DakotaWI
A town of 1,169, settled in 1851.
Is Dakota a good place to live?
The best of Dakota’s subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and civic life; the weakest is a C for health. Dakota’s average trip to work is 30 minutes, against 22 minutes in Wisconsin’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 13% of the land in Dakota is conserved, against 3.8% in Wisconsin’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Lunch Creek Wetlands State Natural Area, at 605 acres. Dakota has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
1,169 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Dakota grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Dakota is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Dakota: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dakota, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Dakota.
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Dakota’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Dakota for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Dakota fell to 161 in 2023, 31 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Wautoma (21%), Wautoma (6%) and Oshkosh (5%).
| Dakota | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.6% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A larger share of adults have diabetes in Dakota than in most of Wisconsin or the rest of the country
14% of Dakota adults have diabetes. Only 10 of the 358 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Dakota. 40% of Dakota adults have obesity.
| Dakota | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Dakota | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82% | 77.8% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.4% | 85.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Dakota has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Dakota has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 9° and about 46 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Dakota has set aside 12.8% of its land for conservation
1.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lunch Creek Wetlands State Natural Area | — | 605 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Dakota
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dakota.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Dakota
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Dakota; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Dakota residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
99% of working residents leave Dakota for work
Where Dakota’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Dakota
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Dakota is a town, as well as an unincorporated community in Waushara County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,143 at the 2020 census. The town took its name from the community of the same name, which was platted for the community's first postmaster, Chapin M. Seeley, in 1853. It was likely named for the Dakota Territory, which was in the news at the time. The unincorporated community of Bannerman is also located in the town. Bannerman was originally named Bannerman Junction in 1901 as a stop on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. It was named for William and John Bannerman, two Scottish men who owned the area's granite company.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 34 sq mi
- Elevation
- 846 ft
Questions about Dakota
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dakota, WI expensive?
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+.