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Compare towns

Chetek vs Sumner

Next-door neighbors in Barron County. The biggest differences: street grid (3.3× in Chetek) and growth since 2010 (+17.4 pts in Chetek).

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Chetek, WIA small town of 1,670Barron County · 1,670 people
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Sumner, WIA small town of 729Barron County · 729 people
Swap order
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.

ChetekA small town of 1,670
Quiet strengthsChetek doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Chetek →
SumnerA small town of 729
Quiet strengthsSumner doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Sumner →
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.

Street grid3.3×
Chetek has the more walkable street grid
Chetek 4.9Sumner 1.5
Growth since 2010+17.4 pts
Chetek has grown faster since 2010
Chetek +5%Sumner -12.4%
Kids under 18+15.4 pts
Sumner has more kids
Sumner 31.3%Chetek 15.9%
Seasonal homes+30.3 pts
Chetek has more second homes
Chetek 35.4%Sumner 5.1%
Median age14.7 yrs
Chetek skews older
Chetek 54.9Sumner 40.2
Age 65++11.7 pts
Chetek has more people 65 and up
Chetek 31.9%Sumner 20.2%
★ What stands out · Where they are

Chetek and Sumner share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

ChetekSumnerChetekSumner
Chetek ↔ Sumner5.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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.

Chetek$1,940/mo
Typical home $318K (Census) · tax rate 1.04% · or rent about $940/mo · Housing →
Sumner$1,860/mo
Typical home $302K (Census) · tax rate 1.11% · or rent about $1,500/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $900 a year, between Chetek and Sumner.

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.

Health
C+ChetekHealthier than 43% of U.S. towns –SumnerNot graded
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
ChetekSumner
Snow a year53″53″
January low2°F2°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)145d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)43rd28th
Outdoors & history
ChetekSumner
Trails3 mi0 mi
Conserved land1%2%
Archive photos6—
Community
ChetekSumner
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.

ChetekSumner
People
Population 1,670Highest 729Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +5%Highest WI: +3.6% -12.4%Lowest WI: +3.6%
Median age 54.9±3.7Highest 37% above WI 40.2±7.9Lowest about the WI average
Kids under 18 15.9%±3.3Lowest WI: 21.4% 31.3%±4.8Highest WI: 21.4%
Age 65+ 31.9%±4.3Highest WI: 18.5% 20.2%±2.1Lowest WI: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 27.2%Highest WI: 33.4% 17.1%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.3%±0.8Lowest WI: 5.8% 3%±2.4Highest WI: 5.8%
Sumner and Chetek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $95,357±$22kHighest 23% above WI $79,286±$6kLowest about the WI average
Chetek and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $317,600±$37kHighest 19% above WI $302,100±$55kLowest 13% above WI
Chetek and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $940±$577Lowest 14% below WI $1,500±$385Highest 38% above WI
Sumner and Chetek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,305Lowest 13% below WI $3,355Highest 12% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±90.9Lowest WI: 43.7% 64.3%±98.5Highest WI: 43.7%
Sumner and Chetek are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 3.2%Lowest WI: 10.6% 4%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 96.4%Highest WI: 67.8% 94%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 7 yrs newer than WI 1987Highest 12 yrs newer than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest about the WI average 27 minHighest 21% above WI
Work from home 12.9%±4.5Highest WI: 13.1% 6%±3.2Lowest WI: 13.1%
Chetek and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.5%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miHighest 11.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.29Lowest 0.58Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Chetek (15%)Rice Lake (33%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SumnerFew work in Chetek
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1%Lowest 2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 2Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 4.9Highest 1.5Lowest
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.

Chetek neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Chetek’s Town Square.

Sumner neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sumner’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Chetek and Sumner

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Chetek

+ Compare
Chetek2,177 people · $171K homes
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+ Compare
Prairie Lake1,520 people · $280K homes
R
+ Compare
Rusk556 people · $210K homes
D
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Dovre865 people · $201K homes

Towns like Chetek

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+ Compare
Lincoln2,029 people · $305K homes
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Nokomis1,511 people · $278K homes
+ Compare
Cooperstown1,167 people · $268K homes
M
+ Compare
Medina1,256 people · $407K 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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