Like all states, Wisconsin has certain places that are going on hard times. These Wisconsin places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Wisconsin.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 144 cities in Wisconsin with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Wisconsin For 2025:
What’s the poorest city in Wisconsin? According to the facts, Platteville is the poorest place in Wisconsin for 2025.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Wisconsin reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Wisconsin
- Cheapest Places To Live In Wisconsin
- Most Dangerous Cities In Wisconsin
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Wisconsin For 2025
1. Platteville
/10
Population: 11,421
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $42,667 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.3% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,887
More on Platteville: Data
Platteville, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Wisconsin thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 11,421 people averages the lowest median household income in Wisconsin and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Whitewater
/10
Population: 15,705
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $49,000 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.2% (highest)
People In Poverty: 4,579
More on Whitewater: Data
The second poorest city in Wisconsin is Whitewater.
The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 42nd highest in the Badger State.
3. Ashland
/10
Population: 7,884
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $49,258 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.1% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,896
More on Ashland: Data
Placing as the third poorest city, Ashland’s median income ranks as the 4th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 24.06% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Badger State.
4. Milwaukee
/10
Population: 569,756
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $51,888 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.3% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 132,753
More on Milwaukee: Data
Milwaukee ranks as the fourth poorest place in Wisconsin.
The town ranks as having the 8th lowest median household income and the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Antigo
/10
Population: 8,058
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $46,791 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.9% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,360
More on Antigo: Data
The fifth poorest city in Wisconsin is Antigo.
The city ranks as having the 2nd lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 14th highest in Wisconsin.
Still not the best news for Antigo.
6. Merrill
/10
Population: 9,224
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 7)
Median Income: $49,947 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.3% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,592
More on Merrill: Data
Merrill ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Badger State.
It ranks as having the 12th highest incidence of poverty and the 53rd highest unemployment rate.
7. La Crosse
/10
Population: 51,791
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 2)
Median Income: $53,803 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.6% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 11,207
More on La Crosse: Data
La Crosse places as the seventh poorest city in Wisconsin.
The city of over 51,791 ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Richland Center
/10
Population: 5,030
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 4)
Median Income: $51,472 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.3% (11th highest)
People In Poverty: 869
More on Richland Center: Data
Richland Center ranks as the eighth poorest city in Wisconsin.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Menomonie
