Wisconsin River Bridge at Lone Rock, 2014
Avoca’s story
169 years in pictures
Census counts: 418 in 1870, 553 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1905 on.
- 1857Avoca is settled
AvocaWI
A town of 547, settled in 1857.
Population
547
2025 Census estimate · −1.6% since 2020
Median home value
$115K
Census ACS
Household income
$54K
median
Median age
45.6
years
Jobs based here
12
A commuter town
Is Avoca a good place to live?
Avoca’s concentration of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile, above both Wisconsin’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, at 593 acres. Avoca has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
547 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
PulaskiOrionAvoca
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Avoca: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Avoca, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAvoca Waterworks2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers71% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Avoca’s trash rules yet
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 hereVillage of Avoca ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5350653506 100%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 Avoca.
Work & commute
Compared with most of Wisconsin and the rest of the country, the average trip to work in Avoca is longer
No town among the 363 in Wisconsin we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Avoca. The share of residents in Avoca who live below the poverty line: 20%. In Avoca, the middle household income is $54,000, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at $87,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. The top destinations are Dodgeville (14%), Madison (11%) and Highland (8%).
0%work in town
| Avoca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Avoca0%
Dodgeville14%
Madison11%
Highland8%
Muscoda8%
20 mi
median commute distance
12
jobs based in Avoca
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Avoca’s year
Only 8 of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher July high than Avoca. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 10° and about 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.
40″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–31°
Spring36–58°
Summer59–81°
Fall39–60°
Oct 9
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Avoca has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Households in Avoca have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. 58% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 15%. This Wisconsin town has had 5 paid flood insurance claims since 2000.
63risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
5
paid flood claims since 2000
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Safety
Crime reported in Avoca
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Avoca is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2023
4
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Health
How healthy Avoca is
Just over one in ten adults have diabetes in Avoca. This Wisconsin town does better than the Wisconsin average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 5. Two figures for adults locally: 41% have obesity, 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Avoca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
1 better26 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Avoca | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.7% | 9.9% |
| More smokers | 17.1% | 13.6% |
Richland Hospital
10.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
8.1%conserved
8.1%
conserved · 125 of 1,551 acres
2.6 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lower Wisconsin State Riverway | — | 593 |
| 2. Avoca Prairie & Savanna State Natural Area | — | 569 |
| 3. Avoca Lakeside Park | — | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
The median home in Avoca sells for about $328K
For Avoca, the median rent is $908 a month. Avoca: 80% of households live in a home they own.
$328Kmedian sale price
| Avoca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $908 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 74% | 73% |
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Avoca
18pages on Avoca
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Avoca; the nearest are
Southwest Wisconsin Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fennimore21.5 mi$4,904 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleUniversity or college · Public · Platteville32.4 mi$8,644 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Avoca residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Avoca for work
Where Avoca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
12jobs based in Avoca
0%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Avoca
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Avoca is a village in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 553 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is named after Avoca, County Wicklow in Ireland.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 699 ft
- ZIP code
- 53506
- Area code
- 608
Questions about Avoca
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Avoca, WI a good place to live?
Avoca has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.