Ottawa Wisconsin Town Hall, 2013
Ottawa’s story
178 years in pictures
Census counts: 2,795 in 1980, 3,646 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
- 1848Ottawa is settled
OttawaWI
A town of 3,642, settled in 1848. Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Population
3,642
2025 Census estimate · −0.1% since 2020
Typical home
$645K
+8.2% in a year
Household income
$153K
median
Median age
43.2
years
Jobs based here
356
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#60 of 357 in WI
Is Ottawa a good place to live?
Ottawa's standout: the median household earns $153K. Overall it grades A, 60th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. Its schools outperform 89% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country. Ottawa’s median household income is $153,000, above both the Wisconsin town median ($87,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Paradise Valley Wildlife Area, at 1,419 acres with 3.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 3 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Ottawa.
What makes Ottawa stand out
Where Ottawa beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Ottawa for work
Where Ottawa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
356jobs based in Ottawa
1%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ottawa grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Ottawa is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 11%), so the A overall blends very different results.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →SchoolsAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.8 of 20; 0.7% of households have no car; 0.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthOconomowoc Memorial Hospital 9.6 miles awayA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 33% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $645K, 8.2 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9% conserved landA−Open →HistoryBOpen →Civic life4.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 43.2; 44% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ottawa: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ottawa, and how to reach them.
PowerWe Energies20.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDousman Water Utility1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers87% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ottawa’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 Ottawa ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes53118, 53066, 53119, 5315353118 87% · 53066 9% · 53119 2% · 53153 2%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 Ottawa.
Ottawa has less food insecurity than most of Wisconsin and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Wisconsin.
HousingCost of living grade C+
Ottawa stands out in Wisconsin and nationally: a larger share of its households own their home
At 8.2 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $645K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
98% of Ottawa households own their home. Typical home values rose 8.2% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Ottawa is $875 a month.
$645KZillow home value
| Ottawa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 98% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $875 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Ottawa$645K
Wisconsin$337K
+8.2%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
89%of WI districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lad Lake-Lakewood & Passage Schools PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 3–12 | Grades 3–12 | 57 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
OutdoorsA−
Ottawa has set aside 9.2% of its land for conservation
37 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Ottawa’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
#41for trails in WI
| Ottawa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.2% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
9.2%
conserved · 1,987 of 21,540 acres
37 mi
of trails · 1.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kettle Moraine State Forest - Southern Unit | 24.5 mi | 2,679 |
| 2. Paradise Valley Wildlife Area | 3.4 mi | 1,419 |
| 3. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Waukesha Field Station | 2.8 mi | 93 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthA−
Ottawa earns an A− for health
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is food insecurity: 7.3% of its 8,990 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.1% statewide. Against the 2,556 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ottawa’s, it is less healthy than 74%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Ottawa. Ottawa beats the Wisconsin average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Ottawa.
81%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Ottawa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
16 better14 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Ottawa | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.4% | 9.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.6% |
Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital
9.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
78th
percentile among WI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Most working residents commute out of Ottawa
Ottawa has 356 jobs for its 1,591 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Ottawa for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Ottawa grew to 356 in 2023, 102 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Milwaukee (11%), Waukesha (10%) and Oconomowoc (6%).
1%work in town
| Ottawa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 8.4% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ottawa1%
Milwaukee11%
Waukesha10%
Oconomowoc6%
Pewaukee5%
17 mi
median commute distance
356
jobs based in Ottawa
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Ottawa
July afternoons average 82.2°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 83% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 12.3°.
Ottawa has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
51″snow a winter
| Ottawa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–31°
Spring36–56°
Summer58–80°
Fall40–60°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Ottawa faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ottawa.
33risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
paid flood claims since 2008
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ottawa
18pages on Ottawa
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Ottawa
Nashotah HouseUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Nashotah9 miCarroll UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Waukesha13.6 mi$38,890 tuitionWaukesha County Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pewaukee14.1 mi$4,872 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Ottawa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
About Ottawa
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Ottawa is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 856 ft
Ottawa’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Ottawa.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Summit (A) comes closest.
DousmanNorth PrairieSullivanGeneseeEagleSummitOttawa
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | #60 | A | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Dousman | #78 | A | C− | — | A | A− |
| North Prairie | — | — | C+ | — | A | A |
| Sullivan | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Genesee | #166 | B+ | C | — | B | A− |
| Eagle | #130 | A− | C | — | A | A− |
| Summit | #77 | A | C− | A− | A | A |
North Prairie and Sullivan have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ottawa, Dousman, North Prairie, Sullivan, Genesee and Eagle report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ottawa with a neighbor →
Questions about Ottawa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ottawa, WI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Ottawa grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #60 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Ottawa, 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+.