Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jefferson’s best subject grades are an A for incomes and history. Jefferson’s median age is 55.3 years, against 42.1 years in Wisconsin’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. 13% of the land in Jefferson is conserved, against 3.8% in Wisconsin’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 56 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Jefferson Marsh Wildlife Area, at 2,404 acres. Jefferson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Jefferson beats most towns.
Where Jefferson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Jefferson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 550 in 1850, 7,793 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Jefferson, 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 Jefferson.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Peters Ev. Lutheran PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 66 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Jefferson for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Jefferson grew to 457 in 2023, 250 more than in 2013. 2.7% of Jefferson residents live below the poverty line.
| Jefferson | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.7% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jefferson has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 12° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dorothy Carnes Park East | 4.7 mi | 248 |
| 2. Dorothy Carnes Park West | 4.6 mi | 162 |
| 3. Jefferson Marsh Wildlife Area | — | 2,404 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jefferson tracks Wisconsin closely on all 32 CDC measures. 42% of adults have obesity in Jefferson.
| Jefferson | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 33% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jefferson. Close and well known come first.
32 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
8 mi State parkAztalan State Park
24 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
32 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
38 mi Zoo & aquariumMilwaukee County Zoo
19 mi Theme parkLittle AmerrickaCamp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Milwaukee County Zoo: Awkwafaba, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Little Amerricka: Dklompmaker, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Jefferson
About 3 of every 100 Jefferson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
6 notable people were born in Jefferson.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Jefferson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It lies at the confluence of the Rock and Crawfish rivers. The population was 7,793 at the 2020 census. The city is partially bordered by the Town of Jefferson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Jefferson.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Jefferson | #300 | C+ | B− | C+ | C+ | B− |
| Sullivan | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Hebron | — | — | C | — | B− | B− |
| Koshkonong | #248 | B− | B− | — | B− | B− |
| Farmington | — | — | C | — | C+ | B− |
| Aztalan | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Rome | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Jefferson, Sullivan, Hebron, Farmington and Aztalan have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Jefferson, Sullivan, Hebron, Koshkonong, Farmington and Aztalan report no FBI crime data of their own. Rome isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jefferson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
Jefferson has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 6 notable people were born here, including Alden Sanborn and Robert Kirkland Henry.
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