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Alden, WI

Town in Polk County, WI, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

2,992
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

50.1
years ∙ half population younger than 50.1, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
3.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.8%
foreign-born population
99.2%Native
0.8% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Alden is a town in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States.
Location
Town in Polk County, WI, US
Co-ordinates
DEC45.252603° N, 92.509203° W
DMS45° 15′ 09.37″ N, 92° 30′ 33.13″ W

Population Density & area

53.62/sq mi (20.72/km²)
Total Area
59.1 sq mi (152.9 km²)
Land Area
55.8 sq mi (144.4 km²) · 94.4%
Water Area
3.3 sq mi (8.5 km²) · 5.6%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51.6% male
Male 51.6%
Female 48.4%
males per 100 females
Alden 106.5
Polk County 103.6
Wisconsin 100.3

Nativity

0.8%
foreign-born population
99.2%Native
0.8% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Alden 0.8%
Polk County 1.2%
Wisconsin 5.2%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

50.1
years ∙ half population younger than 50.1, half older
Alden
50.1
Polk County
46.7
Wisconsin
40.2

Dependency ratio

Low High
68.4
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Alden 68.4
Polk County 73.9
Wisconsin 66.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 18.3% 19.9% 21.4%
Working age (18-64) 59.4% 57.5% 60.1%
Senior (65+) 22.3% 22.6% 18.5%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 68.4 73.9 66.4
Child dependency ratio 30.8 34.6 35.6
Old-age dependency ratio 37.5 39.3 30.8
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
98.1%
Black
0%
Asian
0.6%
Hispanic
0.4%
Other
0.9%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
3.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Alden 3.8%
Polk County 13.3%
Wisconsin 37%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Alden population
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Hispanic or Latino 0.4% 2.2% 8%
Mexican 0.4% 1.5% 5.4%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.3% 1.1%
Cuban 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0% 0.3% 1.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino 99.6% 97.8% 92%
One race 98.7% 94.4% 88.3%
White 98.1% 93% 78.6%
Black or African American 0% 0.2% 5.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.4% 0.5%
Asian 0.6% 0.5% 2.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0.3% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 0.9% 3.4% 3.7%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

74.2% family
Family 74.2%
Non family 25.8%
% family households
Alden 74.2%
Polk County 65.8%
Wisconsin 60.5%

Average household size

2.46
persons per household
Alden
2.46
Polk County
2.31
Wisconsin
2.33

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Alden population
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Total households 1,216 19,542 2,479,480
Average houshold size 2.46 2.31 2.33
Family households 902 12,867 1,500,296
Average family size 2.81 2.79 2.95
Married couple family 848 10,504 1,161,326
Other families 54 2,363 338,970
Male householder 41 966 112,650
Female householder 13 1,397 226,320
Non-family households 314 6,675 979,184
One-person households 196 5,630 781,452
Male householder 89 2,896 373,428
Senior (65+) living alone 29 1,003 109,743
Female householder 107 2,734 408,024
Senior (65+) living alone 68 1,576 210,915
Other living arrangements 118 1,045 197,732

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,478
housing units
Alden 1,478
Polk County 24,558
Wisconsin 2,778,572

Occupancy status

82.3% occupied
Occupied 82.3%
Vacant 17.7%
vacancy rate
Alden 17.7%
Polk County 20.4%
Wisconsin 10.8%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

97.3%
Single family houses
Single family houses
97.3%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
0%
Mobile homes
2.8%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1987
Half of houses were built before 1987, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
8.1%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
15.8%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
41.2%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
34.9%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.2 5.7 5.6
1–3 rooms 8% 13% 13.2%
4–6 rooms 44.8% 51.4% 52%
7+ rooms 47.3% 35.6% 34.9%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.5% 1.6% 2.1%
1 bedroom 3.5% 8.3% 10%
2 bedrooms 31.4% 29.7% 27.8%
3 bedrooms 38% 40.3% 40%
4+ bedrooms 26.6% 20.2% 20.1%
At a glance
Median year built 1987 1982 1975
Total housing units 1,478 24,558 2,778,572
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

95.9% owners
Renter-occupied 4.1%
Owner-occupied 95.9%
homeownership rate
Alden 95.9%
Polk County 81%
Wisconsin 67.8%