/10
Population: 16,548
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $54,587 (14th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.4% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,036
More on Menomonie: Data
Menomonie couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Wisconsin; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 14th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Menomonie ranks as having the 6th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Wisconsin.
10. Tomah
/10
Population: 9,505
Rank Last Year: 25 (Up 15)
Median Income: $51,185 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.4% (17th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,557
More on Tomah: Data
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Wisconsin is Tomah.
The city of 9,505 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Badger State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Wisconsin for 2025
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2019-2023 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 144 places with more than 5,000 people in Wisconsin, we ranked each place from 1 to 144 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Platteville, crowned the “Poorest Place In Wisconsin For 2025”.
This report has been updated for 2025, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Wisconsin.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Wisconsin For 2025
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Wisconsin, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Wisconsin.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Wisconsin, according to data:
-
Richest: Fox Point
2nd Richest: Verona
3rd Richest: Mequon
For more Wisconsin reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Wisconsin
- Safest Places In Wisconsin
- Worst Places To Live In Wisconsin
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Wisconsin
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Wisconsin
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Platteville | 11,421 | 25.3% | $42,667 | 2,887 |
| 2 | Whitewater | 15,705 | 29.2% | $49,000 | 4,579 |
| 3 | Ashland | 7,884 | 24.1% | $49,258 | 1,896 |
| 4 | Milwaukee | 569,756 | 23.3% | $51,888 | 132,753 |
| 5 | Antigo | 8,058 | 16.9% | $46,791 | 1,360 |
| 6 | Merrill | 9,224 | 17.3% | $49,947 | 1,592 |
| 7 | La Crosse | 51,791 | 21.6% | $53,803 | 11,207 |
| 8 | Richland Center | 5,030 | 17.3% | $51,472 | 869 |
| 9 | Menomonie | 16,548 | 18.4% | $54,587 | 3,036 |
| 10 | Tomah | 9,505 | 16.4% | $51,185 | 1,557 |
| 11 | Racine | 77,155 | 18.0% | $55,705 | 13,918 |
| 12 | Berlin | 5,523 | 17.6% | $55,216 | 970 |
| 13 | Shawano | 9,236 | 17.0% | $56,457 | 1,573 |
| 14 | Prairie du Chien | 5,471 | 14.7% | $52,670 | 804 |
| 15 | Stevens Point | 25,497 | 16.2% | $56,218 | 4,122 |
| 16 | New London | 7,492 | 17.5% | $61,447 | 1,311 |
| 17 | Wisconsin Rapids | 18,756 | 14.4% | $54,116 | 2,700 |
| 18 | Beloit | 36,554 | 16.8% | $59,975 | 6,155 |
| 19 | St. Francis | 9,318 | 15.0% | $58,490 | 1,399 |
| 20 | Rhinelander | 8,248 | 12.8% | $53,561 | 1,056 |
| 21 | Green Bay | 106,585 | 16.5% | $62,546 | 17,607 |
| 22 | Oshkosh | 66,247 | 15.9% | $61,929 | 10,520 |
| 23 | Wausau | 39,893 | 14.4% | $61,877 | 5,752 |
| 24 | Waupaca | 6,314 | 10.7% | $52,586 | 678 |
| 25 | Manitowoc | 34,553 | 13.8% | $62,133 | 4,761 |
| 26 | North Fond du Lac | 5,373 | 13.3% | $61,744 | 716 |
| 27 | Portage | 10,374 | 13.9% | $62,785 | 1,438 |
| 28 | Eau Claire | 69,274 | 14.2% | $65,369 | 9,829 |
| 29 | Fond du Lac | 44,491 | 12.5% | $61,620 | 5,552 |
| 30 | Sparta | 9,921 | 12.0% | $60,517 | 1,192 |
| 31 | Rice Lake | 9,030 | 10.2% | $55,040 | 917 |
| 32 | Marinette | 11,060 | 10.8% | $57,461 | 1,191 |
| 33 | Chippewa Falls | 14,643 | 12.6% | $62,133 | 1,847 |
| 34 | Menasha | 18,130 | 13.7% | $64,392 | 2,480 |
| 35 | Marshfield | 18,718 | 11.0% | $59,294 | 2,057 |
| 36 | Superior | 26,550 | 13.0% | $63,415 | 3,459 |
