Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. McFarland grades B overall, 227th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. It is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns. The median household earns $98K and it reports less crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $491K for a typical one and 5.5 times the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. 49% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in McFarland, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%. On the outdoors, just 69 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. McFarland has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them McFarland House and Waubesa School.
Where McFarland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
7,808 counted in 2010 and 8,991 in 2020; an estimated 9,145 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far McFarland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 168 in 1880, 8,991 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 6 maps from 1890 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around McFarland. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
7 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
36 mi Park & preserveIce Age Trail
22 mi State parkAztalan State Park
7 mi Zoo & aquariumHenry Vilas Zoo
6 mi GardenOlbrich Botanical GardensCamp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Ice Age Trail: MDuchek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Henry Vilas Zoo: Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0 · Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Chief-O at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in McFarland, 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 McFarland.
McFarland has less tooth loss than most of Wisconsin and has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin; it also trails Blooming Grove and its other neighbors on schools.
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is tooth loss: 5.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide.
28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in McFarland. McFarland beats the Wisconsin average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 21% of adults binge drink in McFarland.
| McFarland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | McFarland | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 5 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Blooming Grove highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the McFarland School District. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wisconsin Virtual Academy High (WIVA), with 1,566 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Mound MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 534 | B |
| McFarland HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 727 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
2.9 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Upper Mud Lake Unit, at 121 acres.
| McFarland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Indian Mound Conservation Park | 0.6 mi | 24 |
| 2. Marsh Woods Park | 0.5 mi | 17 |
| 3. Upper Mud Lake Unit | 0.2 mi | 121 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $6,253, against $3,792 across Wisconsin, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
McFarland’s median rent is $1,458 a month. The typical McFarland home is worth about $491,000, up 2.2% in a year, 46% above the Wisconsin typical home.
| McFarland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,458 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in McFarland is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| McFarland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
21.6% of workers work from home, against 13.1% across Wisconsin.
Most working residents leave McFarland for work: only 8% work in town. 22% of McFarland workers work from home. Since 2013, McFarland has added 188 jobs, to 3,021 in 2023.
| McFarland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in McFarland since 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Madison Dane Rgnl Ap weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 160 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 76% of Wisconsin places with climate records. The Madison Dane Rgnl Ap weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 9 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 83% of Wisconsin places with climate records.
McFarland has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 11° and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4 within 15 miles of the center of McFarland
About 4 of every 100 McFarland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where McFarland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in McFarland on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in McFarland.
Village in Wisconsin, United States
McFarland is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, situated on Lake Waubesa. The population was 8,991 at the 2020 census, the village has a population of 9,597. A suburb of Madison, it is part of the Madison metropolitan area, with U.S. Route 51 serving as the primary artery to Madison and Stoughton. The postal code is 53558.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with McFarland.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McFarland | #227 | B | C− | A− | D | A |
| Dunn | #251 | B− | C− | — | C+ | A |
| Madison | #289 | C+ | D | C | C | A |
| Blooming Grove | — | — | B | — | B+ | A |
| Cottage Grove | #275 | B− | D | — | B | A |
| Pleasant Springs | #66 | A | C+ | — | B | A− |
Blooming Grove has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Dunn, Blooming Grove, Cottage Grove and Pleasant Springs report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare McFarland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. McFarland grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #227 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health, A− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
4 notable people were born here, including Conrad Elvehjem and Jana Schneider.
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