Living in Stevens Point, Wisconsin: homes, schools and costs

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 3.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood32 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.2 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 8.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town11 public schools: 6 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high schools and 1 other.
A hospital close byAspirus Stevens Point Hospital & Clinics, INC. is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMilwaukee is about 128 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 Stevens Point 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

College town. About 1 in 5 residents is a college student, with University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

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: $195,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 27%Portage County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $890 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $58,031U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 51%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,429 a yearWisconsin: $3,792
Homes built before 1940: 25%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%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 27% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Wisconsin outside metro areas, not Stevens Point 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: 26,3772020: 25,696
Median age: 28.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 15%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 38%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 14%U.S.: 6%
College students: 21%share of all residents

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: Schools, health care and social services (24%); manufacturing (15%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (14%)
Unemployment rate: 4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 17 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 12%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 17%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Aspirus Stevens Point Hospital & Clinics, INC., Stevens Point, WI, in town. 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

11 public schools in Stevens Point, run by Stevens Point Area Public School District.

Colleges in or next to town: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (5,000 to 9,999 students).

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: 81%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 94%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: 7°F
July average high: 80°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 4 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 164 a year
Rain and melted snow: 34 inches a year
Snow: 49 inches a year
Elevation: 1,096 feet

Weather station: Stevens Pt (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

Appleton, WICity of 75,00060

Milwaukee, WIMetro of 1.6 million128

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: Appleton, Milwaukee.

Portage County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Clark Street-Main Street Historic District, the Mathias Mitchell Public Square-Main Street Historic District and the Sisters of St. Joseph Complex.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Ice Age National Scenic Trail52 miles

Campus life. Check University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Stevens Point's history on Wikipedia.

Know Stevens Point?

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

Whiting, WI1,600 people, 2 miles
Plover, WI14,300 people, 4 miles
Amherst, WI1,100 people, 14 miles
Lake Wazeecha, WI2,900 people, 14 miles
Wisconsin Rapids, WI18,700 people, 16 miles
Port Edwards, WI1,800 people, 19 miles

Smaller places

Park Ridge, WI545 people, next door
Polonia, WI (unincorporated)776 people, 8 miles
Junction City, WI449 people, 12 miles
Amherst Junction, WI376 people, 12 miles
Nelsonville, WI169 people, 12 miles
Rudolph, WI429 people, 13 miles
Biron, WI860 people, 13 miles
Rosholt, WI465 people, 14 miles

Sources

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.