr

Avg Storm Events3.0 storms/yr

Avg Annual Storm Damage$0K

Ozone Days203 days/yr

This county

national avg 50 days/yr

Drought Index (2022)-0.01

Heating Degree Days9,057 HDD/yr

This county

national avg ~4,500 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days215 CDD/yr

This county

national avg ~1,200 CDD/yr

Heating Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)9,727 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)174 CDD/yr

Avg Tornadoes / Year0.2

Avg Flood Events / Year0.0

Avg Hail Events / Year1.6

Avg Hurricane Events / Year0.00

Avg Wildfire Events / Year0.0

Avg Winter Storms / Year0.0

Avg Heat Events / Year0.0

Natural Hazard Risk (FEMA)3 / 100

Community Resilience (FEMA)44 / 100

Federal Disaster Declarations7 since 1953

Fine Particulate Pollution (PM2.5)5.7 µg/m³

This county

EPA standard 9 µg/m³

Outdoor & Recreation

Historic Places (NRHP)10 properties

FAA-Registered Airports2 total

Airports (excl. heliports)2 airports

Internet & Remote Work

Download Speed87 Mbps

This county

national avg ~120 Mbps

Upload Speed22 Mbps

Fixed Internet (Q1 2026)263 Mbps

Mobile Internet (Q1 2026)257 Mbps

Mobile Upload (Q1 2026)31 Mbps

Mobile Latency (Q1 2026)42 ms

Households with 100Mbps+68.3%

This county

national avg 75.0%

Cellular-Only Internet13.3%

This county

national avg 8.0%

Fixed Upload Speed (Q1 2026)91 Mbps

EV Infrastructure

EV Charging Stations1 stations

DC Fast Chargers4 chargers

Level 2 EV Chargers0

Commute & Transit

Remote Workers244 workers

Public Transit Commuters22 workers

Walk to Work137 workers

Extreme Commutes (90+ min)105 workers

Bike Commuters0.4%

Walk to Work3.7%

Families & Childcare

Childcare Cost Burden25.6%

This county

national median ~27% of household income

Childcare Centers9.6 per 10K residents

Civic & Community

Voter Turnout70.4%

This county

national avg ~55%

Volunteering Rate1.0%

Income Inequality (Gini)4.238

Nonprofit Organizations58

Veterans Share8.4%

This county

national avg 7.0%

Married Adults53.8%

Never-Married Adults25.6%

Divorced Adults14.0%

Religious Organizations9

Asian Population0.5%

Native American Population12.6%

Membership Associations9.7 per 10K residents

Lifestyle & Services

Full-Service Restaurants1.56 per 1K residents

Hotels & Lodging6

Recreation Businesses3

Professional Services Firms9

Real Estate Firms8

Debt Burden

Avg Mortgage Balance$66K

Avg Student Loan Balance$7K

Avg Credit Card Balance$5K

Loan Delinquency Rate41.0%

This county

national avg 4.0%

Innovation

Inventor Rate0.27%

Politics

R+26

2024 Presidential · Wisconsin was R+1 statewide

vs Wisconsin State

Income tax

7.65%Same (state law)

Property tax

1.23%1.51% state avg

Politics

R+26R+1

COL Index

County data93 (state)

Population & Migration

Net Domestic Migration 2023

↑ +54

More people arriving than leaving

IRS Wealth Migration

Lower-income migration pattern (IRS: 0.93x avg income)

Economic Mobility

46%

chance a low-income child reaches the middle class

Source: Opportunity Insights

Real Estate

Find Homes in Forest County

Median home value: $229K

View on Zillow →View on Realtor.com →

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Local News — Forest

Wisconsin DNR Forestry News · 1 day ago

Month: September 2026

By Carter Hellenbrand, DNR Invasive Plant Field Specialist, Fitchburg; Carter.Hellenbrand@Wisconsin.…

Legacy | Obituary · 11 hours ago

Shirley Wolter Obituary (1937 - 2026) - De Forest, WI - Madison.com

Shirley WolterJuly 12, 1937 - August 28, 2026DEFOREST - Shirley M. Wolter, age 89, passed away peace…

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (.gov) · 3 weeks ago

Stress Less! An Introduction to Forest Therapy

Forest therapy, sometimes called forest bathing, is a modern term for an ancient approach to improvi…

Urban Milwaukee · 2 weeks ago

State Will Spend $905,000 to Help Conserve 1,250 Acres in North Woods

A bike trail north of Forest Lake. Around 481 acres near Forest Lake and 771 acres near Emil Lake ma…

WUWM · 1 week ago

One Wisconsin artist’s quest to draw migratory birds at a life-size scale | WUWM 89.7 FM

Rebecca Jabs is a science illustrator and ARTservancy resident drawing, painting and printmaking mig…

Vilas County News-Review · 1 month ago

Forest-bathing trail opens at Tara Lila, first of its kind in Wisconsin

Wisconsin's first certified forest-bathing trail is opening this month at the Section 9 unit of Tara…

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Data: Census ACS, BLS, Zillow, USDA Natural Amenities, OpenElections 2024, CMS, NCES. Vintage 2022–2025. News via Google News.

ForestWisconsin

Forest
Wisconsin