Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Oregon grades B+ overall, ranked 167th of 357 in Wisconsin. The median household earns $151K. Residents are healthier than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools rank ahead of 78% of Wisconsin towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $456K for a typical one and 5.1 times the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. Oregon’s median household income is $151,000, above both the Wisconsin town median ($87,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). On walkability, just 27 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Brooklyn State Wildlife Area, at 1,333 acres.
Where Oregon beats most towns.
Where Oregon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Oregon is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 6%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 527 in 1880, 11,179 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 5 maps from 1889 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Oregon. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
12 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
40 mi Park & preserveIce Age Trail
31 mi State parkAztalan State Park
11 mi Zoo & aquariumHenry Vilas Zoo
12 mi MuseumOverture Center for the ArtsCamp 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 · Overture Center for the Arts: Chief-O of English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oregon, 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 Oregon.
Oregon sends most of its workers to Madison and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
Against the 2,706 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oregon’s, it is less healthy than 63%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
21% of Oregon adults binge drink. Oregon beats the Wisconsin average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 30% of Oregon adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Oregon | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Oregon | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 12.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oregon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Oregon has 284 jobs for its 1,542 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Oregon for work: only 1% work in town. 2.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Oregon. Jobs based in Oregon grew to 284 in 2023, 69 more than in 2013.
| Oregon | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.1% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 18% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Anderson Farm County Park | 5.1 mi | 128 |
| 2. Brooklyn State Wildlife Area | 0.9 mi | 1,333 |
| 3. Town Park | 0.4 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Stoughton weather station, 11 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 163 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 76% of Wisconsin places with climate records. The Stoughton weather station, 11 miles away, records that about 10 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 83% of Wisconsin places with climate records.
Oregon has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 11° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2 within 15 miles of the center of Oregon
About 3 of every 100 Oregon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Oregon is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,179 at the 2020 census. A suburb south of Madison, it is part of the Madison metropolitan area. The village is located mostly within the Town of Oregon.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Oregon.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | #167 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A− |
| Oregon | #20 | A+ | C | A | A− | A |
| Brooklyn | — | — | C− | — | B+ | A− |
| Brooklyn | — | — | B− | — | A− | A |
| Montrose | — | — | B | — | B+ | A− |
| Rutland | — | — | B− | — | B+ | A− |
Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Montrose and Rutland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Oregon, Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Montrose and Rutland report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Oregon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Oregon grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #167 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Walkability 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−.
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