1907-8 Mindoro Cut, 2014
Hamilton’s story
Hamilton in pictures
Census counts: 2,149 in 1990, 2,561 in 2010. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1927 on.
Explore the history →HamiltonWI
A town of 2,311.
Population
2,311
2025 Census estimate · −2.9% since 2020
Median home value
$369K
Census ACS
Household income
$113K
median
Median age
42.6
years
Jobs based here
207
A commuter town
Is Hamilton a good place to live?
The best of Hamilton’s subject grades are an A− for incomes and schools; the weakest is a C for cost of living. Among 363 Wisconsin towns, just 2 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Hamilton. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Coulee Experimental Forest, at 249 acres. Hamilton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Hamilton for work
Where Hamilton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
207jobs based in Hamilton
1%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Hamilton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Hamilton is from typical.
Jobs & income207 jobs based hereA−Open →SchoolsBeat 81% of Wisconsin districts on tests and graduationA−Open →HealthMayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical Center 11.8 miles awayA−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $369K, 5 years of the La Crosse metro’s $73K median household incomeCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 1.1% of households have no car; 1.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 23% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors4 miles of trails; 2% conserved landB−Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life0.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
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 Hamilton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hamilton, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy15.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWest Salem WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers52% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Hamilton’s trash rules yet
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 Hamilton ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes54669, 54636, 5464454669 95% · 54636 2% · 54644 2%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 Hamilton.
HealthA−
On CDC estimates, Hamilton is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns
Hamilton beats the Wisconsin average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Hamilton, below both the Wisconsin town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (17%). 19% of Hamilton adults binge drink.
76%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Hamilton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 10% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
8 better24 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Hamilton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 12.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 8% |
Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Medical Center
11.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most of Hamilton’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Hamilton for work: only 1% work in town. At $113,000, Hamilton’s median household income is against $87,000 in Wisconsin’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. 2.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Hamilton.
1%work in town
| Hamilton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.4% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 10% | 12% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Hamilton1%
La Crosse37%
Onalaska13%
West Salem8%
Sparta5%
10 mi
median commute distance
207
jobs based in Hamilton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Hamilton faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hamilton.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
3
paid flood claims since 2014
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Hamilton
Hamilton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 8° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
43″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–28°
Spring35–56°
Summer59–80°
Fall39–58°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Wisconsin overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). Hamilton has lost 2.9% of its people since 2020, down to 2,311 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
42.6median age · WI 40.2
| Hamilton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 20% | 18% |
HamiltonWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma1%
High school31%
Some college18%
Associate’s13%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate13%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.3 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Hamilton | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.9% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.4% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.3% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.6% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.1% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
OutdoorsB−
Hamilton has set aside 1.7% of its land for conservation
4.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Hamilton’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
1.7%conserved
| Hamilton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
1.7%
conserved · 545 of 31,690 acres
4.4 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | 0.5 mi | 180 |
| 2. Coulee Experimental Forest | — | 249 |
| 3. La Crosse Fairgrounds | — | 114 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hamilton
18pages on Hamilton
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hamilton
University of Wisconsin-La CrosseUniversity or college · Public · La Crosse11 mi$10,070 in-state tuitionWestern Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · La Crosse11.4 mi$4,820 in-state tuitionViterbo UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · La Crosse12 mi$34,250 tuition
About 4 of every 100 Hamilton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Hamilton
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Hamilton is a town in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,428 as of the 2020 Census. It is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 51 sq mi
- Elevation
- 741 ft
- Area code
- 608
Hamilton’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Hamilton.
FarmingtonOnalaskaOnalaskaBarreBurnsMedaryBangorHamilton
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | — | — | C | — | A− | A− |
| Farmington | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B |
| Onalaska | #210 | B | C | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Onalaska | #183 | B+ | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Barre | — | — | C | — | A− | B |
| Burns | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Medary | — | — | C | — | C | B |
| Bangor | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hamilton, Farmington, Barre and Medary have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Hamilton, Farmington, Onalaska, Barre and Medary report no FBI crime data of their own. Burns and Bangor aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hamilton with a neighbor →
Questions about Hamilton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hamilton, 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.