Pokrandt Blacksmith Shop · National Register of Historic Places
Oakland’s story
180 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1846Oakland is settled
OaklandWI
6 bordering townsMap →
Pokrandt Blacksmith Shop · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0
Population
3,215
2025 Census estimate · −0.2% since 2020
Median home value
$354K
Census ACS
Household income
$95K
median
Median age
51.0
years
Jobs based here
205
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#302 of 357 in WI
Is Oakland a good place to live?
Oakland is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, ranked 302nd of 357 in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 57% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $354K, 4.2 years of the Watertown area’s $84K median household income. Oakland’s median age is 51 years, above both the Wisconsin town median (42.1 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Pokrandt Blacksmith Shop is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
StrongestA−Civic life
What makes Oakland stand out
Where Oakland beats most towns.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Oakland for work
Where Oakland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
205jobs based in Oakland
3%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Oakland grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Oakland is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 23% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.6 of 20; 4.9% of households have no car; 2.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →SchoolsBOpen →HealthFort Memorial Hospital 7.1 miles awayBOpen →Jobs & income$95K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trails; 4% conserved landB−Open →History1 place on the National Register; 2 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life3.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Oakland: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oakland, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOak Ridge Mobile Com 1 & 2 water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet11 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Oakland’s trash rules yet
SchoolsCambridge School DistrictFort Atkinson School District2 districts serve Oakland; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 Oakland ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes53523, 53538, 5355153523 67% · 53538 32% · 53551 1%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 Oakland.
Oakland sends most of its workers to Fort Atkinson and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Oakland sends most of its workers out of town
Oakland has 205 jobs for its 1,313 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Fort Atkinson (13%), Madison (10%) and Cambridge (5%). Commuting out is the norm in Oakland: 3% of working residents work locally. Jobs based in Oakland grew to 205 in 2023, 121 more than in 2013. Half of commuters travel less than 18 miles.
3%work in town
| Oakland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 17% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.7% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Oakland3%
Fort Atkinson13%
Madison10%
Cambridge5%
Deerfield4%
18 mi
median commute distance
205
jobs based in Oakland
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Oakland faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 77% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 46% of Oakland’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 19% to tornadoes. 3 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 1979.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
3
paid flood claims since 1979
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Oakland brings four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons average 82.5°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 90% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 11.7°.
For Oakland, the peak summer temperature is 83°F. About 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
36″snow a winter
| Oakland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–31°
Spring36–57°
Summer59–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Oakland is healthier than 56% of U.S. towns
Against the 9,350 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oakland’s, it is less healthy than 60%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Two figures for adults in Oakland: 31% sleep under 7 hours, 18% binge drink. For adults in the town, the share who have obesity is 41%.
56%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Oakland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better31 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Oakland | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 8.6% |
Fort Memorial Hospital
7.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
34th
percentile among WI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsB−
4.2% of Oakland is conserved land
Oakland’s trail network density stands at 0.1 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 2.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Red Cedar Lake State Natural Area, at 445 acres.
#267for trails in WI
| Oakland | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
4.2%
conserved · 956 of 22,958 acres
2.9 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Ripley Management District Preserve | 2 mi | 208 |
| 2. Red Cedar Lake State Natural Area | — | 445 |
| 3. Ripley Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Oakland
19pages on Oakland
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Oakland
About 8 of every 100 Oakland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Oakland
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Oakland is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,231 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Breezy Knoll, Oakland, and Sylvan Mounds, as well as the census-designated place of Lake Ripley, are located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 876 ft
Oakland’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Oakland.
CambridgeLake RipleySumnerChristianaLake MillsJeffersonOakland
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | #302 | C+ | C+ | — | B | B |
| Cambridge | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Lake Ripley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sumner | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Christiana | — | — | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Lake Mills | — | — | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Jefferson | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
Cambridge, Christiana, Lake Mills and Jefferson have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Oakland, Cambridge, Christiana, Lake Mills and Jefferson report no FBI crime data of their own. Lake Ripley and Sumner aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Oakland with a neighbor →
Questions about Oakland
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Oakland, WI a good place to live?
Oakland grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #302 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health and B for schools.
Is Oakland, WI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Oakland, WI known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Billy Sullivan and John W. Porter.