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Bell, WI

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

345
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

63.6
years ∙ half population younger than 63.6, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
18.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.6%
foreign-born population
99.4%Native
0.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Bell is a town in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States.
Location
Town in Bayfield County, WI, US
Co-ordinates
DEC46.775422° N, 91.119366° W
DMS46° 46′ 31.52″ N, 91° 07′ 09.72″ W

Population Density & area

5.76/sq mi (2.22/km²)
Total Area
60.7 sq mi (157.2 km²)
Land Area
59.9 sq mi (155.2 km²) · 98.8%
Water Area
0.8 sq mi (2 km²) · 1.2%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51.9% male
Male 51.9%
Female 48.1%
males per 100 females
Bell 107.8
Bayfield County 103.8
Wisconsin 100.3

Nativity

0.6%
foreign-born population
99.4%Native
0.6% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Bell 0.6%
Bayfield County 1.1%
Wisconsin 5.2%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

63.6
years ∙ half population younger than 63.6, half older
Bell
63.6
Bayfield County
54.6
Wisconsin
40.2

Dependency ratio

Low High
115.6
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Bell 115.6
Bayfield County 90.9
Wisconsin 66.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 7.2% 16.3% 21.4%
Working age (18-64) 46.4% 52.4% 60.1%
Senior (65+) 46.4% 31.3% 18.5%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 115.6 90.9 66.4
Child dependency ratio 15.6 31.2 35.6
Old-age dependency ratio 100 59.7 30.8
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
89.9%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
1.7%
Other
8.4%
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
18.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Bell 18.6%
Bayfield County 29.1%
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 Bell population
Racial and ethnic composition — Bell vs Bayfield County vs Wisconsin. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Hispanic or Latino 1.7% 2.1% 8%
Mexican 0.6% 1% 5.4%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.2% 1.1%
Cuban 0% 0.2% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.2% 0.8% 1.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino 98.3% 97.9% 92%
One race 91.1% 92.5% 88.3%
White 89.9% 83.7% 78.6%
Black or African American 0% 0.7% 5.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6% 7.4% 0.5%
Asian 0% 0.4% 2.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0.6% 0.2% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 7.2% 5.4% 3.7%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

61.8% family
Family 61.8%
Non family 38.2%
% family households
Bell 61.8%
Bayfield County 66%
Wisconsin 60.5%

Average household size

1.81
persons per household
Bell
1.81
Bayfield County
2.21
Wisconsin
2.33

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Bell population
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Total households 191 7,437 2,479,480
Average houshold size 1.81 2.21 2.33
Family households 118 4,906 1,500,296
Average family size 2.2 2.69 2.95
Married couple family 110 4,133 1,161,326
Other families 8 773 338,970
Male householder 2 306 112,650
Female householder 6 467 226,320
Non-family households 73 2,531 979,184
One-person households 61 2,112 781,452
Male householder 47 1,028 373,428
Senior (65+) living alone 18 507 109,743
Female householder 14 1,084 408,024
Senior (65+) living alone 8 724 210,915
Other living arrangements 12 419 197,732

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

558
housing units
Bell 558
Bayfield County 13,356
Wisconsin 2,778,572

Occupancy status

34.2% occupied
Occupied 34.2%
Vacant 65.8%
vacancy rate
Bell 65.8%
Bayfield County 44.3%
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
2.7%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1982
Half of houses were built before 1982, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
19.9%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
24.4%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
29.9%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
25.8%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 3.9 5.3 5.6
1–3 rooms 43.4% 19% 13.2%
4–6 rooms 44.2% 52.2% 52%
7+ rooms 12.4% 28.7% 34.9%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 9.7% 4.4% 2.1%
1 bedroom 22.6% 10.3% 10%
2 bedrooms 36.6% 31.3% 27.8%
3 bedrooms 23.1% 38.8% 40%
4+ bedrooms 8.1% 15.1% 20.1%
At a glance
Median year built 1982 1980 1975
Total housing units 558 13,356 2,778,572
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

98.4% owners
Renter-occupied 1.6%
Owner-occupied 98.4%
homeownership rate
Bell 98.4%
Bayfield County 83.9%
Wisconsin 67.8%

