Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,655, chartered in 1836. 33% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Lake Mills grades A− overall, 89th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $91K and residents are healthier than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 72% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $431K, 5.1 years of the Watertown area’s $84K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 12% of the land in Lake Mills is conserved, against 3.8% in Wisconsin’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 25 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on history.
Where Lake Mills beats most towns.
Fargo, L. D., Public Library
Census counts: 590 in 1870, 6,211 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Lake Mills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Mills, 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 Lake Mills.
Lake Mills trades workers with Madison and other neighbors and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Lake Mills Area School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mills ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 613 | B |
| Lake Mills HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 447 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Lake Mills, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 36%. 29% of Lake Mills adults have high blood pressure. Lake Mills beats the Wisconsin average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Lake Mills | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Lake Mills | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.2% | 6.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lake Mills’ property crime rate is 4.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Lake Mills | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Lake Mills home is worth about $431,000, up 4.3% in a year, 28% above the Wisconsin typical home. 67% of households own their home in Lake Mills.
| Lake Mills | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,209 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 82.5°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 90% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 11.7°.
Lake Mills has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Lake Mills is 12°F. About 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Lake Mills | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lake Mills has about as many jobs (2,312) as working residents, but only 478 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Lake Mills for work: only 18% work in town. Jobs based in Lake Mills grew to 2,312 in 2023, 128 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Madison (9%), Milwaukee (4%) and Watertown (4%).
| Lake Mills | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sandy Beach Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Rotary Park | — | 11 |
| 3. Faville Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Mills
About 5 of every 100 Lake Mills residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
5 places in Lake Mills on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Lake Mills.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Lake Mills is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2020 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Lake Mills.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Lake Mills.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mills | #89 | A− | C | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Lake Mills | — | — | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Aztalan | — | — | C+ | — | B | B |
| Milford | — | — | C | — | B+ | B |
Lake Mills, Aztalan and Milford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lake Mills, Aztalan and Milford report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Mills with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Lake Mills grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #89 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
6 notable people were born here, including Laura Lee Kiessling and Carleton B. Joeckel.
