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Compare towns

Brule vs Oulu

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: conserved land (+54.3 pts in Brule) and household income (+53% in Oulu).

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Brule, WIAn outdoors townDouglas County · 545 people
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Oulu, WIA small town of 477Bayfield County · 477 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BruleAn outdoors town
Outdoors55.1% conserved land14 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves Housing$263K typical home23% below the WI typical home All about Brule →
OuluA small town of 477
Quiet strengthsOulu doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Oulu →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Conserved land+54.3 pts
Brule has more conserved land
Brule 55.1%Oulu 0.8%
Household income+53%
Households in Oulu earn more
Oulu $96,875Brule $63,375
Trails2.8×
Brule has more miles of trail
Brule 13.6 miOulu 4.8 mi
Work from home+14 pts
More people work from home in Brule
Brule 14.9%Oulu 0.9%
Growth since 2010+13.8 pts
Oulu has grown faster since 2010
Oulu +6.3%Brule -7.5%
Jobs per worker+78%
Brule is more of a job hub
Brule 0.32Oulu 0.18
★ What stands out · Where they are

Brule and Oulu share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BruleOuluBruleOulu
Brule ↔ Oulu6.8 miles apart · They share a border
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Brule$1,590/mo
Typical home $263K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $788/mo · Housing →
Oulu$1,560/mo
Typical home $257K (Census) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $842/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BruleOulu
Snow a year74″74″
January low3°F3°F
July high77°F77°F
Growing season (days)132d132d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)15th9th
Outdoors & history
BruleOulu
Trails14 mi5 mi
Conserved land55.1%0.8%
Settled—1904
National Register places—1
Archive photos51
Famous people born here11
Community
BruleOulu
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BruleOulu
People
Population 545Highest 477Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.5%Lowest WI: +3.6% +6.3%Highest WI: +3.6%
Median age 54.1±11.4Lowest 35% above WI 54.4±5.4Highest 35% above WI
Oulu and Brule are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.9%±4.1Highest WI: 21.4% 12.2%±3.8Lowest WI: 21.4%
Brule and Oulu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 28.1%±3.2Highest WI: 18.5% 24.9%±4.5Lowest WI: 18.5%
Brule and Oulu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.5%Highest WI: 33.4% 21.3%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.8%±2.6Lowest WI: 5.8% 6.3%±3.7Highest WI: 5.8%
Oulu and Brule are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $63,375±$22kLowest 18% below WI $96,875±$9kHighest 25% above WI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $227,100±$28kLowest 15% below WI $257,100±$19kHighest 4% below WI
Oulu and Brule are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $788±$56Lowest 28% below WI $842±$80Highest 23% below WI
Oulu and Brule are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,250Lowest 41% below WI $2,509Highest 34% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 10%±44.9Lowest WI: 43.7% 60.9%±62.6Highest WI: 43.7%
Oulu and Brule are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.4% WI: 10.6% 8.4% WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 83.4%Highest WI: 67.8% 79.9%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Highest 5 yrs newer than WI 1970Lowest 5 yrs older than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minLowest 51% above WI 34 minHighest 52% above WI
Work from home 14.9%±5.4Highest WI: 13.1% 0.9%±1.3Lowest WI: 13.1%
Work in townworking residents 3.7%Highest 3.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miLowest 28.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.32Highest 0.18Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Superior (25%)Duluth (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OuluFew work in Brule
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 55.1%Highest 0.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 13.6 miHighest 4.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.2Highest 1.4Lowest
Wisconsin average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Brule neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brule’s Town Square.

Oulu neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oulu’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Brule and Oulu

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Bordering Brule

H
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Hughes555 people · $285K homes
M
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Maple678 people · $201K homes
H
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Highland454 people · $238K homes
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Lake Nebagamon963 people · $285K homes

Towns like Brule

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Franzen514 people · $208K homes
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Freedom462 people · $246K homes
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Mount Pleasant468 people · $297K homes
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Sand Lake654 people · $281K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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