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Sister Bay, Wisconsin

Sister Bay is a tourist town of about 1,200 people in Door County, Wisconsin. Its population has held about steady since 2020. A typical home costs about 5.5 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Milwaukee, is about 152 miles away as the crow flies.

Tourist town

Population
1,177
up 1.5% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$392,200
Door County prices up 32% since 2022
Household income
$71,169
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, rural Wisconsin
89.6
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
26 miles
Marinette, WI
To Milwaukee
152 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 10.4% below the U.S. average in the parts of Wisconsin outside metro areas.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.5 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Sister Bay itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Gibraltar High, about 6 miles away.
  • A hospital close byAurora Medical Center Bay Area in Marinette, about 26 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityMilwaukee is about 152 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Sister Bay meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 1 in 2 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$392,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 32%Door County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,168 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$71,169U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
50%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$4,075 a yearWisconsin: $3,792
Homes built before 1940
5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
26%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
50%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
89.6U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Wisconsin outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 32% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Wisconsin outside metro areas, not Sister Bay alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
1,1772020: 1,160
Median age
61 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Under 18
18%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
51%U.S.: 36%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (24%); retail (17%); schools, health care and social services (14%)
Unemployment rate
1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
13 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
20%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Aurora Medical Center Bay Area, Marinette, WI, about 26 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

There are no public schools inside Sister Bay itself. The nearest public high school is Gibraltar High, about 6 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Wisconsin's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
76%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
87%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
12°F
July average high
80°F
Days 90°F or hotter
1 a year
Nights at or below freezing
155 a year
Rain and melted snow
31 inches a year
Snow
62 inches a year
Elevation
716 feet

Weather station: Ephraim 1NE-WWTP (2 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Aurora Medical Center Bay Area, Green Bay, Milwaukee.

Door County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 6, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore49 miles

Read about Sister Bay's history on Wikipedia.

Know Sister Bay?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Ephraim, WI348 people, 2 miles
  • Ellison Bay, WI (unincorporated)186 people, 5 miles
  • Baileys Harbor, WI (unincorporated)386 people, 8 miles
  • Egg Harbor, WI395 people, 13 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.