Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dodgeville's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B, 223rd among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 63% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its police reported 12 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 60% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $334K, 3.8 years of the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 31% of working residents work locally in Dodgeville, above both Wisconsin’s towns (8.2%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 58 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on history.
Where Dodgeville beats most towns.
Iowa County Courthouse
Its founding year, 1827, comes before those of 97% of the Wisconsin towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,222 in 1860, 4,984 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1827 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Dodgeville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dodgeville, 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 Dodgeville.
Dodgeville draws workers from Mineral Point and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
4,865 jobs are based in Dodgeville, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 29.5 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
About one in 3 of Dodgeville’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Dodgeville is 30 minutes. Since 2013, Dodgeville has lost 416 jobs, to 4,865 in 2023.
| Dodgeville | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Dodgeville School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dodgeville High, with 367 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgeville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 385 | B |
| Dodgeville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 367 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dodgeville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dodgeville has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Dodgeville’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 22.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 79% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 159 to 36 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Dodgeville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 60% report less.
| Dodgeville | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Dodgeville beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Dodgeville | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Dodgeville | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.5% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin average. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Dodgeville | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.6 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 21% | 22% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Dodgeville | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.1% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.7% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.5% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.3% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Park | — | 13 |
| 2. Wilson Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Springer Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Typical home values rose 6.1% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Dodgeville; the nearest are
About 9 of every 100 Dodgeville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Dodgeville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Dodgeville on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Dodgeville.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Dodgeville is a city in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 4,984 at the 2020 census, making it the county's most populous city. Dodgeville is part of the Madison metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Dodgeville grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #223 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and B for schools.
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 Archie Hahn and Don Perkins.
