A Silo and a Bright Red Barn, 2016
Excelsior’s story
Excelsior in pictures
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
Explore the history →
ExcelsiorWI
A town of 1,616.
6 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0
Population
1,616
2025 Census estimate · +0.8% since 2020
Median home value
$280K
Census ACS
Household income
$92K
median
Median age
51.3
years
Jobs based here
107
A commuter town
Is Excelsior a good place to live?
Excelsior’s weakest subject grade is a D− for walkability. On walkability, just 2 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. On civic life, just 51 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Mirror Lake State Park, at 74 acres. Excelsior has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Excelsior for work
Where Excelsior’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
107jobs based in Excelsior
1%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Excelsior grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Excelsior is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.3 of 20; 0.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →SchoolsBehind 65% of Wisconsin districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Jobs & income$92K median household income; 107 jobs based hereBOpen →HealthReedsburg Area Medical Center 6.1 miles awayC+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $280K, 3.5 years of the Baraboo area’s $80K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 5% conserved landC+Open →HistoryC+Open →Civic life0.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Excelsior: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Excelsior, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterReedsburg WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers87% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Excelsior’s trash rules yet
SchoolsReedsburg School DistrictBaraboo School District2 districts serve Excelsior; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Excelsior ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes53959, 53913, 53961, 5395153959 56% · 53913 23% · 53961 14% · 53951 7%Census 2020
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 Excelsior.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
A smaller share of working residents in Excelsior work locally than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
0.7% of Excelsior working residents work locally, below both the Wisconsin town median (8.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). 5% of Excelsior workers work from home. The top destinations are Reedsburg (18%), Madison (10%) and Baraboo (9%).
1%work in town
| Excelsior | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Excelsior1%
Reedsburg18%
Madison10%
Baraboo9%
Lake Delton7%
14 mi
median commute distance
107
jobs based in Excelsior
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 1% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Older than Wisconsin overall
Excelsior sits against 21% in Wisconsin’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns on this measure. People 65 and older are 30% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (21% statewide). The median age in Excelsior is 51.3 years.
51.3median age · WI 40.2
| Excelsior | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 30% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 51.3 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 14% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 32% | 29% |
ExcelsiorWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school39%
Some college22%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s15%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Excelsior | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.7% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.7% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.1% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.3% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Excelsior faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities.
68risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Excelsior
Excelsior has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 9° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–30°
Spring34–57°
Summer58–80°
Fall38–59°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Excelsior is less healthy than 58% of U.S. towns
Excelsior tracks Wisconsin closely on all 32 CDC measures. 41% of adults have obesity in Excelsior.
42%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Excelsior | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Reedsburg Area Medical Center
6.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.9%conserved
4.9%
conserved · 1,056 of 21,661 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ableman's Gorge State Natural Area | 0.3 mi | 50 |
| 2. Mirror Lake State Park | — | 74 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 25 attractions →Camp Randall Stadium and 20 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Excelsior. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
10 mi Park & preserveIce Age Trail
10 mi Canyon & gorgeDells of the Wisconsin River7 mi Theme parkNoah's Ark Water Park
11 mi State parkDevil's Lake State Park4 mi MuseumMid-Continent Railway MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Camp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Ice Age Trail: MDuchek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dells of the Wisconsin River: atramos, CC BY 2.0 · Devil's Lake State Park: CrispAir at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Excelsior
18pages on Excelsior
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Excelsior; the nearest are
University of Wisconsin-MadisonUniversity or college · Public · Madison38.9 mi$11,603 in-state tuitionSouthwest Wisconsin Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fennimore53.6 mi$4,904 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Excelsior residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Excelsior
Town in Wisconsin, United States
The Town of Excelsior is a located in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,603 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 34 sq mi
- Elevation
- 909 ft
- Area code
- 608
Excelsior’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Excelsior.
North FreedomDellonaBarabooDeltonReedsburgFreedomExcelsior
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | C+ |
| North Freedom | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dellona | — | — | C | — | B− | C+ |
| Baraboo | — | — | C+ | — | C | B− |
| Delton | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Reedsburg | — | — | B− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Freedom | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Excelsior, Dellona, Baraboo, Delton and Reedsburg have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Excelsior, Dellona, Baraboo, Delton and Reedsburg report no FBI crime data of their own. North Freedom and Freedom aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Excelsior with a neighbor →
Questions about Excelsior
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Excelsior, WI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.