Dorchester’s average commute is 17 minutes, below both Wisconsin’s towns (22 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 5% of working residents stay in Dorchester for work; the rest commute out. Also worth knowing: among residents locally, 14% live below the poverty line. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Dorchester dropped by 40, to 530.

5%work in town

	Dorchester	Wisconsin towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	17 minutes	22 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	14%	6.4%	9.6%
Median household income	$61,000	$87,000	$80,000
Working residents who work in town	4.7%	8.3%	8%

Where working residents work

In Dorchester5%

Abbotsford17%

Colby13%

Medford12%

Mayville4%

9 mi

median commute distance

530

jobs based in Dorchester

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageDorchester’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here530 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work5% work in Dorchester Commute times17 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 9 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

Dorchester has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Dorchester, 39% come from inland flooding and 38% from cold waves.

13risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes

Full pageDorchester’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery low risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters13 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.8 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Housing

A typical Dorchester home is worth about $215K

The midpoint rent for Dorchester comes to $837 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 9.8% in value. 63% of Dorchester households live in a home they own, below both the Wisconsin town median (74%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).

$215KZillow home value

	Dorchester	Wisconsin towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	63%	74%	73%
Median rent	$837 a month	$1,078 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Dorchester$215K

Wisconsin$337K

+9.8%

value change, 1 year

Full pageDorchester’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 9.8% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.6 years of income Rents$837 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighbors2 bordering towns

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Dorchester

The midsummer high in Dorchester is 79°F.

57″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter7–25°

Spring30–53°

Summer54–77°

Fall35–54°

Oct 1

typical first frost

May 11

typical last frost

+1.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageDorchester’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 79°, January lows 4°Rain & snow57″ of snow a winter · 33 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

More of Dorchester’s adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town

Dorchester: 34% of adults get no exercise outside work. In Dorchester, 74% of adults had a checkup this year, and 18% smoke cigarettes.

	Dorchester	Wisconsin towns	U.S. towns
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)	34%	26%	25%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	74%	78%	79%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)	14%	7.1%	8.1%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	18%	14%	14%

32 measures vs. Wisconsin

0 better17 too close to call15 worse

What stands out	Dorchester	WI
More uninsured adults	13.8%	8%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	17%	9.9%
More adults facing food insecurity	17%	12.1%

Aspirus Medford Hospital & Clinics

9.3 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageDorchester’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exercise Hospitals & doctors nearby9.3 miles to an ER · Aspirus Medford Hospital & Clinics How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than WI on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Dorchester

17pages on Dorchester

The big questions

HealthBetter than WI on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$215K typical home · up 9.8% in a year Work & commute$61K median household income · 530 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

PlacesAttractions7 nearby · Granite Peak Ski Area 32 mi Library3.7 library visits per resident Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1874 Famous people1 born in Dorchester Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 210 residents Climate79° summer highs · 57″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 54425 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Dorchester; the nearest are

Northcentral Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wausau33.5 mi$4,889 in-state tuition University of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity or college · Public · Stevens Point49.5 mi$9,488 in-state tuition

About 1 of every 100 Dorchester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A job hub

Every workday, about 514 people come to Dorchester for work

Where Dorchester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

530jobs based in Dorchester

5%of working residents work in town

9 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Dorchester

Village in Wisconsin, United States

Official town website ↗

Dorchester is a village in Clark and Marathon counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, along the 45th parallel. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 849 at the 2020 census. Of this, 846 were in Clark County, and only 3 were in Marathon County.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 1.4 sq mi
Elevation: 1,427 ft
ZIP code: 54425

Questions about Dorchester

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Dorchester, WI a good place to live?

Dorchester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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Is Dorchester a good place to live?

840 people, and everyone knows the way

152 years in pictures

Moving to Dorchester: who provides what

The data

A job hub: Dorchester has 1.5 jobs for every working resident and draws in 514 commuters