Postal Codes

54501 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 54501 covers Rhinelander, Wisconsin, with a population of about 21,096 and a median household income of $68,602.

Population
21,09658 per square mile
Median age
47.58.8 points above the US average
Median household income
$68,6029% below the Wisconsin median
Poverty rate
8.6%3.8 points below the US average
Typical home value
$268,825up 24.5% in five years
Median rent
$83120% below the Wisconsin median
Degree or higher
25.9%9.1 points below the US average
Homeownership
83%18 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
684

Where 54501 is

Rhinelander, Wisconsin — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population21,096
Median age47.5
Family households62.3%
Born outside the US1.2%
Speaks a language other than English at home1.6%
White (non-Hispanic)93.6%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.6%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.5%
Hispanic or Latino1.8%
Veterans8.6%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$68,602
Income per person$37,277
Poverty rate8.6%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance9%

Household income distribution

Under $10k3.1%
$10–15k4.2%
$15–20k2.8%
$20–25k5.1%
$25–30k5.2%
$30–35k5.1%
$35–40k3.7%
$40–45k3.4%
$45–50k3.7%
$50–60k8.1%
$60–75k11.0%
$75–100k14.9%
$100–125k10.5%
$125–150k7.5%
$150–200k7.3%
$200k or more4.3%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed10,510
Mean adjusted gross income$65,282
Returns declaring $200,000 or more3.4%
Returns, under $25k28.2%
Returns, $25k–$50k24.9%
Returns, $50k–$75k17.1%
Returns, $75k–$100k11.1%
Returns, $100k–$200k15.2%
Returns, $200k or more3.4%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$194,900
Median gross rent$831
Rent as a share of household income26.3%
Owner-occupied83%
Vacant homes29.6%
Median year built1978

What the homes are

Detached house82.1%
Attached house1.4%
2 to 4 units5.5%
5 to 19 units4.8%
20 or more units1.5%
Mobile home4.6%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$268,825as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 7.9%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 24.5%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 74.9%
Typical asking rent$1,170as of 2026-07
Typical home value since 2000
201120182026$268,825$139,275

$155,927 in 2011 to $268,825 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate2.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher25.9%
High school diploma or higher95.6%
Works from home8%
Drives to work alone76.6%
Takes public transport0.1%
Commutes 45 minutes or more7.9%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity36% 2.6 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes13.1% 1.1 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes15.3% 2.1 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure37.3% 3.2 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health19% 1.3 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)7.1% 4.2 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression24.7% 2.8 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity27.5% 2.1 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis30.8% 5.7 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking18.2% 2.2 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication79.4% 4.7 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)10.5% 2.8 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma10.8% same as the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease8.1% 1.9 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year79.1% 2.4 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening87.1% 1.2 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability13.1% 1.7 pts below the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening70% 5.7 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD7.9% 1.3 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist63.7% 2.4 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability32.8% 2.1 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support19.3% 5.5 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity11.3% 5.8 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps12.7% 1.6 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability8.4% 1.7 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol37% 0.8 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity8.9% 4.9 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability8.5% same as the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport6.4% 2.8 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness31.8% 2.6 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use79.1% 3.2 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)15.9% 0.9 pts below the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability16% 2 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)15% 1.5 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4% same as the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat5.3% 3.5 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours33.8% 2.6 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke3.9% 0.5 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost11.7% 1.3 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability4.7% 0.9 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments684
People employed8,155
Annual payroll$384,005,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 54.6% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively Moderate across the 11 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss52.1 out of 100
Community resilience76.1 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Cold wave96.8Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning85.3Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather83.6Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought81.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail67.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire65.9Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide57.7Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind56.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding55.2Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado52.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm19.1Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave3.4Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake2.4Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Wisconsin and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPWisconsinUnited States
Median household income$68,602$75,670$78,538
Income per person$37,277$42,019$43,289
Poverty rate8.6%10.6%12.4%
Median home value$194,900$247,400$303,400
Median gross rent$831$1,045$1,348
Homeownership83%67.9%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher25.9%32.8%35%
Unemployment rate2.4%3.3%5.2%
Works from home8%11.6%13.5%
Born outside the US1.2%5.1%13.9%
Median age47.540.138.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationRHINELANDER 4NE, WI US8.4 km away
Rain in a year33 in
Snow in a year70 in

Average high and low by month

January20.8°F / 1.8°F1.14 in rain, 11.9 in snow
February25.6°F / 3.1°F0.95 in rain, 13.9 in snow
March37.6°F / 15°F1.8 in rain, 9.1 in snow
April50.2°F / 27.7°F2.95 in rain, 12.2 in snow
May64.8°F / 41.4°F3.32 in rain, 0.2 in snow
June74.4°F / 51.3°F4.24 in rain
July78.3°F / 55.5°F4.62 in rain
August76.1°F / 52.9°F3.35 in rain
September68°F / 45.3°F3.79 in rain
October53.4°F / 33.8°F3.08 in rain, 1.4 in snow
November37.8°F / 22.3°F1.71 in rain, 7.8 in snow
December25.5°F / 9.5°F1.56 in rain, 13.8 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 3 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Rhinelander School District62.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Three Lakes School District34.8% of this ZIP code's land area
Elcho School District2.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability15more vulnerable than 15% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status25more vulnerable than 25% of US census tracts
Household characteristics19more vulnerable than 19% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status4more vulnerable than 4% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport25more vulnerable than 25% of US census tracts
Walkability5.1 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

54543 Mc Naughton, WI13.4 km away
54539 Lake Tomahawk, WI19 km away
54529 Harshaw, WI20.7 km away
54562 Three Lakes, WI22.6 km away
54558 Saint Germain, WI25 km away
54521 Eagle River, WI25.7 km away
54463 Pelican Lake, WI27.3 km away
54531 Hazelhurst, WI29.1 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Oneida County98% of this ZIP code's land area
Lincoln County2% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area366.33 sq mi
Water area26.27 sq mi
Population density58 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude45.7045, -89.3866

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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