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Vilas vs Ackley Next-door neighbors in Langlade County. The biggest differences: conserved land (+45.9 pts in Ackley) and median age (16 yrs in Vilas).
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Vilas, WI A small town of 192 Langlade County · 192 people
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Ackley, WI An outdoors town Langlade County · 459 people
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.
Vilas A small town of 192
Quiet strengths Vilas doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Vilas →
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.
★ What stands out · Monthly cost A typical home costs $160 more a month in Vilas 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.
Down payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Vilas $1,250 /mo
Typical home $200K (Census) · tax rate 1.23% · Housing →
Ackley $1,090 /mo
Typical home $177K (Census) · tax rate 1.12% · or rent about $938/mo · Housing →
The difference: $160 a month , about $1,900 a year , between Vilas and Ackley.
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.
Where they are Vilas and Ackley share a border And the people who already live in one and work in the other.
Vilas ↔ Ackley 5.3 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
Growing season (days) — 139d Outdoors & history
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.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
192 Lowest 459 Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census
— -10.9% WI: +3.6%
Median age
57.1 ±5 Highest 42% above WI 41.1 ±9.8 Lowest about the WI average
Kids under 18
17.2% ±8.6 Lowest WI: 21.4% 22.9% ±6.7 Highest WI: 21.4%
Age 65+
31.3% ±3.9 Highest WI: 18.5% 17.4% ±6.4 Lowest WI: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
12.4% Lowest WI: 33.4% 20.6% Highest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
1% ±5.3 Lowest WI: 5.8% 1.1% ±1 Highest WI: 5.8%
Household incomemedian
$65,417 ±$23k Lowest 16% below WI $80,000 ±$13k Highest 3% above WI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
$200,000 ±$28k Highest 25% below WI $176,800 ±$17k Lowest 34% below WI
Rentmedian gross, monthly
— $938 ±$66 14% below WI
Property taxmedian, yearly
$2,466 Highest 35% below WI $1,983 Lowest 48% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
— 12% ±57.6 WI: 43.7%
Below poverty line
7.8% Highest WI: 10.6% 0.7% Lowest WI: 10.6%
Homeownersof occupied homes
94.5% Highest WI: 67.8% 79.2% Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year
1973 Highest 2 yrs older than WI 1963 Lowest 12 yrs older than WI
Average commuteone way
26 min Highest 17% above WI 17 min Lowest 25% below WI
Work from home
11.6% ±11.2 Highest WI: 13.1% 6.1% ±3.6 Lowest WI: 13.1%
Work in townworking residents
0.8% Lowest 1.4% Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
22.3 mi Highest 20.3 mi Lowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.10 Lowest 0.26 Highest
Top workplaceoutside town
Antigo (26%) Antigo (35%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
2% work in Ackley Few work in Vilas
Conserved landshare of the town
5.9% Lowest 51.8% Highest
Trailsmapped miles
23.8 mi Lowest 53.5 mi Highest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.7 mi Lowest 0.8 mi Highest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
1 Lowest 3 Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
0.6 Highest 0.5 Lowest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 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.
Vilas or Ackley: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Vilas? → Moving to Vilas: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Vilas’s Town Square.
Ackley or Vilas: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Ackley? → Moving to Ackley: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Ackley’s Town Square.
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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