Average household size

2.49
Owner-occupied
1.66
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Alden 2.49
Polk County 2.4
Wisconsin 2.49

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Total occupied units 1,216 19,542 2,479,480
Year moved in
2020 or later 16.6% 19.1% 23.1%
2010 to 2019 28.3% 36.4% 38%
2000 to 2009 26.5% 20.5% 17.1%
1999 or earlier 28.6% 24% 21.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 96.7% 98.7% 98.3%
1.01 to 1.50 2.7% 1% 1.2%
1.51 or more 0.6% 0.4% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 2.2% 3.7% 6.4%
1 vehicle 13.2% 25.2% 33%
2 vehicles 39.6% 39.6% 39.5%
3 or more vehicles 45% 31.5% 21.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas 77.9% 74.6% 76.6%
Electricity 6.6% 14% 17.8%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 1.5% 2.1% 1.4%
All other fuels 11.8% 8.7% 3.5%
No fuel used 2.3% 0.5% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.6% 0.5% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.6% 0.6% 0.8%
No telephone service available 1.1% 0.6% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$371,000
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Alden
$371,000
Polk County
$271,900
Wisconsin
$266,500

Housing Cost Burden

29.1%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
29.1%
Owners without a mortgage
8.5%
Renters
9.3%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Property value
Median Value $371,000 $271,900 $266,500
Under $100,000 4.7% 10.2% 9.1%
$100,000 - $200,000 6.4% 22.1% 23%
$200,000 - $300,000 22.4% 24.5% 25.5%
$300,000 - $500,000 39.1% 31.6% 29.4%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 22.3% 9.7% 11.4%
$1,000,000 and more 5.1% 1.9% 1.7%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 66.9% 60.1% 61.1%
Without a mortgage 33.1% 39.9% 38.9%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,750 $1,604 $1,689
Without a mortgage $769 $644 $659
Gross rent
Median rent $— $957 $1,087

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

34.5%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Alden 34.5%
Polk County 24.3%
Wisconsin 33.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

2.3%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Alden 2.3%
Polk County 5.9%
Wisconsin 6.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

521
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
3.6%
K–12
81.6%
College / Undergraduate
11.9%
Graduate / Professional
2.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

32.6%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Alden
32.6%
Polk County
20.2%
Wisconsin
39.8%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Total enrolled (age 3+) 521 8,649 1,356,381
Nursery / preschool 3.6% 6.1% 5.3%
K–12 81.6% 78.8% 69.3%
Kindergarten 4% 6% 5.5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 20.7% 21.7% 20.2%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 28.4% 23.4% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 28.4% 27.7% 22.3%
College or graduate school 14.8% 15.1% 25.3%
College, undergraduate 11.9% 11.2% 20.7%
Graduate, professional school 2.9% 3.9% 4.7%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 32.6% 20.2% 39.8%
School type
Public school 84.3% 86.8% 82.4%
Private school 15.7% 13.2% 17.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,269
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
1.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
0.7%
HS graduate
26.7%
Some college no degree
22.3%
Associates degree
14.2%
Bachelors degree
24%
Graduate or professional degree
10.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
73% · 27%
9th-12th, no diploma
73.3% · 26.7%
HS graduate
54.2% · 45.8%
Some college no degree
63.4% · 36.6%
Associates degree
47.4% · 52.6%
Bachelors degree
40.7% · 59.3%
Graduate or professional degree
39.5% · 60.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Population (25+) 2,269 33,560 4,099,973
Less than 9th grade 1.6% 1.4% 2.3%
9th–12th, no diploma 0.7% 4.5% 4.1%
High school diploma or GED 26.7% 33.3% 29.4%
Some college, no degree 22.3% 22.5% 19.5%
Associate's degree 14.2% 13.9% 11.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 34.5% 24.3% 33.4%
Bachelor's degree 24% 17.2% 22%
Graduate or professional 10.5% 7.1% 11.4%
High School or higher 97.7% 94.1% 93.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$65,806
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$44,000
HS graduate
$65,990
Some college or associates
$55,417
Bachelors degree
$68,696
Graduate or professional degree
$96,250

Poverty Rate

0.8%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
13.5%
HS graduate
2.5%
Some college or associates
5.8%
Bachelors degree or higher
0.8%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Alden Polk County Wisconsin
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $65,806 $50,908 $53,060
Less than high school graduate $44,000 $36,534 $36,585
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $65,990 $43,711 $42,367
Some college or associate's degree $55,417 $50,935 $49,438
Bachelor's degree $68,696 $62,426 $66,239
Graduate or professional degree $96,250 $69,345 $79,916
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 13.5% 19.5% 22.6%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 2.5% 9.8% 12.2%
Some college or associate's degree 5.8% 6.8% 7.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0.8% 3% 3.7%

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