Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Columbus 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 A− overall, ranked 100th of 357 in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 76% of U.S. communities, with hail at the top. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 81% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 20 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Columbus Public Library and Columbus City Hall. 16% of working residents work locally in Columbus, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Fireman's Park, at 29 acres.
Where Columbus beats most towns.
Columbus City Hall
Census counts: 288 in 1850, 5,540 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
20 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Columbus is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbus, 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 Columbus.
Columbus pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Wisconsin norm and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Wisconsin (mostly hail).
4.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Columbus’ trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Columbus | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fireman's Park | 0.2 mi | 29 |
| 2. Kiwanis Park | 0.2 mi | 13 |
| 3. Meister Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Columbus School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Columbus High, with 383 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 425 | – |
| Columbus HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 383 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Columbus is 4.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Columbus | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
20% of adults binge drink in Columbus.
| Columbus | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Columbus | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 12.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.6% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of Wisconsin towns, with expected losses of about $733 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Among 362 Wisconsin towns, just 9 have a higher FEMA risk score than Columbus. Since 1993, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Columbus.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Beaver Dam Wwtp weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 6 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 79% of Wisconsin places with climate records. July afternoons average 82.2°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 83% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 10.3°.
Columbus has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Columbus | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 10°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2013, Columbus has added 380 jobs, to 2,494 in 2023. The top destinations are Madison (26%), Sun Prairie (6%) and Fall River (3%).
| Columbus | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $75,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 26% of residents (22% statewide). 15% of Columbus residents are 65 or older. Columbus has lost 2.5% of its people since 2020, down to 5,400 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Columbus | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.3 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.2 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Columbus | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.1% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.3% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.3% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 33.2% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.3% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Columbus grades A− overall with a typical home of about $314K, below the Wisconsin typical value; only 24 of the 118 Wisconsin towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $314K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
The typical Columbus home is worth about $314,000, up 4.2% in a year, 7% below the Wisconsin typical home.
| Columbus | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $874 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Columbus; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Columbus residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
4,991 counted in 2010 and 5,540 in 2020; an estimated 5,400 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.5%, after 11% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
20 places in Columbus on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Columbus.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Columbus is a city in Columbia and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,540 at the 2020 census, all of which resided in Columbia County. Columbus is located about 28 miles (45 km) northeast of Madison on the Crawfish River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Columbus.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus · Columbus | #100 | A− | B | A− | B− | A− |
| Elba | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B+ |
Elba has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Elba reports no FBI crime data of its own. Columbus and Columbus are one community, graded once. Compare Columbus with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Columbus grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #100 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including James B. Bullard and Erin Murphy.
