Is Forest a good place to live?
18% of residents live below the poverty line in Forest, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 6.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 10 of the 363 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher typical journey to work than Forest. Wildcat Mountain State Park, at 1,175 acres with 7.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Forest has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
638 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Forest: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Forest, 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 Forest.
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Forest’s workers commute out
Forest’s income of the median household is $62,000. The top destinations are Hillsboro (21%), Reedsburg (5%) and Elroy (4%). Half of commuters travel less than 23 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A larger share of adults in Forest get no exercise outside work than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Forest. Among 358 Wisconsin towns, just one has a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Forest. The share of adults in Forest who sleep under 7 hours is 33%, against 32% in Wisconsin’s towns and 36% across U.S. towns.
| Forest | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 26% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Forest | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.3% | 9.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 6.5% |
| More smokers | 19.9% | 13.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.8% of the land in Forest is protected from building
8.0 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves. In Forest, the concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Forest | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wildcat Mountain State Park | 7.7 mi | 1,175 |
| 2. Kickapoo Valley Reserve | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Forest faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
In Forest, the FEMA risk score is 52 of 100. Expected losses in Forest break down as 41% from cold waves and 37% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Forest
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Forest; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Forest residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
100% of working residents leave Forest for work
Where Forest’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Forest
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Forest is a town in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 617 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Dilly, Mount Tabor, and Valley are in the town. One of the earliest Black settlers in Forest was Wesley Barton (when the area was formerly known as Cheyenne Valley).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 984 ft
- Area code
- 608
Questions about Forest
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Forest, WI a good place to live?
Forest has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.