Housing data for Shell Lake, WI
Shell Lake, WI has an estimated 1,459 residents and 945 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Washburn County.
22.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $450 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,459 (±182)
- Housing units
- 945 (±93)
- Households that rent
- 22.4%
- Median gross rent
- $450
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +10.5%
What stands out in Shell Lake
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 12.0% (±3.9 points) in Shell Lake, higher than in Washburn County (2.3%).
Median gross rent: $450 (±$284) in Shell Lake, lower than in Washburn County ($795).
Median real estate taxes: $3,483 (±$520) in Shell Lake, higher than in Washburn County ($2,377).
Homes built before 1980: 59.9% (±9.4 points) in Shell Lake, higher than in Washburn County (47.9%).
Housing in Shell Lake at a glance
- Median rent: $450 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent by bedrooms: $771 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 34.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 22.4% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $57,500 median household income
- Home values: $229,400 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,219 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $3,483 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 12.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 55.0% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 59.9% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 6.4% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 72.1% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 19.0 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +10.5% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 21.6% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.3% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Shell Lake against Washburn County, its state and the nation
| Shell Lake | Washburn County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,459 (±182) | 16,854 (exact) | 5,914,872 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 945 (±93) | 12,853 (±53) | 2,778,572 (±1,533) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 22.4% (±4.5 points) | 17.8% (±1.5 points) | 32.2% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $450 (±$284) | $795 (±$34) | $1,087 (±$4) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $57,500 (±$12,843) | $63,441 (±$3,789) | $77,485 (±$455) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $229,400 (±$36,236) | $226,100 (±$7,426) | $266,500 (±$1,051) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $3,483 (±$520) | $2,377 (±$82) | $3,792 (±$12) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 59.9% (±9.4 points) | 47.9% (±2.3 points) | 57.0% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 19.0 minutes (±2.2) | 22.9 minutes (±0.8) | 22.2 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 83.8% (±5.4 points) | 86.8% (±1.3 points) | 90.3% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 49.8 years (±6.9) | 52.7 years (±0.3) | 40.2 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Shell Lake covers 5.8 square miles of land, about 250 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Shell Lake has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,320 (±138) | 1,459 (±182) | +10.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 993 (±77) | 945 (±93) | −4.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $652 (±$90) | $450 (±$284) | −31.0% | Down after inflation |
| Median home value | $124,200 (±$16,644) | $229,400 (±$36,236) | +84.7% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $38,152 (±$5,251) | $57,500 (±$12,843) | +50.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,088 (±$88) | $1,219 (±$149) | +12.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,153 (±$403) | $3,483 (±$520) | +61.8% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 31.8% (±5.6 points) | 22.4% (±4.5 points) | −9.4 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 7.6% (±7.4 points) | 6.4% (±9.3 points) | −1.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Washburn County
Shell Lake has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Washburn County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Washburn County recorded 102 violent and 450 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
Places near Shell Lake
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Bashaw | 4.4 mi | $827 | $254,600 | 6.3% |
| Town of Barronett | 4.5 mi | $1,281 | $223,800 | 5.3% |
| Town of Beaver Brook | 4.5 mi | $950 | $231,100 | 13.3% |
| Town of Sarona | 5.5 mi | $1,417 | $232,800 | 14.0% |
| Spooner | 7.0 mi | $763 | $165,500 | 43.2% |
| Town of Madge | 8.1 mi | — | $319,300 | 4.1% |
| Town of Spooner | 8.8 mi | $1,355 | $270,300 | 11.4% |
| Town of Dewey (Burnett County) | 9.0 mi | $325 | $219,100 | 8.2% |
Places in Wisconsin most like Shell Lake
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stetsonville | $446 | $182,500 | $54,756 | 16.7% |
| Black River Falls | $543 | $171,800 | $66,632 | 29.8% |
| Tomahawk | $529 | $173,300 | $60,223 | 25.0% |
| Rudolph | $700 | $180,900 | $59,375 | 21.2% |
| Spencer | $580 | $155,400 | $69,750 | 28.1% |
| Town of Laona | $556 | $191,800 | $63,281 | 11.9% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Wisconsin.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Shell Lake, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $706 | $775 | $1,014 | $1,208 | $1,333 |
HUD income limits for Shell Lake, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,200 | $33,600 | $53,800 |
| 2 people | $23,050 | $38,400 | $61,450 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $43,200 | $69,150 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $48,000 | $76,800 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $51,850 | $82,950 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $55,700 | $89,100 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $59,550 | $95,250 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $63,400 | $101,400 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Washburn County, WI, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $87,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Shell Lake
Are renters in Shell Lake rent-burdened?
34.7% of renting households in Shell Lake pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Shell Lake?
Shell Lake has an estimated 138 (±31) renting households, 22.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Shell Lake?
The median household income in Shell Lake is $57,500 (±$12,843) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Shell Lake, WI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $229,400 (±$36,236) for owner-occupied homes in Shell Lake (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Shell Lake?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Shell Lake, WI is $1,219 (±$149) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Shell Lake?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Shell Lake, WI is $3,483 (±$520) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Shell Lake growing?
In Shell Lake, the number of residents went from 1,320 in 2015–2019 to 1,459 in 2020–2024 (+10.5%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shell Lake city, Wisconsin
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shell Lake city, Wisconsin
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shell Lake city, Wisconsin
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shell Lake city, Wisconsin
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Shell Lake city, Wisconsin
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Shell Lake city, Wisconsin
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Shell Lake city, Wisconsin
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Washburn County, WI
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Washburn County, WI
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Shell Lake city, Wisconsin (place:73200, in state:55).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .