Rib Lake is a village in Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States located at the junction of Wisconsin Highway 102 and Taylor County Highway D. The population was 910 at the 2010 census.

In 1881, J. J. Kennedy hauled sawmill machinery with oxen from the railroad at Chelsea to the bank of Rib Lake and built a sawmill called the Rib Lake Lumber Company.

The next year a railroad spur was built to the mill from the Wisconsin Central Railway at Chelsea.

[5]: 5–7 In 1891, Fayette Shaw started a tannery in Rib Lake, which used tannic acid from locally harvested hemlock bark to tan hides from as far away as South America to make leather.

In 1897 the Rib Lake Herald newspaper began publishing and a Dr. Werner started a practice.

32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 394 housing units at an average density of 211.2 per square mile (81.3/km2).

37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.