Marinette County

Marinette County's median home price sits at $217,775, up 8.6% year-over-year, which is a meaningful appreciation run for a county of 41,827 people in northern Wisconsin. The overall score of 73 out of 100, placing it in the 89th national percentile and 4th out of 72 Wisconsin counties, reflects a market that earns its marks primarily through affordability (83) and appreciation momentum (84) rather than cash flow. The cash flow score of 0 is a direct signal: at a 6.85% interest rate on a $217,775 purchase with a $43,555 down payment, the rental income this market produces does not comfortably cover debt service plus expenses. Investors should not underwrite Marinette expecting month-one surplus checks.

That profile makes Marinette a fit for the appreciation buyer or the patient hybrid investor, not the cash-flow-first operator. An 8.6% home price gain in a county with an affordability index of 83 suggests prices are still accessible relative to the underlying demand, which means the appreciation run may have legs without the speculative overextension you see in markets where the affordability index has collapsed into the 50s. If you are building a portfolio where you accept near-breakeven or modest negative carry in exchange for equity accumulation and a lower entry price, Marinette's $217,775 median checks the entry-cost box. A value-add operator who can force equity through renovation may also find workable deals here, since the price point leaves room to manufacture a spread, but the carrying costs described below narrow that margin and demand disciplined acquisition.

The taxInsurance data is material to any Marinette underwrite. Wisconsin's state-average effective property tax rate is 1.85%, flagged as high, and at that rate the annual tax bill on a median-priced asset comes to $4,029. Add $501 in annual insurance and the combined monthly carry just for taxes and insurance runs $378 before a single dollar of debt service, maintenance, vacancy, or management. That $378 line item is not a rounding error on a mid-$200,000 property; it represents the difference between a deal that pencils and one that quietly bleeds. The honest caveat here, as with any state-average figure, is that county and township rates in Wisconsin vary, so pull the actual Marinette County mill rate before finalizing your numbers. At 1.85% the rate deserves its own line on your underwrite and a conservative assumption until the actual figure is confirmed.

On the risk side, the stability score of 50 is the number that warrants the most scrutiny. A market this size, with a population of 41,827, has limited employer diversification by definition. No economic anchor data was provided for this county, so this analysis will not speculate on specific employers, but a stability score at the midpoint of the scale in a small northern Wisconsin county is a real signal that rental demand is tied to a narrow base. Demographic concentration, potential outmigration, and sensitivity to a single industry or employer are the natural risks in a market this size. Underwrite vacancy conservatively and stress-test your model against a scenario where population growth stalls.

Compared to its neighbors, Marinette offers the second-lowest median home price in the peer group, trailing only Clark County at $211,676. The overall score of 73 ties Trempealeau County (73), edges out Marquette County (72) and Lincoln County (72), and trails Shawano County (74) by a single point, essentially a statistical dead heat. Shawano's slight edge on the overall score at $258,748 median means you are paying roughly $41,000 more per asset for one point of score difference, which is a poor trade if your primary thesis is affordable entry. Clark County at $211,676 is the only neighbor that undercuts Marinette on price and matches the overall score, making it the direct comparison you should run side by side. Choose Marinette over Clark if local market knowledge, specific neighborhood conditions, or superior rental demand data tips the balance; choose Marinette over Trempealeau, Marquette, or Lincoln when the $40,000-plus price gap matters more to your per-unit economics than the marginal score differences. This is a market where local knowledge at the street level will matter more than county-level scores.