Manitowoc, WI

Micro Area Profile

81,406 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Manitowoc, WI micropolitan area.

68out of 100
Area Score
Top 15% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
OpportunityTop 16% of 835 metro and micro areas measured70
Schools587th of 695 metro and micro areas measured22
GrowthTop 38% of 834 metro and micro areas measured57
Housing affordabilityTop 1% of 835 metro and micro areas measured90
Climate768th of 835 metro and micro areas measured54
Physical resilienceTop 1% of 835 metro and micro areas measured96
AccessTop 44% of 835 metro and micro areas measured81
Economic stabilityTop 15% of 835 metro and micro areas measured80
The quick read

Manitowoc ranks in the top 16% of metro and micro areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.2% and median household income of $69,148.

In the public schools here, 35% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 12.7 students for every teacher.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most metro and micro areas measured: rent takes 22% of renter income and the median home is 2.3 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
81,406
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$69,148
Top 43% nationally
Density
138/sq mi
589.3 sq mi of land
Median age
45.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Wisconsin
Nearest major airport
GRB
36 mi · Green Bay/Austin Straubel Intl
Median home value
$186,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.2%, lower than in 86% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment grew 2.0% over the past year, to 41,704 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$2,4332024 ACS 5-Year$69,148Top 43%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$9802024 ACS 5-Year$38,222Top 36%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year9.4%Top 17%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year21.3 minTop 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year22.6%Bottom 39%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year80.6%78th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202641,704Top 49%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+0.4%Top 42%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+2.0%Top 10%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202643,08751st percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year80.2%Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year0.5%65th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.4%Bottom 18%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.2%Top 14%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year7.8%42nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/073.62.1
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.2% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

35% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 37% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 12.7 students for every full-time teacher across 27 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
27
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
12.7
across all schools here
Math proficiency
34.7%
Bottom 5% in Wisconsin
Reading proficiency
37.0%
Bottom 9% in Wisconsin
The 12 largest of 27 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Lincoln HighManitowoc School District1,38514.424%28%
Washington MiddleManitowoc School District56612.625%28%
Wilson MiddleManitowoc School District47811.933%43%
Two Rivers HighTwo Rivers Public School District47112.727%32%
Schultz ElementaryMishicot School District45516.347%42%
Zielanis ElementaryKiel Area School District41213.357%52%
Valders ElementaryValders Area School District41119.657%47%
Clarke MiddleTwo Rivers Public School District3979.727%29%
Kiel HighKiel Area School District37515.017%32%
Franklin ElementaryManitowoc School District35610.818%21%
Jefferson ElementaryManitowoc School District34410.427%24%
Kiel MiddleKiel Area School District33813.557%50%

40.6% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Wisconsin’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,695 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.44% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $973, some 22% above the $797 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $973 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $38,900 a year, about 56% of the median household income here of $69,148.

The typical renter household here spends 22% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $797 a month.

A median home at $186,900 costs 2.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $80,353, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
22.3%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$973
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$797
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$186,900
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Manitowoc’s median household income of $69,148, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year2.3Top 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year77.1%89th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±732024 ACS 5-Year38,08452nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$742Top 14%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,167Top 8%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$973Top 21%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$272024 ACS 5-Year$797Top 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,4252024 ACS 5-Year$186,90038th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$492024 ACS 5-Year$2,69571st percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,2202024 ACS 5-Year$80,353Bottom 47%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year1.44%85th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year22.3%Top 2%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2112024 ACS 5-Year97149th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year2.5%59th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year5.1%18th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±4652024 ACS 5-Year2,89632nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

57/ 100
Top 38% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has been broadly flat since 2020, at 81,513 in 2024.

At 2.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
206
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.5
Bottom 48% nationally
Year over year
+89%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
38.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202482k81k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

4 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 76°F and January a low of 12°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 32.0 inches, including 46.1 inches of snow.

0°20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station TWO RIVERS, 1.0 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals32.0"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals46.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals12°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals76°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals41991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals48°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

96 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and hail, with inland flooding alone responsible for 46% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 99% of measured US metro and micro areas.

HailModerate
Cold waveModerate
Heat waveModerate
TornadoModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, winter weather, strong wind, landslide, coastal flooding, ice storm, earthquake, hurricane, wildfire, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Green Bay/Austin Straubel Intl at 36 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year89.2%Top 43%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle36 miTop 42%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle3Bottom 35%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year8.8%Bottom 47%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Green Bay/Austin Straubel IntlGRB36 mi8,700 ft
Appleton IntlATW47 mi8,003 ft
Wittman RgnlOSH50 mi8,002 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
68
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.