Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. On incomes it is strong (B+): the median household earns $92K. The drawback is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $254K, 3.5 years of the county’s $73K median household income. All told, that adds up to a B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 173rd of 357 in Wisconsin. The biggest place to walk is Hartman Creek State Park, 956 acres with 13.2 miles of trail.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
Where Dayton beats most towns.
Where Dayton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Dayton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Dayton, 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 Dayton.
Dayton is a second-home town and sends most of its workers to Waupaca and beyond.
There are 14 miles of trail across 3 parks and preserves. In Dayton, the density of trails is 0.4 miles per square mile, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Dayton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 10% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hartman Creek State Park | 13.2 mi | 956 |
| 2. Mud Lake-Radley Creek Savanna State Natural Area | — | 97 |
| 3. Nelson Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Dayton, the FEMA hazard score is 21 of 100, against 23 of 100 in Wisconsin’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. 39% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 32%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in nearly four fifths of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dayton has 218 jobs for its 1,198 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Waupaca (29%), Farmington (9%) and Stevens Point (4%). Only 2% of working residents stay in Dayton for work; the rest commute out. Employers in Dayton added 65 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 218. Half of commuters travel less than 17 miles.
| Dayton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A winter brings about 49 inches of snow, with January nights at 8° and July afternoons at 82°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
22.5% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 6.2% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (38% statewide). 17% of residents are under 18 in Dayton. The town’s age of the median resident stands at 50.7 years.
| Dayton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.7 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 32% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
About 120 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.7 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Dayton | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.8% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.1% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.9% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.1% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,600, single groups can be off by several points
The share of adults in Dayton who report frequent mental distress: 15%. Against the Wisconsin average, Dayton comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 5. Two figures for adults locally: 13% have diabetes, 19% binge drink.
| Dayton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Dayton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.6% | 85.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Dayton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Dayton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Dayton is a town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,644 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Little Hope, Parfreyville, and Rural are located in the town. The census-designated place of Chain O' Lakes is also partially located within the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Dayton.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | #173 | B+ | B | — | B | B− |
| Farmington | #211 | B | B− | — | B | B− |
| Lind | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Springwater | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | C |
| Belmont | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lind and Springwater have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Dayton, Farmington, Lind and Springwater report no FBI crime data of their own. Belmont isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Dayton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Dayton grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #173 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B− for health and B for schools. Walkability 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.