Average household size

1.82
Owner-occupied
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Bell 1.82
Bayfield County 2.22
Wisconsin 2.49

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Total occupied units 191 7,437 2,479,480
Year moved in
2020 or later 20.4% 16.1% 23.1%
2010 to 2019 32.5% 34.3% 38%
2000 to 2009 19.4% 20.5% 17.1%
1999 or earlier 27.8% 29.2% 21.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 97.9% 97.7% 98.3%
1.01 to 1.50 0.5% 1.4% 1.2%
1.51 or more 1.6% 1% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 0% 4.2% 6.4%
1 vehicle 44.5% 26.7% 33%
2 vehicles 45.5% 40.2% 39.5%
3 or more vehicles 9.9% 29% 21.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas 68.1% 71.3% 76.6%
Electricity 13.1% 11.8% 17.8%
Solar 0% 0.2% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 1% 1.7% 1.4%
All other fuels 17.2% 14.7% 3.5%
No fuel used 0.5% 0.3% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 12% 2% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 7.3% 1.9% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0% 1.3% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$286,100
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Bell
$286,100
Bayfield County
$240,800
Wisconsin
$266,500

Housing Cost Burden

22.7%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
22.7%
Owners without a mortgage
5.2%
Renters
0%
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
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Property value
Median Value $286,100 $240,800 $266,500
Under $100,000 4.8% 11.7% 9.1%
$100,000 - $200,000 26.6% 28.2% 23%
$200,000 - $300,000 21.3% 22.3% 25.5%
$300,000 - $500,000 37.8% 27% 29.4%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 9.6% 9.2% 11.4%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 1.6% 1.7%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 46.8% 48.4% 61.1%
Without a mortgage 53.2% 51.6% 38.9%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,341 $1,478 $1,689
Without a mortgage $600 $558 $659
Gross rent
Median rent $— $812 $1,087

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

56%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Bell 56%
Bayfield County 35%
Wisconsin 33.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

1.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Bell 1.5%
Bayfield County 4%
Wisconsin 6.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

26
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
15.4%
K–12
80.8%
College / Undergraduate
3.8%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

25%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Bell
25%
Bayfield County
29.1%
Wisconsin
39.8%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Total enrolled (age 3+) 26 2,775 1,356,381
Nursery / preschool 15.4% 8.2% 5.3%
K–12 80.8% 72.1% 69.3%
Kindergarten 19.2% 4.1% 5.5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 0% 21.3% 20.2%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 26.9% 20.8% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 34.6% 25.9% 22.3%
College or graduate school 3.8% 19.7% 25.3%
College, undergraduate 3.8% 16% 20.7%
Graduate, professional school 0% 3.7% 4.7%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 25% 29.1% 39.8%
School type
Public school 88.5% 86.1% 82.4%
Private school 11.5% 13.9% 17.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

316
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
0.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
0.9%
HS graduate
11.7%
Some college no degree
17.4%
Associates degree
13.3%
Bachelors degree
31%
Graduate or professional degree
25%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
0% · 100%
9th-12th, no diploma
33.3% · 66.7%
HS graduate
73% · 27%
Some college no degree
54.5% · 45.5%
Associates degree
50% · 50%
Bachelors degree
48% · 52%
Graduate or professional degree
46.8% · 53.2%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Population (25+) 316 12,972 4,099,973
Less than 9th grade 0.6% 1.2% 2.3%
9th–12th, no diploma 0.9% 2.8% 4.1%
High school diploma or GED 11.7% 26.3% 29.4%
Some college, no degree 17.4% 21.7% 19.5%
Associate's degree 13.3% 13% 11.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 56% 35% 33.4%
Bachelor's degree 31% 21.8% 22%
Graduate or professional 25% 13.2% 11.4%
High School or higher 98.4% 96% 93.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$57,500
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$—
Some college or associates
$61,111
Bachelors degree
$34,375
Graduate or professional degree
$63,250

Poverty Rate

7.9%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
0%
HS graduate
2.7%
Some college or associates
0%
Bachelors degree or higher
7.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Bell Bayfield County Wisconsin
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $57,500 $43,814 $53,060
Less than high school graduate $— $24,609 $36,585
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $— $35,859 $42,367
Some college or associate's degree $61,111 $41,743 $49,438
Bachelor's degree $34,375 $50,726 $66,239
Graduate or professional degree $63,250 $64,250 $79,916
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 0% 19.8% 22.6%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 2.7% 13.4% 12.2%
Some college or associate's degree 0% 9.2% 7.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 7.9% 4.3% 3.7%

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