Preston’s January low is 6°F, below both Wisconsin’s towns (11°F) and U.S. towns (22°F). The biggest park or preserve is Lakes Coulee Wildlife Area, at 800 acres. Preston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

961 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Blair · 3 mi Whitehall · 6 mi Taylor · 7 mi Ettrick · 7 mi Pigeon · 7 mi Springfield · 8 mi

BlairEttrickArcadiaSpringfieldPigeonLincolnCurranPreston

Getting set up

Moving to Preston: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Preston, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerRiverland Energy Cooperative16.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterBlair WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4

Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Preston’s trash rules yet

SchoolsBlair-Taylor School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereTown of Preston ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023

ZIP codes54616, 54773, 54612, 5465954616 92% · 54773 4% · 54612 3% · 54659 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 Preston.

Work & commute

With only 0.5 jobs per working resident, most people in Preston work out of town

Preston’s typical journey to work comes in at 26 minutes. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 138, to 218. Half the trips to work are shorter than 18 miles. The top destinations are Whitehall (19%), La Crosse (8%) and Arcadia (7%).

5%work in town

	Preston	Wisconsin towns	U.S. towns
Median household income	$101,000	$87,000	$80,000
Average trip to work	26 minutes	22 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	5%	8.3%	8%
Below the poverty line	8.1%	6.4%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Preston5%

Whitehall19%

La Crosse8%

Arcadia7%

Blair6%

18 mi

median commute distance

218

jobs based in Preston

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pagePreston’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here218 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work5% work in Preston Commute times26 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 18 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Schools

The schools Preston’s kids attend

The Blair-Taylor School District runs its public schools. Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The 2 public schools in Preston teach 601 students between them.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Blair-Taylor ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	306	B⁻
Blair-Taylor Middle/HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12	Grades 6–12	295	C

Full pagePreston’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsBlair-Taylor School District Vs. the neighbors7 bordering towns Every school3 schools · Blair-Taylor Elementary Questions“Are Preston’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Climate

Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Preston

The peak summer temperature in Preston is 82°F.

41″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter10–28°

Spring34–56°

Summer58–80°

Fall37–58°

Oct 1

typical first frost

May 9

typical last frost

+1.6°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pagePreston’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 82°, January lows 6°Rain & snow41″ of snow a winter · 35 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.6° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

The biggest natural risk in Preston is inland flooding, at a high overall level

For Preston, the FEMA risk score is 65 of 100. Since 1992, Preston has seen 11 flood insurance claims paid out. 58% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 16%.

65risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes

paid flood claims since 1992

Full pagePreston’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims11 paid flood claims · Since 1992 Past disasters13 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready2.8 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Health