Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 597.
Ashland has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Ashland beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 9,956 in 1890, a peak of 13,074 in 1900, 7,908 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
Explore the history →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.
Expected losses in Ashland break down as 61% from cold waves and 30% from inland flooding. Its FEMA hazard score stands at 8 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Ashland after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2016.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The top destinations are Ashland (41%), White River (9%) and Mellen (5%). Commuting out is the norm in the town: 1% of working residents work locally. The town’s mean commuting time is 29 minutes. In Ashland, 4.1% of residents live below the poverty line, below both Wisconsin’s towns (6.4%) and U.S. towns (9.6%).
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Nearly a third of Ashland adults sleep under 7 hours. In Ashland, 15% of adults report frequent physical distress, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 14%. Among adults locally, 41% have obesity and 30% get no exercise outside work.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Ashland | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.5% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 13.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For Ashland, the concentration of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile. 5.3 miles of trail.
| Ashland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Ashland; the nearest are
About 2 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
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)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ashland has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.