Adams Population Sign, 2020
Adams’s story
Adams in pictures
Census counts: 1,119 in 1920, 1,761 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2020 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
Explore the history →
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,431
2025 Census estimate · +5.1% since 2020
Median home value
$165K
Census ACS
Household income
$69K
median
Median age
56.6
years
Jobs based here
171
A commuter town
Is Adams a good place to live?
Adams’ best subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and a B for the outdoors; its weakest is a D for health. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Adams, against 20% in Wisconsin’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 1 of Wisconsin’s 874 towns score lower on health. Adams's public schools trail 76% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. 12% of the land in Adams is conserved, above both the Wisconsin town median (3.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 28 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on history. Adams's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 86% of U.S. towns. Adams has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,431 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
PrestonLincolnEastonQuincyStrongs PrairieAdams
How Adams grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Adams is from typical.
HealthLess healthy than 89% of U.S. towns; Gundersen Moundview Hospital and Clinics 2.5 miles awayDOpen →SchoolsC−Open →Jobs & incomeCOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $165K, 2.8 years of the county’s $59K median household incomeB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities; cold waves tops the listBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 3.2% of households have no car; 3.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors8 miles of trailsBOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life1.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Adams: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Adams, and how to reach them.
PowerAdams-Columbia Electric Coop19.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFriendship WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Adams ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes53910, 53934, 5393653910 53% · 53934 44% · 53936 3%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Adams.
HealthD
Adams stands out in Wisconsin and nationally, with more of its adults who have high blood pressure
44% of adults have high blood pressure in Adams. Of the 358 Wisconsin towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Adams. 42% of adults have obesity in Adams.
11%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Adams | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 33% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 26% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 17% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 20% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
2 better12 too close to call18 worse
| What stands out | Adams | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.2% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.2% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 6.5% |
Gundersen Moundview Hospital and Clinics
2.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Adams’ workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Adams for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Adams has lost 374 jobs, to 171 in 2023. Adams’ median household income is $69,000.
3%work in town
| Adams | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Adams3%
Adams17%
Friendship13%
Lake Delton4%
Westfield3%
20 mi
median commute distance
171
jobs based in Adams
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 45% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Adams has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Adams has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 8° and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
52″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–29°
Spring33–56°
Summer57–80°
Fall37–58°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
11.9%conserved
11.9%
conserved · 3,809 of 32,064 acres
8.4 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area | 0.8 mi | 1,737 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Adams faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities.
37risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Adams
18pages on Adams
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Adams; the nearest are
Mid-State Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wisconsin Rapids31.2 mi$5,002 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity or college · Public · Stevens Point42.4 mi$9,488 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Adams residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Adams for work
Where Adams’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
171jobs based in Adams
3%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Adams
City in Wisconsin, United States
Adams is a city in Adams County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2020 census. The city is located within the Town of Adams.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 965 ft
- ZIP code
- 53910
- Area code
- 920
Questions about Adams
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Adams, WI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.