Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,119, settled in 1858. 65% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Amherst’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A+ for civic life. Amherst’s median age is 50.3 years, against 42.1 years in Wisconsin’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. On civic life, just 30 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do better. L. A. Pomeroy House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Amherst has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Amherst beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Amherst is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 298 in 1880, 1,117 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amherst, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Amherst.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Amherst since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Tomorrow River School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Amherst High, with 349 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 342 | B |
| Amherst HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 349 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Amherst beats the Wisconsin average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of Amherst adults binge drink, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 16%. 30% of adults have high blood pressure in Amherst.
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Amherst | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.8% | 11.4% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 30.1% | 33.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Amherst has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Amherst is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Amherst for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Amherst grew to 667 in 2023, 197 more than in 2013. Amherst’s median household income is $65,000.
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (21% statewide). 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 32% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Amherst | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.5% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.2% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.2% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Amherst home is worth about $363,000, up 12.3% in a year, 8% above the Wisconsin typical home.
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $856 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 74% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scout Hall | — | 6 |
| 2. Nelson Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Amherst; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Amherst residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
6 notable people were born in Amherst.
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Amherst is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,117 in the 2020 census. Amherst is at the core of the Tomorrow Valley area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
65% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
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 A−.
6 notable people were born here, including Tyler Biadasz and Dylan Page.