ATC Power Line - panoramio (62), 2013
Pleasant Springs’s story
Pleasant Springs in pictures
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1890 on.
Explore the history →Pleasant SpringsWI
A town of 2,968.
Population
2,968
2025 Census estimate · −3.7% since 2020
Median home value
$444K
Census ACS
Household income
$119K
median
Median age
56.1
years
Jobs based here
452
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#66 of 357 in WI
What should you know before moving to Pleasant Springs?
Pleasant Springs's standout: the median household earns $119K. Overall it grades A, 66th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country and natural-hazard risk is low. Pleasant Springs’ midpoint age is 56.1 years, against 42.1 years in Wisconsin’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. On history, just 53 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. Lake Kegonsa State Park, at 347 acres with 5.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
What makes Pleasant Springs stand out
Where Pleasant Springs beats most towns.
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
17 better15 too close to call0 worse
| Widest gap | Pleasant Springs | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.5% | 9.9% |
HealthA−
Beats WI on 17 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on none
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Natural hazardsA−
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Pleasant Springs for work
Where Pleasant Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
452jobs based in Pleasant Springs
2%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Pleasant Springs grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Pleasant Springs is from typical.
Jobs & income452 jobs based hereA+Open →HealthStoughton Hospital 3.7 miles awayA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 26% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →SchoolsBeat 60% of Wisconsin districts on tests and graduationBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 1.4% of households have no car; 4.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $444K, 5 years of the Madison metro’s $89K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3% conserved landBOpen →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life0 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 37 attractions →Camp Randall Stadium and 18 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pleasant Springs. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
12 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
18 mi State parkAztalan State Park
13 mi Zoo & aquariumHenry Vilas Zoo
11 mi GardenOlbrich Botanical Gardens
12 mi MuseumOverture Center for the ArtsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Camp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Henry Vilas Zoo: Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0 · Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Chief-O at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Overture Center for the Arts: Chief-O of English Wikipedia, Public domain
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Pleasant Springs: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pleasant Springs, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterStoughton WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet11 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Pleasant Springs’ 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 Pleasant Springs ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2026
ZIP codes53589, 5352753589 88% · 53527 11%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 Pleasant Springs.
Pleasant Springs sends most of its workers to Madison and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
HealthA−
For health, Pleasant Springs earns an A−
Against the 5,840 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pleasant Springs’s, it is healthier than 67%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Two figures for adults in Pleasant Springs: 14% report frequent mental distress, 30% have high blood pressure. The share of adults in Pleasant Springs who sleep under 7 hours: 29%.
85%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Pleasant Springs | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
17 better15 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Pleasant Springs | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.5% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 12.1% |
Stoughton Hospital
3.7 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
86th
percentile among WI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
About two in five of Pleasant Springs’ working residents commute to Madison
Pleasant Springs has 452 jobs for its 1,524 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Only 2% of working residents stay in Pleasant Springs for work; the rest commute out. Among residents here, 3.5% live below the poverty line. Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles. The top destinations are Madison (43%), Stoughton (7%) and Fitchburg (4%).
2%work in town
| Pleasant Springs | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $119,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Pleasant Springs2%
Madison43%
Stoughton7%
Fitchburg4%
Cottage Grove3%
13 mi
median commute distance
452
jobs based in Pleasant Springs
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Pleasant Springs, with inland flooding at the top
Federal aid has come to Pleasant Springs households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2018. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in nearly three quarters of U.S. communities. Also worth knowing: the town has had 6 paid flood insurance claims since 2007.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
6
paid flood claims since 2007
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Pleasant Springs, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
The Stoughton weather station records that about 10 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 86% of Wisconsin places with climate records. January nights average 11.3°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 85% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.7°.
The midsummer high for Pleasant Springs comes to 83°F. About 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
36″snow a winter
| Pleasant Springs | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 11°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 11
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB
Protected land: 3.4% of Pleasant Springs
Trails total 8.1 miles in 8 parks and preserves. Pleasant Springs’ trail density comes in at 0.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: 8, covering 632 acres.
#218for trails in WI
| Pleasant Springs | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
3.4%
conserved · 761 of 22,147 acres
8.1 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Kegonsa State Park | 5.1 mi | 347 |
| 2. Door Creek Wetlands Wildlife Area | 0.2 mi | 228 |
| 3. La Follette County Park | 0.1 mi | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Pleasant Springs
19pages on Pleasant Springs
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Pleasant Springs
Madison Area Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Madison12.5 mi$4,977 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonUniversity or college · Public · Madison12.9 mi$11,603 in-state tuitionHerzing University-MadisonUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Madison13 mi$13,450 tuition
About 5 of every 100 Pleasant Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
Pleasant Springs’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with Pleasant Springs.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Stoughton (A−) comes closest.
StoughtonChristianaCottage GroveDunnDunkirkMcFarlandDeerfieldPleasant Springs
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Springs | #66 | A | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Stoughton | #133 | A− | C+ | B− | B | A− |
| Christiana | — | — | C | — | B+ | B+ |
| Cottage Grove | #275 | B− | D | — | B | A |
| Dunn | #251 | B− | C− | — | C+ | A |
| Dunkirk | — | — | B− | — | B | A− |
| McFarland | #227 | B | C− | A− | D | A |
| Deerfield | — | — | C | — | B | A− |
Christiana, Dunkirk and Deerfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Pleasant Springs, Christiana, Cottage Grove, Dunn, Dunkirk and Deerfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Pleasant Springs with a neighbor →
Questions about Pleasant Springs
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Pleasant Springs, WI a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Pleasant Springs grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #66 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− for health and B for schools.
Is Pleasant Springs, 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+.