MelroseWisconsinDowntownWIS54, 2010
Melrose’s story
Melrose in pictures
Census counts: 144 in 1880, 544 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and a map from 1969 on.
Explore the history →MelroseWI
A town of 467.
Population
467
2025 Census estimate · −0.4% since 2020
Median home value
$200K
Census ACS
Household income
$75K
median
Median age
41.3
years
Jobs based here
191
Balanced
Is Melrose a good place to live?
Melrose’s average trip to work is 30 minutes, above both Wisconsin’s towns (22 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The biggest park or preserve is Sand Creek Streambank Protection Area, at 39 acres. Melrose has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
467 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Little FallsIrvingNorth BendFranklinMelrose
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Melrose: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Melrose, and how to reach them.
PowerJackson Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterMelrose WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Melrose’s trash rules yet
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.govWho runs elections hereTown of Melrose ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes54642, 5461554642 94% · 54615 6%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 Melrose.
Climate
In Melrose, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Melrose has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 7° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
36″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–28°
Spring34–56°
Summer58–80°
Fall38–58°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 9
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Schools
The schools Melrose’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Melrose-Mindoro School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Melrose-Mindoro Junior/Senior High, with 327 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose-Mindoro ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 399 | A− |
| Melrose-Mindoro Junior/Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 327 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Most working residents commute out of Melrose
Most working residents leave Melrose for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Melrose has added 96 jobs, to 191 in 2023. The top destinations are Black River Falls (15%), La Crosse (11%) and Melrose (4%).
3%work in town
| Melrose | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Melrose3%
Black River Falls15%
La Crosse11%
Melrose4%
Whitehall3%
24 mi
median commute distance
191
jobs based in Melrose
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Melrose
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities.
64risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Melrose is
Melrose beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Melrose, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 14%. 30% of adults get no exercise outside work in Melrose.
| Melrose | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better26 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Melrose | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13% | 9.9% |
| More smokers | 17.3% | 13.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6.5% |
Black River Memorial Hospital
15 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Melrose has set aside 0.6% of its land for conservation
4.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Melrose is 0.2 miles per square mile.
0.6%conserved
| Melrose | 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 |
0.6%
conserved · 97 of 17,585 acres
4.2 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sand Creek Streambank Protection Area | — | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Melrose
18pages on Melrose
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Melrose; the nearest are
University of Wisconsin-La CrosseUniversity or college · Public · La Crosse23.5 mi$10,070 in-state tuitionWestern Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · La Crosse23.9 mi$4,820 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Melrose residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Melrose
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Melrose is a village in Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 544 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Melrose.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 761 ft
- ZIP code
- 54642
Questions about Melrose
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Melrose, WI a good place to live?
Melrose has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.