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Cost of living, pay and housing

46.65° N · 92.11° W · GEOID 5578660

Superior

Douglas County, Wisconsin · part of the Duluth, MN metro

Limited data population under 5,000

WisconsinSuperior, WISuperiorSuperior

The short answer

Superior is home to 653 people. Median household income is $70,694 a year and median rent is $1,270 a month, 21.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $274,200, about 3.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,270
7% below the median place
Median household income
$70,694
12% below the median place
Median home value
$274,200
14% below the median place
Unemployment
3.1%
36% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Superior

  • The median resident is 51.6 years old, older than in 93% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 158 Wisconsin places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $157 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 87% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 158 Wisconsin places.
  • Household income has grown 0.1% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 94% of places its size.
  • Households average 2.03 people, smaller than in 91% of places its size.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 120 hours a year commuting, less than in 87% of places its size.
01

Moving to Superior

Douglas County gains about 0.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,689
Moved out1,681
Net+8

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Bayfield County, WI5677−21
Washburn County, WI33

Within Wisconsin, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within WisconsinOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$58K
Leavers$53K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Douglas County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.1% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.3% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Douglas County report $58,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $52,600, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$50,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,270 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,427 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $274,200.
Getting to work
18 minutes each way on average; 10.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
South Brooksville, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
4.3%
116% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$52,613
25% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$58,493
17% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSuperiorAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.1%6% above
Moved from another state1County figure4.3%116% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.2above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$58,49317% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$52,61325% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 62.1%, 23% above the median place.

Superior21.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$50,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
21.6%
6% above the median place
Home price to income
3.9x
2% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$60,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Superior, $1,270 a month, and local prices for everything else (92.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Superior.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Superior? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
62.1%
23% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,427
24% below the median place
Property tax rate1
1.2%
32% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureSuperiorAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,2707% below
Rent to income121.6%6% above
Property tax rate11.2%32% above
Home price to income13.9x2% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure88.812% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,20725% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,2971% above
Median home value1$274,20014% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.1%59% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure61.2%19% above
Homeownership167.8%2% above
Renters paying 30%+162.1%23% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,42724% below
Vacant homes1County figure17.3%144% above
Median year built119820% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 18 min, 30% below the median place.

Mean commute1
18 min
30% below the median place
Works from home1
10.1%
19% below the median place
Poverty rate1
8.4%
22% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSuperiorAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$70,69412% below
Income per person1$40,2150% above
Unemployment1County figure3.1%36% below
Average annual pay5County figure$53,57019% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure1.4%62% below
Jobs5County figure15,64390% below
Poverty rate18.4%22% below
Mean commute118 min30% below
Works from home110.1%19% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.0%16% above
04

Who lives here

Median age is 51.6, 32% above the median place.

Median age1
51.6
32% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
19% below the median place
Population change since 20206
-1.9%
below the median place (median 1.1%)

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband88.4% −4%
No health insurance4.5% −30%
High school or higher94.3% +2%
Bachelor's or higher27.8% −13%
All 9 people measures
MeasureSuperiorAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population16536646th largest
Population change since 20206-1.9%below (median 1.1%)
Median age151.632% above
Bachelor's or higher127.8%13% below
High school or higher194.3%2% above
Household size12.019% below
Born abroad1County figure1.8%79% below
No health insurance14.5%30% below
Homes with broadband188.4%4% below
05

Life in Superior

22 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars30.5 +47%
Shops33.7 +11%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.7 +39%
Doctors' offices and clinics11.5 −43%
Child care centers2.3 +0%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Restaurants and bars per 10k8
30.5
47% above the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
11.5
43% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
5.7
39% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureSuperiorAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure1678% above
Public school students10County figure5,37810% above
Students per teacher10County figure14.93% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure30.547% above
Shops per 10k8County figure33.711% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.739% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure11.543% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.30% above
National Register listings9County figure2269% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 4°F, 85% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Superior. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low11
4°F
85% below the median place
Average temperature11
41°F
26% below the median place
July average high11
79°F
9% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureSuperiorAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure79°F9% below
January average low11County figure4°F85% below
Average temperature11County figure41°F26% below
Annual precipitation11County figure31.6 in28% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure62.433% below
Tornado risk12County figure27.466% below
Wildfire risk12County figure39.236% below
Heat wave risk12County figure61.432% below
Median air quality index13Metro figure422% below
Good air days13Metro figure66.3%3% below
08

Superior in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 22% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,270/mo (2024)$1,600/mo$1,320 to $1,950/mo+4.0%
Median household income$70,694 (2024)$87,500$74,000 to $103,500+3.6%
Median home value$274,200 (2024)$408,000$296,000 to $562,000+6.8%
Population664 (2025)660630 to 690−0.1%

The median home would be worth 4.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.9 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Superior

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
South Brooksville, FL$1,260$61,196Compare
Foley, AL$1,242$66,336Compare
Granbury, TX$1,386$73,516Compare
Palmetto, FL$1,366$62,621Compare
Palmetto, FLGranbury, TXFoley, ALSouth Brooksville, FLSuperior, WISuperiorSouth BrooksvilleFoleyGranburyPalmettoSuperiorFoleyGranburyPalmetto

Common questions

Is Superior a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median resident is 51.6 years old, older than in 93% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 158 Wisconsin places. Owning with a mortgage costs only about $157 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 87% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 158 Wisconsin places. On cost, space and class size it scores 34 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Superior expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 21.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $274,200.

What salary do you need to live in Superior?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $50,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Superior?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are South Brooksville, FL, Foley, AL, Granbury, TX and Palmetto, FL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Superior with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Superior itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/superior-douglas-county-wisconsin

Citytistics. “Superior, Wisconsin.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/superior-douglas-county-wisconsin/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.