Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Waterloo grades B overall, ranked 217th of 357 in Wisconsin, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 88% of U.S. towns and it has 6 miles of trail. On the other side, its public schools trail 78% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. Waterloo’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 20 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Firemen's Park, at 43 acres.
Where Waterloo beats most towns.
4.5% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Waterloo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 727 in 1870, 3,492 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waterloo, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Waterloo.
Waterloo sees little violent crime and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin; it also has commutes longer than most of Wisconsin.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dr. J.S. Garman Nature Preserve | 1.4 mi | 42 |
| 2. Firemen's Park | 0.6 mi | 43 |
| 3. Morrisin Field | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Waterloo School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 281 | C |
| Waterloo HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 232 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
At 0 per 1,000 residents, Waterloo’s violent crime rate is below both Wisconsin’s towns (1.1) and U.S. towns (1.6). The property crime rate in Waterloo is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Waterloo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Lake Mills Wwtp weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 12 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 79% of Wisconsin places with climate records. July afternoons average 82.5°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 90% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 11.1°.
Waterloo has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Waterloo’s January low is 11°F. About 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Waterloo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 11°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waterloo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 1,592 working residents takes 32.2 minutes, against 22.2 across Wisconsin.
Most working residents leave Waterloo for work: only 11% work in town. 14% of Waterloo residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Waterloo grew to 2,036 in 2023, 342 more than in 2013.
| Waterloo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 8.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin average. 24% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Waterloo. Waterloo has grown 3.3% since 2020, to 3,600 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Waterloo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.8 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Waterloo | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.6% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.8% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 45.1% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.9% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.5% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.6% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.3% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Waterloo home is worth about $322,000, up 4.3% in a year, close to the Wisconsin typical home.
| Waterloo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,106 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Waterloo beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Waterloo | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Waterloo | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults screened for colon cancer | 63.4% | 69.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waterloo. Close and well known come first.
23 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
10 mi State parkAztalan State Park
22 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
4 mi Theme parkLittle Amerricka
40 mi State parkDevil's Lake State Park
19 mi GardenOlbrich Botanical GardensCamp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Little Amerricka: Dklompmaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Devil's Lake State Park: CrispAir at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Chief-O at English Wikipedia, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Waterloo
About 1 of every 100 Waterloo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
2 places in Waterloo on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Waterloo is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census. The name Waterloo was suggested by a French resident who was one of Napoleon's soldiers at the Battle of Waterloo. Waterloo is located in the Watertown–Fort Atkinson micropolitan area. The city is the home of Trek Bicycle Corporation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Waterloo.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo · Waterloo | #217 | B | B− | A | C− | B− |
| Portland | — | — | C | — | C− | B− |
| Medina | — | — | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
Portland and Medina have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Portland and Medina report no FBI crime data of their own. Waterloo and Waterloo are one community, graded once. Compare Waterloo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Waterloo grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #217 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B− for health, A for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
2 notable people were born here, including Everis A. Hayes and Tom Hamilton.
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