Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ashland earns a D, 351st of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 92% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. Its police reported 17 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 81% of U.S. towns. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. 50% of working residents work locally in Ashland, above both the Wisconsin town median (8.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On walkability, just 11 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Ashland has 15 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Old Ashland Post Office and Security Savings Bank.
Where Ashland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Superior Elementary | PK–5 | 603 |
| Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School | PK–8 | 138 |
| Ashland Middle | 6–8 | 383 |
Census counts: 9,956 in 1890, a peak of 13,074 in 1900, 7,908 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Ashland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashland, 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 Ashland.
Ashland draws workers from Washburn and beyond, has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
5,016 jobs are based in Ashland, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.5 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
The average trip to work in Ashland is 14 minutes. The top destinations are Washburn (5%), White River (3%) and Superior (3%). 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Ashland.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Ashland School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ashland High, with 589 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Superior ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 603 | C− |
| Ashland HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 589 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Ashland’s FEMA risk score is 1 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 36.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 94% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Property crime runs at 23.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Wisconsin rate, most of it theft.
Among 182 Wisconsin towns, just 7 have a higher property crime rate than Ashland. Ashland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.9 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Values fell 5.6% in the past year while the Wisconsin typical home rose 5.1%. At about $199K, home values are up 16% in five years, against a rise of 31% across Wisconsin.
The typical Ashland home is worth about $199,000, 41% below the Wisconsin typical home. 63% of Ashland households own their home.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $753 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5.6 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Prentice Park, at 97 acres.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prentice Park | 0.6 mi | 97 |
| 2. Oredock Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
| 3. Kreher Park | — | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 7,274 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ashland’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Ashland beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Ashland | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.4% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.4% | 5.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9% | 6.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Madeline Island weather station, 14 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 140 days, shorter than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.7°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 6°.
Ashland has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 74 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 6°F | 11°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin average. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
48% women, 52% men
About 108 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.9 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.9, men 38.8.
| Ashland | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.8% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ashland
About 10 of every 100 Ashland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Ashland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
15 places in Ashland on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Ashland.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Ashland County. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 7,908 in the 2020 census, all of whom resided in the Ashland County portion of the city. The unpopulated Bayfield County portion is in the city's southwest, bordered by the easternmost part of the Town of Eileen. The junction of U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and Wisconsin Highway 13 (WIS 13) is located at this city. It is the home of Northwood Technical College, the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, and the recently closed Northland College. The town's original name, zhamawanik, means '…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Ashland.
Sanborn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sanborn reports no FBI crime data of its own. Gingles and Eileen aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ashland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ashland grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #351 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($62,462 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
13 notable people were born here, including John Szarkowski and Jennifer Ouellette.
