WIMap-doton-Stratford, 2004
Stratford’s story
135 years in pictures
Census counts: 763 in 1910, 1,581 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
- 1891Stratford is platted
StratfordWI
A town of 1,619, platted in 1891. Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Population
1,619
2025 Census estimate · +1.8% since 2020
Typical home
$277K
+9.2% in a year
Household income
$67K
median
Median age
47.5
years
Jobs based here
880
Balanced
Is Stratford a good place to live?
Stratford’s best subject grades are an A for schools and an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a C for incomes. On cost of living, just 65 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Stratford’s January low is 5°F, below both the Wisconsin town median (11°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F). The biggest place to walk is Klemme Reserve, 62 acres with 1.5 miles of trail. Stratford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Stratford stand out
Where Stratford beats most towns.
Stratford School District
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Stratford Elementary | PK–5 | 328 |
| St. Joseph School | PK–7 | 34 |
| Stratford Middle | 6–8 | 163 |
SchoolsA
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Typical home value
Stratford$277K
Wisconsin$337K
Cost of livingA−
3.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 83% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
How Stratford grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Stratford is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →Jobs & income$67K median household income; 880 jobs based hereCOpen →HealthMarshfield Medical Center 10 miles awayB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7 of 20; 11.5% of households have no car; 3.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 40% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trailsB−Open →HistoryPlatted 1891; 1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life3.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 80° summer afternoons, 45″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 47.5; 22% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Stratford: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Stratford, and how to reach them.
PowerVillage of StratfordEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterStratford Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offTown of Eau Pleine Garbage & Recycling Center, 4 miOpenStreetMap
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 hereVillage of Stratford ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5448454484 100%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 Stratford.
SchoolsA
Stratford’s public schools outperform 86% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Stratford School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
86%of WI districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 328 | A− |
| Stratford HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 277 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Stratford
Stratford has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 80°F, Stratford’s July high is below both Wisconsin’s towns (82°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
45″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter8–26°
Spring31–54°
Summer55–78°
Fall36–55°
Oct 5
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB+
Stratford ranks healthier than 65% of the country’s towns
Stratford tracks Wisconsin closely on all 32 CDC measures. 20% of adults binge drink in Stratford.
65%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Stratford | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 78% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Marshfield Medical Center
10 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A−
Stratford’s typical home value is about $277K
The typical Stratford home is worth about $277,000, up 9.2% in a year, 18% below the Wisconsin typical home. Stratford’s median rent is $783 a month.
$277KZillow home value
| Stratford | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $783 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 74% | 73% |
Typical home value
Stratford$277K
Wisconsin$337K
+9.2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
About one in three of Stratford’s working residents commute to Marshfield
Most working residents leave Stratford for work: only 11% work in town. 14% of Stratford residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Marshfield (32%), Wausau (8%) and Marathon City (3%).
11%work in town
| Stratford | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Stratford11%
Marshfield32%
Wausau8%
Marathon City3%
Stevens Point2%
13 mi
median commute distance
880
jobs based in Stratford
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Stratford
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 3,398 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Klemme Reserve | 1.5 mi | 62 |
| 2. Stratford School Forest | 0.2 mi | 49 |
| 3. Connor Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Stratford
19pages on Stratford
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Stratford; the nearest are
Northcentral Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wausau24.5 mi$4,889 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity or college · Public · Stevens Point30.8 mi$9,488 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Stratford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Stratford
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Stratford is a village in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,581 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,266 ft
- ZIP code
- 54484
Stratford’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Stratford.
Eau PleineClevelandStratford
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford | — | — | A− | — | A | B+ |
| Eau Pleine | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cleveland | — | — | B− | — | A | B |
Stratford and Cleveland have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Stratford and Cleveland report no FBI crime data of their own. Eau Pleine isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Stratford with a neighbor →
Questions about Stratford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Stratford, WI a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Is Stratford, WI expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.