Superior, Wisconsin

Population

Down 1.5% since 2020.

26,397

people, the 30th-largest of Wisconsin's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Wisconsin's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

6 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

63.2%

of 14,588 jobs located in Superior are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in May: 3.7%.

4.6%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 3.6%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 54% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$900

a month. Wisconsin's median is $1,087.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $757 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Douglas County.

• $785 Tract 303.02
• $1,542 Tract 303.01

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,062–$1,594

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $900 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 54 homes permitted, 2022–2025
• 7% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 91% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.1% to the 12,776 homes here.

43–146

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 32% less than Wisconsin's.

$180,400

median home value in Superior.

• $180,400 Superior
• $266,500 Wisconsin
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year