Price County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, in the north-central part of the state, home to Timms Hill, the highest natural point in Wisconsin. It had a population of 14,054 at the 2020 census and covers 1,278 square miles (3,310 km2), including 24 square miles (62 km2) of water, centred near 45°41′N 90°22′W.
Phillips is the county seat, and its postal code is 54555. The county has 2 cities, 3 villages, and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities spread across 15 towns (Wisconsin’s term for civil townships). It sits in the Central Time zone.
Towns & Villages in Price County
Price County’s 16 listed places split into 2 cities, 3 villages, and 11 unincorporated communities. CDP means Census-Designated Place; Unincorp. means an unincorporated community with no separate municipal government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips | City · seat | Town of Worcester | 1,533 | 54555 |
| Park Falls | City | Town of Emery | 2,410 | 54552 |
| Catawba | Village | Town of Catawba | — | 54515 |
| Kennan | Village | Town of Kennan | — | 54537 |
| Prentice | Village | Town of Knox | — | 54556 |
| Brantwood | Unincorp. | Town of Harmony | — | 54513 |
| Cranberry Lake | Unincorp. | Town of Hackett | — | — |
| Dover | Unincorp. | Town of Prentice | — | — |
| Fifield | Unincorp. | Town of Fifield | — | 54524 |
| Kennedy | Unincorp. | Town of Kennan | — | — |
| Lugerville | Unincorp. | Town of Fifield | — | — |
| Lymantown | Unincorp. | Town of Georgetown | — | — |
| Ogema | Unincorp. | Town of Ogema | — | 54459 |
| Pennington | Unincorp. | Town of Hill | — | — |
| Spirit | Unincorp. | Town of Spirit | — | — |
Ogema and Spirit each name both an unincorporated community and the surrounding town; the same is true of Catawba, Kennan, Fifield, and Prentice, where a village and a town of the same name coexist. No settlement here shares a name with a place across the county line.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester | — | Phillips (seat) |
| Emery | — | Park Falls |
| Fifield | — | Fifield, Lugerville |
| Harmony | — | Brantwood |
| Hill | — | Pennington, Timms Hill |
| Ogema | — | Ogema |
| Knox | — | Prentice |
| Catawba | — | Catawba |
| Kennan | — | Kennan, Kennedy |
| Georgetown | — | Lymantown |
| Spirit | — | Spirit |
| Hackett | — | Cranberry Lake |
| Prentice | — | Dover |
| Elk | — | rural, no platted village |
| Eisenstein | — | rural, no platted village |
Township-level 2020 populations were not confirmed from a verified source for this rewrite, so they are omitted rather than estimated.
ZIP Codes
- 54555 — Phillips (also serves Pennington)
- 54552 — Park Falls
- 54459 — Ogema
- 54556 — Prentice (also serves Dover)
- 54524 — Fifield (also serves Lugerville)
- 54515 — Catawba
- 54537 — Kennan (also serves Kennedy)
- 54513 — Brantwood
Cranberry Lake, Lymantown, and Spirit have no post office of their own and use a neighboring town’s ZIP code.
Geography
Price County lies in the rolling, forested Northern Highland region of Wisconsin, drained by the Flambeau River and dotted with small lakes. Timms Hill, at 1,951.5 feet (595 m), is the highest natural point in the state and sits within the Price County Forest in the Town of Hill. Most of the county’s land area is forested, and county and national forest land make up a large share of the total.
Price County borders Ashland County to the north, Iron County to the northeast, Vilas County to the east, Oneida County to the southeast, Lincoln County to the south, Taylor County to the southwest, Sawyer County to the west, and Rusk County to the northwest.
Demographics
Price County had 14,054 residents at the 2020 census. Its two largest communities are Park Falls (2,410) and Phillips (1,533), together holding roughly a quarter of the county’s population; the rest live in smaller towns and rural areas. Median household income here runs below the Wisconsin median of $74,631, reflecting the county’s rural, forestry-and-tourism economy. Population density is about 11 people per square mile, among the lower densities in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Forestry and forest-products manufacturing have anchored the local economy for well over a century; Park Falls is home to Flambeau River Papers, a longtime paper mill and one of the county’s largest employers. Tourism tied to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, area lakes, and snowmobile and ATV trails draws visitors year-round, and the Rib Lake/Timms Hill state trail system brings hikers to the state’s high point. County government, health care, and small-scale agriculture round out local employment.
History
Price County was created by the Wisconsin legislature on March 3, 1879, from parts of neighboring counties and organized in 1882. It is named for William T. Price, a Wisconsin state senator, U.S. congressman, and early logger who helped open the area’s pine forests to timber harvest. Logging railroads and sawmills drove the county’s early growth; several of its unincorporated communities began as rail or mill sites before the timber industry gave way to today’s mixed forestry and tourism economy.
Getting There
US Highway 8 runs east-west through the county, meeting Wisconsin Highways 13, 70, 86, 102, 111, and 182 at various points. Phillips and Park Falls both have small municipal airports; the nearest commercial air service is in Rhinelander or Wausau.
- Rhinelander — 40 miles east
- Wausau — 65 miles south
- Eau Claire — 95 miles southwest
- Duluth, Minnesota — 100 miles northwest
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Price County?
It is in north-central Wisconsin, between Ashland County to the north and Lincoln County to the south.
What is the population of Price County?
14,054 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Price County?
1,278 square miles (3,310 km2), including 24 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Price County?
Phillips is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Price County?
2 cities, 3 villages, and about a dozen unincorporated communities across 15 towns.
What ZIP codes are in Price County?
54555 (Phillips), 54552 (Park Falls), 54459 (Ogema), 54556 (Prentice), 54524 (Fifield), 54515 (Catawba), 54537 (Kennan), and 54513 (Brantwood).
What is Price County known for?
Timms Hill, the highest natural point in Wisconsin, sits within the county’s forest land near the Town of Hill.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.