L- A- Pomeroy House 2012-09-16 09-10-45, 2012
Amherst’s story
Amherst in pictures
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.
Explore the history →
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,404
2025 Census estimate · +1% since 2020
Median home value
$315K
Census ACS
Household income
$94K
median
Median age
44.5
years
Jobs based here
353
A commuter town
Is Amherst a good place to live?
Amherst’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D for walkability. Homes are expensive, about $314K for a typical one and 4.1 times the Stevens Point area’s $76K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Emily Park, at 145 acres. Amherst has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Amherst stand out
Where Amherst beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Amherst4.7
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WI town3.8
Civic lifeA
22% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Wisconsin town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Small town
1,404 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
NelsonvilleStocktonLanarkNew HopeScandinaviaAmherst
How Amherst grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Amherst is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →SchoolsBeat 72% of Wisconsin districts on tests and graduationB+Open →HealthThedacare Medical Center-Waupaca 13.5 miles awayBOpen →Jobs & income$94K median household incomeBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsB−Open →History6 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life4.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
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 Amherst: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amherst, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAmherst Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpWednesdayTrash dayTown 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 Amherst ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2024
ZIP codes54406, 54407, 5497754406 64% · 54407 29% · 54977 7%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 Amherst.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Amherst faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
13risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Amherst’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Amherst for work: only 3% work in town. At 29 minutes, Amherst’s average trip to work is above both Wisconsin’s towns (22 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Amherst fell to 353 in 2023, 285 fewer than in 2013.
3%work in town
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Amherst3%
Stevens Point26%
Amherst9%
Plover6%
Stockton4%
15 mi
median commute distance
353
jobs based in Amherst
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Wisconsin overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (19% statewide). 25% of residents are under 18 in Amherst, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 22%. The median age in Amherst is 44.5 years.
44.5median age · WI 40.2
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 44.5 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
AmherstWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma1%
High school36%
Some college19%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
44% women, 56% men
About 125 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.9 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Among residents 65 to 74, 68% are men (WI 49%). Median age: women 44.4, men 44.6.
| Amherst | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 3.5% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.5% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.9% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.1% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.7% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.3% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.6% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.4% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Amherst has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Amherst has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Amherst’s July high is 81°F.
49″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–27°
Spring32–54°
Summer56–79°
Fall37–57°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Amherst ranks healthier than 61% of the country’s towns
Amherst beats the Wisconsin average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of Amherst adults feel lonely.
61%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
3 better28 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Amherst | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.1% | 9.7% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.6% | 6.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.6% |
Thedacare Medical Center-Waupaca
13.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: primary care
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsB−
Amherst has set aside 1% of its land for conservation
10 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
1%conserved
| Amherst | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
1%
conserved · 241 of 24,287 acres
10 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Emily Park | 0.6 mi | 145 |
| 2. Amherst Fairgrounds | — | 30 |
| 3. Cate Park | 0.1 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Amherst
19pages on Amherst
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Amherst
About 5 of every 100 Amherst residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Amherst for work
Where Amherst’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
353jobs based in Amherst
3%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Amherst
6 notable people were born in Amherst.
D
Dylan PageAmerican basketball player · born 1982
T
Timothy OlsonAmerican ultramarathon runner · born 1983T
Tom MetcalfAmerican baseball player · born 1940D
David ZenoffAmerican judge · 1916–2005About 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)
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,093 ft
- ZIP code
- 54406
Questions about Amherst
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Amherst, WI expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.