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Wisconsin›Jefferson County
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Lake RipleyWI

A town of 1,932.

Population
1,932
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$442K
+4.6% in a year
Household income
$116K
median
Median age
52.5
years
Jobs based here
116
A commuter town

Is Lake Ripley a good place to live?

The biggest place to walk is Lake Ripley Management District Preserve, 200 acres with 2 miles of trail. We don’t grade Lake Ripley yet; the figures below are still real.

A commuter town

98% of working residents leave Lake Ripley for work

Where Lake Ripley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

12% → Fort Atkinson Fort Atkinson 12% 10% → Madison Madison 10% 6% → Cambridge Cambridge 6% 5% → Deerfield Deerfield 5% 5% → Jefferson Jefferson 5% 4% → Milwaukee Milwaukee 4% Lake Ripley · 2% stay
116jobs based in Lake Ripley
2%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Lake Ripley in Cambridge, WI
Lake Ripley in Cambridge, WI, 2013
Lake Ripley’s story

Lake Ripley in pictures

The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2013.

Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Lake Ripley: who provides what

Lake Ripley is unincorporated, so Jefferson County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBreezy Knoll Community water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet10 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesJefferson CountyJefferson County provides services here
SchoolsCambridge School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereTown of Oakland ClerkTown of Oakland (Jefferson County); contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5352353523 100%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 Lake Ripley.

Work & commute

Most of Lake Ripley’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them

Most people who work leave Lake Ripley to do it: just 2% work in town. Jobs based in Lake Ripley grew to 116 in 2023, 77 more than in 2013. Its average commute is 29 minutes, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 22 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The middle household income locally is $116,000.

2%work in town
Lake RipleyWisconsin townsU.S. towns
Median household income$116,000$87,000$80,000
Average trip to work29 minutes22 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town1.6%8.3%8%
Below the poverty line10%6.4%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Lake Ripley2%
Fort Atkinson12%
Madison10%
Cambridge6%
Deerfield5%
17 mi
median commute distance
116
jobs based in Lake Ripley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Full pageLake Ripley’s work & commute pageOpen the page
The jobs here116 jobs based here · A commuter townWhere people work2% work in Lake RipleyCommute times29 minutes · The average commuteHow far they goHalf commute less than 17 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

Natural hazards: low risk in Lake Ripley, mostly inland flooding

For Lake Ripley, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 23 of 100. Expected losses in Lake Ripley break down as 46% from inland flooding and 19% from tornadoes.

23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
23Low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
Full pageLake Ripley’s hazards pageOpen the page
What it facesLow riskFlood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on recordPast disasters12 disaster declarations · Declared for the countyGet ready1.6 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Housing

Zillow puts the typical Lake Ripley home at about $442K

Lake Ripley’s rent at the middle of the market is $1,350 a month, above both Wisconsin’s towns ($1,078 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). In Lake Ripley, 86% of households are owner-occupiers. Values rose 4.6% in the 12 months to September 2026. A home in Lake Ripley typically sold within 43 days of listing.

$442KZillow home value
Lake RipleyWisconsin townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home86%74%73%
Median rent$1,350 a month$1,078 a month$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Lake Ripley$442K
Wisconsin$337K
Market temperature
Seller’s marketA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
43
days on market
99%
sale-to-list price
+4.6%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Full pageLake Ripley’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page
Prices over the yearsUp 4.6% in a yearYears of income to buyA typical home costs 3.8 years of incomeRents$1,350 a month · Median rentVs. the neighbors2 bordering towns

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Lake Ripley

Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 12°; snowfall runs to about 42 inches a winter.

42″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter15–31°
Spring36–57°
Summer59–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
Full pageLake Ripley’s climate pageOpen the page
A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 12°Rain & snow42″ of snow a winter · 36 inches of rain and snow a yearHeating & coolingMostly a heating billThen and now+1.1° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Lake Ripley is

For adults in Lake Ripley, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 31%. This Wisconsin town does better than the Wisconsin average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2.

Lake RipleyWisconsin townsU.S. towns
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)28%30%33%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)42%38%35%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)31%32%36%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)14%15%17%
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
7 better23 too close to call2 worse
What stands outLake RipleyWI
Fewer uninsured adults5.8%8%
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth7.2%9.9%
More adults who have had cancer10.2%8.6%
Fort Memorial Hospital
9.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
Full pageLake Ripley’s health reportOpen the page
Everyday habitsFewer binge drinkersHospitals & doctors nearby9.8 miles to an ER · Fort Memorial HospitalHow adults are doingFewer adults lacking emotional supportEvery CDC estimateBetter than WI on 7 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Lake Ripley keeps 5.4% of its land conserved

In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 2.5 miles of trail. The trail network density for Lake Ripley comes to 0.6 miles per square mile.

5.4%conserved
Lake RipleyWisconsin townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.6 miles per square mile0.40.4
Conserved land5.4%3.8%4.3%
5.4%
conserved · 136 of 2,529 acres
2.5 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Lake Ripley Management District Preserve2 mi200
2. Ripley Park—15
3. Oakland Estates Community Park—1
Full pageLake Ripley’s outdoors pageOpen the page
Trail map2.5 miles of trail, mappedPick a walk2 miles of trail · Lake Ripley Management District PreserveConserved land5.4% conserved · 136 acres protectedQuestions“Where can I hike in Lake Ripley?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Nearby attractions

Camp Randall Stadium and 17 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Ripley. Close and well known come first.

All 57 attractions →
22 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium8 mi State parkAztalan State Park21 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center34 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre11 mi Theme parkLittle Amerricka22 mi Zoo & aquariumHenry Vilas Zoo
Sources: 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 · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Little Amerricka: Dklompmaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Henry Vilas Zoo: Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Lake Ripley

16pages on Lake Ripley
The big questions
HealthBetter than WI on 7 of 32 CDC measuresCost of living$442K typical home · up 4.6% in a yearWork & commute$116K median household income · 116 jobs hereNatural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 23% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
Outdoors3 mi of trails · 5% conserved landPlacesAttractions57 nearby · Aztalan State Park 8 miLibraryCambridge Community LibraryColleges
The story
HistoryClimate83° summer highs · 42″ of snow
Day to day
NewsWeatherHandbookTown SquareNeighbors
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Lake Ripley; the nearest are

University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterUniversity or college · Public · Whitewater17.3 mi$8,616 in-state tuitionBlackhawk Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Janesville28.7 mi$4,267 in-state tuition

About 7 of every 100 Lake Ripley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

About Lake Ripley

Census-designated place in Wisconsin, United States

Lake Ripley is a census-designated place (CDP), in the town of Oakland, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,911 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
4.0 sq mi
Elevation
856 ft

Lake Ripley’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with Lake Ripley.

Explore the map →
CambridgeOaklandCambridgeOaklandLake Ripley
Cambridge
W · 6% of Lake Ripley workers commute here
Visit
Oakland
SE · 2% of Lake Ripley workers commute here
Visit
How the neighbors grade
TownWI rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Lake Ripley——————
Cambridge——C+—B+B+
Oakland#302C+C+—BB

Cambridge has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cambridge and Oakland report no FBI crime data of their own. Lake Ripley isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lake Ripley with a neighbor →

Questions about Lake Ripley

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Lake Ripley, WI a good place to live?

We don’t grade Lake Ripley yet; the figures below are still real.