Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,024, settled in 1878.
The best of Montrose’s subject grades are an A for incomes and an A− for health and civic life. Montrose’s median age is 48.9 years, above both Wisconsin’s towns (42.1 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Montrose's schools outperform 68% of the state's. Montrose has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Paoli Mills and John Fritz Farmstead. Montrose has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Montrose beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Montrose is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1923 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Montrose. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
13 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
37 mi Park & preserveIce Age Trail
36 mi State parkAztalan State Park
12 mi Zoo & aquariumHenry Vilas Zoo
17 mi State parkBlue Mound State ParkCamp 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 · Blue Mound State Park: Mailseth at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Montrose, 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 Montrose.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 88% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Montrose beats the Wisconsin average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of adults binge drink in Montrose, above both the Wisconsin town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (16%). 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Montrose.
| Montrose | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Montrose | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 12.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.9% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Montrose home is worth about $478,000, up 2.5% in a year, 42% above the Wisconsin typical home. Montrose’s median rent is $863 a month.
| Montrose | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $863 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Montrose for work: only 2% work in town. 1.9% of Montrose residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Montrose grew to 205 in 2023, 69 more than in 2013.
| Montrose | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.9% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Montrose has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 11° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 27% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Montrose has lost 4.1% of its people since 2020, down to 1,024 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Montrose | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 32% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.2 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Montrose | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.1% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.8% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.8% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.3% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 15% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
19 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Brooklyn State Wildlife Area, at 497 acres with 4.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Montrose | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brooklyn State Wildlife Area | 4.8 mi | 497 |
| 2. Olson Oak Woods State Natural Area | 1.3 mi | 109 |
| 3. Friends of School Forest Prairie | 0.8 mi | 72 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Montrose
About 1 of every 100 Montrose residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Montrose’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Montrose on the National Register of Historic Places.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5.4 years of the area's median household income ($88,804 across the Madison, WI metro 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.
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