Living in Clear Lake, WI
Clear Lake is a tiny town of 957 people in Polk County, Wisconsin. It's about 48 miles from Eau Claire, WI and 53 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 21°F, with about 46 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $199k and rent runs about $878 a month.
957people
$199kTypical home
$878/moRent
81° / 21°Summer / winter
46"Snow
232Sunny days
114Rain/snow days
Is Clear Lake right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 957
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 368 people per sq mi
- 53 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 48 mi to Eau Claire, WI
- 16 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $199k (≈$1,253/mo)
- Median rent $878/mo
- Median household income $74k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 5.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 21°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 60°F)
- 232 sunny days a year (75 totally clear)
- 133 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 114 days a year with rain or snow
- 46" of snow a year
- 17 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 60 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (86 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (320 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 43
- 29% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 17% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 25 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 46 mi to EAU airport
- 53 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 45 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 79% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1977
- 84% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,165 ft
- 654 mi to the ocean
- 86 mi to a big lake
- 23 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 18 mi to the nearest ski area
- 9 mi to the nearest campground
- 18 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 73 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 52 bars within 25 mi
- 4 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 6 museums within 25 mi
- 4 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 21 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 27% of Wisconsin districts (reading)
- 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 30 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 6 mi to the nearest vet
- 5 mi to the nearest dog park
- 12 congregations per 10k people
- 30 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Polk County: R+31 in 2024
- Wisconsin: Purple — split almost evenly
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk