Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brodhead gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $314K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. It grades B− overall, 244th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. Of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare, none has a higher July high than Brodhead. Its National Register listings include Francis West Smith House and Exchange Square Historic District. Among 362 Wisconsin towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Brodhead.
Where Brodhead beats most towns.
Francis West Smith HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Brodhead is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,548 in 1870, 3,274 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1877 and 2 maps from 1893 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brodhead, 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 Brodhead.
Brodhead has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Wisconsin, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Monroe and other neighbors.
| Brodhead | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marigil Park | — | 4 |
| 2. Veteran's Memorial Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Jaycee Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Brodhead School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Brodhead High, with 313 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald R Albrecht ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 460 | B− |
| Brodhead HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 313 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
At 0.3 per 1,000 residents, Brodhead’s violent crime rate is below both the Wisconsin town median (1.1) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6).
| Brodhead | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 5,636 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brodhead’s, it is healthier than 73%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Brodhead beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 42% of Brodhead adults have obesity, against 38% in Wisconsin’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Brodhead.
| Brodhead | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Brodhead | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 6.5% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 58.5% | 67.1% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 83.7% | 85.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 83.8°, the highest of 2,050 Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 12.4°.
Brodhead has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Brodhead’s January low is 12°F. About 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Brodhead has about as many jobs (1,388) as working residents, but only 264 people both live and work here.
The median household income in Brodhead is $50,000. Most working residents leave Brodhead for work: only 19% work in town. 15% of Brodhead residents live below the poverty line.
| Brodhead | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among 340 Wisconsin towns, just 7 have a lower median rent than Brodhead. Typical home values rose 6.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Brodhead | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $680 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Brodhead; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Brodhead residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
2 places in Brodhead on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Brodhead is a city in Green and Rock counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,274 at the 2020 census. In February 2000, the city annexed a portion of land from the Town of Spring Valley in Rock County. Brodhead was founded in 1856.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Brodhead.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brodhead | #244 | B− | B+ | B+ | B− | C |
| Decatur | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Spring Valley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Decatur has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Decatur reports no FBI crime data of its own. Spring Valley isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Brodhead with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brodhead grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #244 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C for health, B+ for safety and B− for schools.
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 B+.
