Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
33% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
The best of Lanark’s subject grades are an A for civic life and an A− for history; the weakest is a D for walkability. On walkability, just 46 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. Only 74 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns score higher on civic life. Lanark has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Pipe School and Severance-Pipe Farmstead. Lanark has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Lanark beats most towns.
Severance-Pipe FarmsteadWhere Lanark’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 Lanark is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1889 and a map from 1985 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lanark, 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 Lanark.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.3% of Lanark working residents work locally, against 8.3% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Lanark’s median household income is $104,000. The top destinations are Stevens Point (19%), Plover (7%) and Waupaca (6%).
| Lanark | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $104,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). At 48.5 years, Lanark’s median age is where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 42.1 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Lanark | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.5 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.3 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Lanark | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.6% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.7% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.9% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 23.4% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.9% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.7% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.9% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.5% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.1% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
Lanark has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Lanark is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lanark tracks Wisconsin closely on all 32 CDC measures. 29% of Lanark adults feel lonely.
| Lanark | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Hartman Creek State Park, 87 acres with 1.6 miles of trail.
| Lanark | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hartman Creek State Park | 1.6 mi | 87 |
| 2. Stedman Wayside Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Lanark; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Lanark residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
2 places in Lanark on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Lanark is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 1,535. The unincorporated community of Badger is within the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lanark.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lanark | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| Buena Vista | — | — | B− | — | B− | B |
| Amherst | — | — | C− | — | B+ | B |
| Belmont | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Farmington | #211 | B | B− | — | B | B− |
Lanark, Buena Vista and Amherst have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lanark, Buena Vista, Amherst and Farmington report no FBI crime data of their own. Belmont isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lanark with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
33% more nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
