Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lancaster gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $228K for a typical one, or 3.4 years of the Platteville area’s $67K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 303rd of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools score at or near the bottom of Wisconsin, and its police reported 8 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 85% of U.S. towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. 36% of working residents work locally in Lancaster, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 49 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Grant County Fairgrounds, at 50 acres.
Where Lancaster beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Grant County Courthouse| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Winskill Elementary | PK–5 | 435 |
| St. Clement School | PK–6 | 117 |
| Lancaster Middle | 6–8 | 231 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Lancaster is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for schools (better than 1%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,069 in 1880, 3,907 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster.
3.4 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Lancaster’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Lancaster | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Grant County Fairgrounds | 0.9 mi | 50 |
| 2. Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 25 |
| 3. Schreiner Park | 0.1 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Lancaster Community School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lancaster High, with 325 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winskill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 435 | A |
| Lancaster HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 325 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Lancaster since 1998.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 103 to 30 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lancaster reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 85% report less.
| Lancaster | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The median rent in Lancaster is $806 a month. Typical home values rose 5.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Lancaster | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $806 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Lancaster has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 10° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Lancaster’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Lancaster grew to 2,545 in 2023, 377 more than in 2013. 4.9% of workers work from home in Lancaster.
| Lancaster | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 4.9% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (21% statewide). Lancaster has grown 2.5% since 2020, to 4,031 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Lancaster | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 45.1 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 32% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Lancaster | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.9% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.6% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.6% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
Lancaster beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 40% of Lancaster adults have obesity.
| Lancaster | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Lancaster | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 63.5% | 67.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lancaster
About 6 of every 100 Lancaster residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
6 places in Lancaster on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Lancaster.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,907 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Lancaster.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | #303 | C+ | B+ | C− | D− | B |
| North Lancaster | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Lancaster | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Lancaster and South Lancaster aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lancaster with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lancaster grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #303 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health, C− for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
The public schools Lancaster children attend trail 100% of Wisconsin districts on state tests and graduation, a D− School Grade.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
6 notable people were born here, including George Barnett and William Simon U'Ren.
