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Centuria vs Lena

222 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (5× in Lena) and typical home built (43 yrs in Lena).

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Centuria, WIA small town of 806Wisconsin · 806 people
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Lena, WIA regional job hubWisconsin · 483 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.

CenturiaA small town of 806
Quiet strengthsCenturia doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Centuria →
LenaA regional job hub
Work742 jobsbased in Lena, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 37%of WI districts All about Lena →
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.

Jobs per worker5×
Lena is more of a job hub
Lena 2.61Centuria 0.52
Typical home built43 yrs
Lena’s homes are older
Centuria 1981Lena 1938
Rent+43%
Rent runs higher in Centuria
Centuria $860Lena $602
Work from home+12.7 pts
More people work from home in Lena
Lena 14.4%Centuria 1.7%
Average commute8 min
Lena has the shorter commute
Centuria 24 minLena 16 min
Property tax bill+26%
Tax bills are bigger in Centuria
Centuria $2,373Lena $1,880
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $170 more a month in Centuria

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.

Centuria$2,090/mo
Typical home $317K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.63% · or rent about $860/mo · Housing →
Lena$1,920/mo
Typical home $306K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.21% · or rent about $602/mo · Housing →

The difference: $170 a month, about $2,100 a year, between Centuria and Lena.

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.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Wisconsin ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–CenturiaNot graded C+LenaBetter than 37% of districts in the state
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
CenturiaLena
Snow a year43″52″
January low3°F9°F
July high82°F81°F
Growing season (days)156d150d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)19th19th
Outdoors & history
CenturiaLena
Settled—1921
National Register places—1
Community
CenturiaLena
Library hours a week32 hrs43 hrs
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.

Where they are

222 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CenturiaWILenaWI
Centuria ↔ Lena222 miles apart
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.

CenturiaLena
People
Population 806Highest 483Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6%Lowest WI: +3.6% -4.8%Highest WI: +3.6%
Median age 42.5±8.2Highest 6% above WI 41.1±8.3Lowest about the WI average
Centuria and Lena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21%±9.8Highest WI: 21.4% 18.2%±5.9Lowest WI: 21.4%
Centuria and Lena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.1%±3.1Lowest WI: 18.5% 23.8%±3.8Highest WI: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.1%Lowest WI: 33.4% 8.8%Highest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1%±1.6Highest WI: 5.8% 0.6%±2.2Lowest WI: 5.8%
Centuria and Lena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $49,821±$37kLowest 36% below WI $56,583±$9kHighest 27% below WI
Lena and Centuria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $145,600±$33kLowest 45% below WI $155,300±$15kHighest 42% below WI
Lena and Centuria are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $860±$149Highest 21% below WI $602±$89Lowest 45% below WI
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,373Highest 37% below WI $1,880Lowest 50% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 48.1%±33.6Highest WI: 43.7% 40.7%±20Lowest WI: 43.7%
Centuria and Lena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 23.2%Highest WI: 10.6% 10.2%Lowest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.3%Highest WI: 67.8% 51.8%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 6 yrs newer than WI 1938Lowest 37 yrs older than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 9% above WI 16 minLowest 27% below WI
Work from home 1.7%±2.4Lowest WI: 13.1% 14.4%±8.6Highest WI: 13.1%
Work in townworking residents 1.4%Lowest 8.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.8 miLowest 28.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.52Lowest 2.61Highest
Top workplaceoutside town St. Croix Falls (13%)Green Bay (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LenaFew work in Centuria
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 31.3Highest 24.5Lowest
Schools
School district —Lena School District
High school in town —Lena High
Students per teacherat that high school — 10.7
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.

Centuria neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Centuria’s Town Square.

Lena neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lena’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Centuria

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Minong678 people · $134K homes
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Almena641 people · $116K homes
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Necedah1,142 people · $128K homes
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Crivitz993 people · $167K 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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