Fountain Lake Farm · National Register of Historic Places
Buffalo’s story
Buffalo in pictures
The archive holds 3 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →BuffaloWI
A town of 1,446.
5 bordering townsMap →
Fountain Lake Farm · Photo: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.5
Population
1,446
2025 Census estimate · +3.6% since 2020
Median home value
$254K
Census ACS
Household income
$78K
median
Median age
48.3
years
Jobs based here
28
A commuter town
Is Buffalo a good place to live?
Buffalo’s best subject grades are a B+ for civic life and the outdoors; its weakest is a D for walkability. Buffalo’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, against 22 minutes in Wisconsin’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only 75 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on hazard risk. The typical home is worth about $254K, 3.9 years of the county’s $66K median household income. 15% of the land in Buffalo is conserved, against 3.8% in Wisconsin’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Grand River Marsh Wildlife Area, at 1,106 acres. Buffalo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A growing town
Buffalo has grown 18% since 2010
1,221 counted in 2010 and 1,389 in 2020; an estimated 1,446 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Buffalo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Buffalo is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.8 of 20; 7.8% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsDOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →HealthAspirus Divine Savior Hospital 10.9 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income$78K median household income; 28 jobs based hereCOpen →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors6 miles of trailsB+Open →History1 place on the National RegisterBOpen →Civic life4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
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 Buffalo: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Buffalo, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet6 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Buffalo’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 hereTown of Buffalo ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes53949, 53926, 5395453949 54% · 53926 29% · 53954 17%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 Buffalo.
14%of WI districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Log Cabin School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades 1–8 | Grades 1–8 | 33 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Buffalo stands out in Wisconsin and nationally: a smaller share of its working residents work locally
No town among the 363 in Wisconsin we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Buffalo. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Buffalo. The top destinations are Montello (16%), Portage (11%) and Westfield (4%).
0%work in town
| Buffalo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Buffalo0%
Montello16%
Portage11%
Westfield4%
Madison3%
25 mi
median commute distance
28
jobs based in Buffalo
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 13% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Health in Buffalo trails 72% of U.S. towns
Buffalo beats the Wisconsin average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 16% of Buffalo adults report frequent physical distress.
28%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Buffalo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
1 better18 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Buffalo | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.5% |
Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital
10.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Buffalo, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Buffalo has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 9° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
42″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–30°
Spring34–56°
Summer58–80°
Fall38–59°
Oct 5
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB+
Conserved land covers 14.7% of Buffalo
5.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Buffalo’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
14.7%conserved
14.7%
conserved · 4,600 of 31,341 acres
5.7 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Muir Park State Natural Area | 1.7 mi | 171 |
| 2. Grand River Marsh Wildlife Area | — | 1,106 |
| 3. Fox River National Wildlife Refuge | — | 977 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Moderate risk in Buffalo, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Buffalo.
58risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingHail
11
paid flood claims since 2004
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Buffalo
18pages on Buffalo
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Buffalo; the nearest are
Ripon CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ripon26.6 mi$51,900 tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonUniversity or college · Public · Madison42.4 mi$11,603 in-state tuitionMoraine Park Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fond du Lac46 mi$4,819 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Buffalo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Small town
1,446 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
MoundvilleKingstonMarcellonPackwaukeeMontelloBuffalo
About Buffalo
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Buffalo is a town in Marquette County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,389.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 49 sq mi
- Elevation
- 846 ft
Questions about Buffalo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Buffalo, 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−.