| 37 | Waupun | 11,244 | 13.7% | $66,931 | 1,542 |
| 38 | Sturgeon Bay | 9,702 | 10.1% | $56,882 | 976 |
| 39 | Ripon | 7,803 | 10.4% | $59,063 | 809 |
| 40 | Sheboygan | 49,812 | 12.2% | $62,953 | 6,062 |
| 41 | Kenosha | 99,147 | 13.8% | $68,532 | 13,632 |
| 42 | River Falls | 16,349 | 17.3% | $78,078 | 2,826 |
| 43 | Cudahy | 17,964 | 11.9% | $66,717 | 2,132 |
| 44 | Madison | 275,568 | 16.2% | $76,983 | 44,697 |
| 45 | Two Rivers | 11,224 | 8.6% | $58,716 | 961 |
| 46 | South Milwaukee | 20,547 | 12.5% | $70,146 | 2,570 |
| 47 | Ashwaubenon | 16,931 | 12.5% | $71,180 | 2,111 |
| 48 | Lake Geneva | 8,443 | 12.7% | $73,199 | 1,070 |
| 49 | Reedsburg | 10,060 | 11.2% | $71,991 | 1,131 |
| 50 | West Allis | 59,588 | 10.5% | $69,685 | 6,274 |
| 51 | Watertown | 22,873 | 9.9% | $68,333 | 2,275 |
| 52 | Pewaukee | 8,240 | 8.4% | $62,380 | 688 |
| 53 | Kimberly | 7,432 | 9.6% | $68,295 | 714 |
| 54 | Plymouth | 8,913 | 8.7% | $67,784 | 772 |
| 55 | Delavan | 8,531 | 9.6% | $71,121 | 820 |
| 56 | Glendale | 13,134 | 11.2% | $77,096 | 1,467 |
| 57 | Janesville | 65,813 | 9.6% | $71,664 | 6,324 |
| 58 | Neenah | 27,409 | 9.8% | $73,880 | 2,686 |
| 59 | Jefferson | 7,722 | 10.3% | $77,095 | 793 |
| 60 | Greenfield | 37,361 | 8.1% | $69,016 | 3,007 |
| 61 | Hartford | 15,761 | 8.9% | $74,252 | 1,399 |
| 62 | Dodgeville | 5,013 | 8.4% | $72,768 | 421 |
| 63 | Altoona | 8,750 | 10.9% | $80,126 | 952 |
| 64 | Burlington | 11,021 | 11.7% | $81,658 | 1,289 |
| 65 | Baraboo | 12,506 | 8.4% | $73,515 | 1,049 |
| 66 | Mayville | 5,169 | 6.9% | $66,453 | 358 |
| 67 | Shorewood | 13,682 | 13.4% | $89,135 | 1,836 |
| 68 | Waukesha | 70,779 | 10.3% | $81,651 | 7,290 |
| 69 | Monroe | 10,568 | 6.9% | $67,621 | 731 |
| 70 | Columbus | 5,493 | 8.0% | $74,957 | 441 |
| 71 | Appleton | 74,873 | 8.5% | $77,450 | 6,349 |
| 72 | Sheboygan Falls | 8,190 | 6.7% | $68,264 | 550 |
| 73 | West Bend | 31,722 | 7.5% | $75,043 | 2,369 |
| 74 | Weston | 15,784 | 7.7% | $75,565 | 1,213 |
| 75 | Plover | 13,713 | 9.6% | $83,139 | 1,313 |
| 76 | Kaukauna | 17,237 | 8.0% | $78,353 | 1,380 |
| 77 | Fort Atkinson | 12,490 | 7.1% | $75,350 | 888 |
| 78 | Beaver Dam | 16,629 | 5.5% | $68,757 | 922 |
| 79 | Rothschild | 5,532 | 9.5% | $87,250 | 527 |
| 80 | Sturtevant | 6,787 | 8.3% | $84,479 | 566 |
| 81 | Lake Hallie | 7,245 | 7.0% | $79,628 | 510 |
| 82 | Elkhorn | 10,259 | 5.4% | $73,052 | 555 |
| 83 | Twin Lakes | 6,351 | 7.9% | $85,800 | 501 |
| 84 | Stoughton | 13,063 | 6.8% | $78,517 | 894 |
| 85 | West Salem | 5,268 | 8.9% | $90,991 | 467 |
| 86 | Middleton | 22,235 | 7.7% | $85,526 | 1,712 |
| 87 | Holmen | 11,027 | 5.6% | $77,083 | 617 |
| 88 | Evansville | 5,771 | 6.4% | $78,841 | 370 |
| 89 | New Richmond | 10,334 | 7.8% | $87,500 | 802 |
| 90 | Fitchburg | 31,566 | 7.5% | $85,420 | 2,354 |
| 91 | Port Washington | 12,569 | 6.9% | $81,582 | 868 |
| 92 | Brown Deer | 12,615 | 8.4% | $91,567 | 1,054 |
| 93 | Hartland | 9,716 | 7.5% | $87,297 | 732 |
| 94 | De Pere | 25,368 | 6.5% | $80,550 | 1,636 |
| 95 | Monona | 8,604 | 7.2% | $87,784 | 622 |
| 96 | Edgerton | 5,924 | 6.0% | $84,185 | 354 |
| 97 | Greendale | 14,656 | 7.9% | $95,015 | 1,154 |
| 98 | Waterford | 5,627 | 5.0% | $80,380 | 283 |
| 99 | Onalaska | 18,909 | 5.9% | $84,898 | 1,113 |
| 100 | Little Chute | 11,930 | 4.3% | $79,260 | 510 |
I live near whitewater friends live in whitewater, there is no place that rents for 700 or less month, average house goes for 1,500 month
I cannot believe that Eau Claire is 32 poorest cities in Wisconsin, I could understand because the City of Eau Claire is the 19 most dangerous city in the state.
What this study does not clearly take into account is college students. I also live in WW and approximately 2/3 of the 14k population is college kids. The actually town is around 5k. That’s why >30% are considered “poverty”. I would assume this is the case for La Crosse and Platteville as well. Not sure how you could wean those out in a study though as they can be considered “residents”