Adams’ best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D for walkability. 30% of residents are 65 or older in Adams, above both Wisconsin’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). On health, just 42 of Wisconsin’s 874 towns do worse. Adams's public schools trail 79% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. On history, just 16 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. Adams has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

StrongestACivic lifeWeakestDWalkability C⁻Health C⁻Schools CCost of living

What makes Adams stand out

Where Adams beats most towns.

Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents

27% more nonprofits per person

than the typical Wisconsin town

Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.

Small town

1,400 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Black River Falls · 4 mi Brockway · 5 mi Alma · 6 mi Merrillan · 7 mi Alma Center · 7 mi Hixton · 7 mi

KomenskyBlack River FallsBrockwayAlmaDewhurstAlbionAdams

How Adams grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Adams is from typical.

How grading works

WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.9 of 20; 3.2% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 79% of U.S. towns; Black River Memorial Hospital 3.8 miles awayC⁻Open →SchoolsC⁻Open →Cost of livingTypical home $247K, 3.6 years of the county’s $68K median household incomeCOpen →Jobs & income$76K median household income; 132 jobs based hereC⁺Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listB⁻Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors2 miles of trails; 5% conserved landC⁺Open →HistoryOrganized 1938DOpen →Civic life4.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 51.9; 23% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Adams: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Adams, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerJackson Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA

WaterBlack River Falls Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA

InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4

Trash & dumpHire your ownNo town pickup: you hire a private haulerTown site

SchoolsBlack River Falls School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereTown of Adams ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025

ZIP codes54615, 5475454615 83% · 54754 17%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.

HealthC⁻

Adams stands out in Wisconsin and nationally: a larger share of its adults smoke cigarettes

The share of adults in Adams who have diabetes is 14%, against 11% in Wisconsin’s towns and 12% across U.S. towns. For adults in the town, the share who get no exercise outside work is 32%.

21%healthier than U.S. townsC⁻Health Grade

	Adams	Wisconsin towns	U.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	19%	14%	14%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)	32%	26%	25%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	16%	13%	14%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	14%	11%	12%

32 measures vs. Wisconsin

0 better15 too close to call17 worse

What stands out	Adams	WI
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	15.7%	9.9%
More smokers	19%	13.6%
More adults facing a utility shut-off	7.5%	5.5%

Black River Memorial Hospital

3.8 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageAdams’ health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby3.8 miles to an ER · Black River Memorial Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than WI on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁺

Adams has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work

2.3% of Adams working residents work locally. Half of commuters travel less than 24 miles. The top destinations are Black River Falls (21%), Brockway (9%) and Eau Claire (4%). In Adams, the average trip to work is 26 minutes.

2%work in town

	Adams	Wisconsin towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	2.3%	8.3%	8%
Average trip to work	26 minutes	22 minutes	25 minutes
Median household income	$76,000	$87,000	$80,000
Below the poverty line	9.3%	6.4%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Adams2%

Black River Falls21%

Brockway9%

Eau Claire4%

La Crosse3%

24 mi

median commute distance

132

jobs based in Adams

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns

Full pageAdams’ work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here132 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work2% work in Adams Commute times26 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 24 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Adams: snowy winters and pleasant summers

July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 6° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.

41″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter10–28°

Spring33–56°

Summer57–80°

Fall37–57°

Oct 1

typical first frost

May 10

typical last frost

+1.9°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageAdams’ climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 82°, January lows 6°Rain & snow41″ of snow a winter · 35 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.9° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsC⁺

Adams has set aside 4.9% of its land for conservation

Across 1 park or preserve: 1.5 miles of trail. One park or preserve covers 12 acres in Adams.

4.9%conserved

4.9%

conserved · 1,148 of 23,402 acres

1.5 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. West Arbutus County Park	—	12

Full pageAdams’ outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map1.5 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk12 acres · West Arbutus County Park Conserved land4.9% conserved · 1,148 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Adams?”

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B⁻

The biggest natural risk in Adams is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level

In Adams, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 50 of 100. Expected losses in Adams break down as 50% from inland flooding and 25% from cold waves. One declared disaster, in 2016, has brought federal aid to Adams households.

50risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageAdams’ hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters1 federal disaster · Paid out in Adams Get ready1.8 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Adams

17pages on Adams

The big questions

SchoolsC⁻Behind 79% of WI districts HealthC⁻Better than WI on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingCWork & commuteC⁺$76K median household income · 132 jobs here Natural hazardsB⁻FEMA risk higher than 50% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsC⁺2 mi of trails · 5% conserved land PlacesLibraryABlack River Falls Public Library Colleges

The story

HistoryDOrganized 1938 Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 700 residents Climate82° summer highs · 41″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Adams; the nearest are

University of Wisconsin-La CrosseUniversity or college · Public · La Crosse42.2 mi$10,070 in-state tuition Western Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · La Crosse42.5 mi$4,820 in-state tuition

About 5 of every 100 Adams residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Adams for work

Where Adams’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

132jobs based in Adams

2%of working residents work in town

24 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Adams

Town in Wisconsin, United States

Adams is a town in Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,389 at the 2020 census. Adams was organized in 1938, from a part of Albion town.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 37 sq mi
Elevation: 899 ft

Questions about Adams

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Adams, WI a good place to live?

27% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.

Is Adams, WI expensive?

Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.

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