Moving to
Chippewa Falls.

All Chippewa Falls data Compare Chippewa Falls

14,782people live here $57,873median household income▼ 28% below US $910median rent per month▼ 36% below US $210,400median home value▼ 37% below US

What it's like to live in Chippewa Falls

Chippewa Falls is a small city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Chippewa Falls deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, cold, harsh winters, and snowy winters.

The good

Rent below the national average
Affordable home prices
Low unemployment in the county
Low crime rates
Short commutes
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
Low college degree attainment
Cold, harsh winters
Snowy winters — 55" per year
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Chippewa Falls compares

Median household income

Chippewa Falls$57,873

Wisconsin avg$77,485

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Chippewa Falls$910

Wisconsin avg$1,087

US$1,413

Median home value

Chippewa Falls$210,400

Wisconsin avg$266,500

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Chippewa Falls

Based on Chippewa Falls's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$1,820

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $36,400 a year
40% of Chippewa Falls renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$42,080

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $21,040
Homes cost 3.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 36% below US

$910/mo median rent

Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $910 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $210,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.

Median home value $210,400 · 40% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.7% county unemployment

Unemployment in Chippewa County is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Chippewa County (county-wide)

Safety▼ 36% below US

211 violent crimes per 100k

Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.

Property crime 495/100k · Chippewa Falls Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 27% below US

19 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 18.9 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

76%

Work from home

10%

Carpool

8.8%

Other

2.5%

Walk

1.6%

Public transit

0.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 9°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 42% below US

21% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 21%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

9 public schools inside the boundary

There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (71 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Chippewa Falls's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($910/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

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