Henry Fiedler House · National Register of Historic Places
Orion’s story
175 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1860.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1851Orion is settled
OrionWI
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 bordering townsMap →
Henry Fiedler House · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0
Population
538
2025 Census estimate · −0.7% since 2020
Median home value
$236K
Census ACS
Household income
$74K
median
Median age
61.3
years
Jobs based here
90
A commuter town
Is Orion a good place to live?
40% of residents are 65 or older in Orion, above both Wisconsin’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). Among 363 Wisconsin towns, just 2 have a higher median age than Orion. The biggest park or preserve is Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, at 953 acres. Orion has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Orion stand out
Where Orion beats most towns.
Small town
538 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
PulaskiEagleBuena VistaRichlandAvocaOrion
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Orion: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Orion, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPine Valley Community Village water system2 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Orion’s trash rules yet
SchoolsRichland School DistrictRiverdale School District2 districts serve Orion; 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 Orion ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2026
ZIP codes53573, 53581, 5355653573 44% · 53581 41% · 53556 15%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 Orion.
Who lives here
A smaller share of residents are under 18 in Orion than in most of Wisconsin or the rest of the country
12% of Orion residents are under 18, against 21% in Wisconsin’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. People 65 and older are 40% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (22% statewide). 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
61.3median age · WI 40.2
| Orion | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 12% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 32% | 29% |
OrionWisconsinUnited States
Ages · share of residents
22%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school41%
Some college19%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s18%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
About 119 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.8 points). Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 61.4, men 61.3.
| Orion | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 2.8% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21.5% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.3% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 20.5% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.9% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
Work & commute
A smaller share of working residents in Orion work locally than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
0.8% of working residents work locally in Orion. The top destinations are Richland Center (15%), Spring Green (10%) and Madison (10%). Half commute less than 22 miles.
1%work in town
| Orion | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Orion1%
Richland Center15%
Spring Green10%
Madison10%
Muscoda5%
22 mi
median commute distance
90
jobs based in Orion
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Orion
Orion has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 10° and about 40 inches of snow falls in a winter.
40″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–30°
Spring35–57°
Summer59–80°
Fall39–59°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Orion
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities.
66risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Orion is
Orion beats the Wisconsin average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 15% of Orion adults report frequent physical distress.
| Orion | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
1 better19 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Orion | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.4% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6.5% |
Richland Hospital
6.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Orion has set aside 1.4% of its land for conservation
1.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Orion is 0.1 miles per square mile.
1.4%conserved
| Orion | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
1.4%
conserved · 324 of 23,038 acres
1.8 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lower Wisconsin State Riverway | — | 953 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Orion
18pages on Orion
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Orion; the nearest are
Southwest Wisconsin Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fennimore22.7 mi$4,904 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleUniversity or college · Public · Platteville35.9 mi$8,644 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Orion residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Orion for work
Where Orion’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
90jobs based in Orion
1%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Orion
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Orion is a town in Richland County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 541 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Orion and Twin Bluffs are located in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 912 ft
- Area code
- 608
Questions about Orion
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Orion, WI a good place to live?
Orion has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.