Places › Wisconsin › Superior

Living in Superior, WI

Small city in Wisconsin

Superior is a small city in Wisconsin, home to about 27,000 people, with 156,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.

Is Superior a good place to live? Pros and cons

👍 Pros

  • Mild summers: highs around 73°F
  • Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $248k and rents for $1,690 a month
  • Great outdoors: coast or a lake close by
  • Strong healthcare: 1 top-rated (4–5★) hospital within 31 mi

👎 Cons

  • Smaller job market: about 156,000 people live within 31 mi
  • Fewer family amenities than most places
  • Fewer graduates: 29% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
  • Cloudier than most places

Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Superior ranks against your own priorities.

Key facts

Population
27,000
156,000 within 31 mi
Winter / summer highs
26°F / 73°F
Average daily highs · 56″ snow a year
3-bedroom home
$248k
Typical value (Zillow)
3-bedroom rent
$1,690/mo
Incl. utilities (HUD)
Cost of living
89
US average = 100 (BEA)
Taxes
$1,734
State income tax per resident · 1.54% property tax
Safety
0.7× US
Violent crime vs US (FBI 2019)
Natural disasters
4 since 2000
Declared in the county · mainly cold waves, flooding
Top-rated hospitals
1
4–5★ within 31 mi (CMS)
Public schools
Average
Tests close to US average · 15 students per teacher
Adults with a degree
29%
No research university within 31 mi
Nearest major airport
MSP
137 mi away

Living in Superior: common questions

What is the cost of living in Superior?

A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $248k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,690 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 89, where the US is 100).

What are taxes like in Superior?

Wisconsin collects about $1,734 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.54% of their home's value in property tax each year.

Is Superior safe?

Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.7× in FBI 2019 data).

How are the schools in Superior?

Public schools in Superior test close to the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 15 students per teacher.

What is the weather like in Superior?

Superior has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 26°F and summer days around 73°F, with roughly 56″ of snow a year.

Does Superior get natural disasters?

Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from cold waves and flooding: 4 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 2.32 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.

What is the nearest major airport to Superior?

The nearest major airport is MSP, about 137 mi away.

How Superior scores

Each bar compares Superior with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).

🏙️City sizeSmall town Major metroSmall town
🏘️Urban or quietQuiet / rural Dense & urbanQuiet / rural
🚶Getting aroundSome transit Walk & transitCar essential
🌲Culture or natureNature on the doorstep Culture & nightlifeNature on the doorstep
🌡️ClimateLong, snowy winters Warm all yearLong, snowy winters
💰Cost of livingVery affordable Very expensiveVery affordable
⏱️PaceSlow & calm Very fast-pacedSlow & calm
🤝CommunityFriendly community AnonymousTight-knit community
🏡HousingApartments & houses ApartmentsHouses with yards
🏷️Affordable housingExcellent
💸Low taxesBelow average
💼Job marketPoor
🏥HealthcareGood
🏫SchoolsAverage
🎓EducationPoor
🧸Kids & familyPoor
🐕Dog-friendlyAverage
⛰️OutdoorsExcellent
🎭CultureBelow average
👮SafetySafe
🌪️Few natural disastersGood
☀️SunnyPoor
🌤️Mild summersExcellent
✈️AirportAverage

Places like Superior

These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.

The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).

Manitowoc, WISmall city52 $238k$1,170/moVery safe Fond du Lac, WISmall city53 $252k$1,520/moSafe Pittsfield, MASmall city45 $311k$2,110/moModerate crime Duluth, MNSmall city53 $306k$1,690/moSafe Rome, NYSmall city45 $212k$1,410/moVery safe Wausau, WISmall city49 $230k$1,510/moSafe

Nearby

Duluth, MNSmall city · 6 mi away53 $306k$1,690/moSafe

See all the best places to live in Wisconsin.

Is Superior right for you?

Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.

Take the free quiz →

Sources: US Census ACS 2019–2023, Census State Tax Collections FY2025, Zillow 3-bedroom ZHVI, HUD Fair Market Rents, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, FBI 2019, FEMA National Risk Index v1.20, OpenFEMA disaster declarations, NOAA Normals 1991–2020, NASA POWER, CMS, NCES IPEDS 2023, IMLS, OpenStreetMap. How scores work.