Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Mentor vs Avoca

98 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (12.2× in Avoca) and jobs per worker (8× in Mentor).

×
Mentor, WIAn outdoors townClark County · 597 people
×
Avoca, WIA small town of 473Wisconsin · 473 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.

MentorAn outdoors town
Outdoors39.3% conserved land3.8 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves All about Mentor →
AvocaA small town of 473
Quiet strengthsAvoca doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Avoca →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Street grid12.2×
Avoca has the more walkable street grid
Avoca 25.6Mentor 2.1
Jobs per worker8×
Mentor is more of a job hub
Mentor 0.40Avoca 0.05
Conserved land+31.2 pts
Mentor has more conserved land
Mentor 39.3%Avoca 8.1%
Growth since 2010+6.7 pts
Mentor has grown faster since 2010
Mentor -6.5%Avoca -13.2%
★ What stands out · 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.

Mentor$850/mo
Typical home $128K (Census) · tax rate 1.68% · or rent about $1,125/mo · Housing →
Avoca$770/mo
Typical home $115K (Census) · tax rate 1.76% · or rent about $908/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $900 a year, between Mentor and Avoca.

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
MentorAvoca
Snow a year44″40″
January low5°F8°F
July high80°F82°F
Growing season (days)144d154d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th63rd
Outdoors & history
MentorAvoca
Trails4 mi3 mi
Conserved land39.3%8.1%
Archive photos—3
Community
MentorAvoca
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

98 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MentorClark CountyAvocaWI
Mentor ↔ Avoca98 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.

MentorAvoca
People
Population 597Highest 473Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.5%Highest WI: +3.6% -13.2%Lowest WI: +3.6%
Median age 50.1±4.9Highest 25% above WI 45.6±9.6Lowest 13% above WI
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 16.2%±1.8Lowest WI: 21.4% 22.4%±7.3Highest WI: 21.4%
Avoca and Mentor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.7%±2.5Highest WI: 18.5% 15%±4.1Lowest WI: 18.5%
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 4.5%Highest WI: 33.4% 3.7%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.5%±2Highest WI: 5.8% 0.6%±2.3Lowest WI: 5.8%
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,357±$10kHighest 22% below WI $53,750±$15kLowest 31% below WI
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $128,300±$38kHighest 52% below WI $115,400±$24kLowest 57% below WI
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,125±$254Highest 3% above WI $908±$215Lowest 16% below WI
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,158Highest 43% below WI $2,029Lowest 46% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 39.4%±32.9Highest WI: 43.7% 21.6%±44.7Lowest WI: 43.7%
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18.8%Lowest WI: 10.6% 19.5%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 80.9%Highest WI: 67.8% 79.6%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1965Lowest 10 yrs older than WI 1975Highest same as WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minLowest 28% above WI 31 minHighest 41% above WI
Work from home 8.1%±4.7Highest WI: 13.1% 7.2%±4.1Lowest WI: 13.1%
Mentor and Avoca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.5%Highest 0.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.3 miHighest 19.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.40Highest 0.05Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Neillsville (20%)Dodgeville (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AvocaFew work in Mentor
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 39.3%Highest 8.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 3.8 miHighest 2.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 1.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.1Lowest 25.6Highest
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.

Mentor neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mentor’s Town Square.

Avoca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Avoca’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mentor and Avoca

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

Bordering Mentor

C
+ Compare
Cleveland427 people · $196K homes
H
+ Compare
Hewett308 people · $226K homes
A
+ Compare
Alma863 people · $217K homes
F
+ Compare
Foster138 people · $275K homes

Towns like Mentor

V
+ Compare
Vesper496 people · $121K homes
E
+ Compare
Evergreen420 people · $181K homes
R
+ Compare
Rudolph466 people · $181K homes
C
+ Compare
Catawba349 people · $133K 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.

Post to Mentor

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in