Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wisconsin Dells gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $298K, 3.4 years of the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 281st among Wisconsin State's 357 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 11% of residents live below the poverty line, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 23% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it has 6 miles of trail. Wisconsin Dells’ violent crime rate is 8.1 per 1,000 residents, against 1.2 in Wisconsin State’s towns and 1.9 across U.S. towns. Wisconsin Dells has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them H. H. Bennett Studio and Wawbeek-Horace A.J. Upham House. Only 6 of the 190 Wisconsin State towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Wisconsin Dells.
Where Wisconsin Dells beats most towns.
Where Wisconsin Dells’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin State), ordered by how far Wisconsin Dells is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,114 in 1870, 2,942 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wisconsin Dells, 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 Wisconsin Dells.
Wisconsin Dells draws workers from Lake Delton and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin State.
5.9 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Wisconsin Dells’ trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Wisconsin Dells | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 18% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area | 2 mi | 661 |
| 2. Jenkin's Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Rocky Arbor State Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Wisconsin Dells School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wisconsin Dells High, with 563 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Hill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 628 | B+ |
| Wisconsin Dells HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 563 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
3,029 jobs are based in Wisconsin Dells, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Wisconsin Dells for work: only 17% work in town. Since 2013, Wisconsin Dells has added 514 jobs, to 3,029 in 2023. The average trip to work in Wisconsin Dells is 22 minutes.
| Wisconsin Dells | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Wisconsin Dells weather station records that 41 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 76% of Wisconsin State places with climate records. The Wisconsin Dells weather station records that about 10 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 84% of Wisconsin State places with climate records.
Wisconsin Dells has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82° and January nights drop to 9°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Wisconsin Dells's reported crime rate is well above Wisconsin State's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 28 violent crimes were reported in 2022.
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin State average. Wisconsin Dells has grown 7% since 2020, to 3,149 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 19% of residents are under 18 in Wisconsin Dells.
| Wisconsin Dells | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.8 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.8 points. Across Wisconsin State, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Wisconsin Dells | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.1% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.6% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
54% of Wisconsin Dells households own their home. Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Wisconsin Dells | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $971 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,323 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wisconsin Dells’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Its B for health tops all 4 graded neighbors; Lake Delton (B−) comes closest.
Wisconsin Dells beats the Wisconsin State average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Wisconsin Dells | Wisconsin State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Wisconsin Dells | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wisconsin Dells. Close and well known come first.
in town Canyon & gorgeDells of the Wisconsin River3 mi Theme parkNoah's Ark Water Park
14 mi Park & preserveIce Age Trail
2 mi Theme parkMt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
16 mi State parkDevil's Lake State Park13 mi MuseumMid-Continent Railway MuseumDells of the Wisconsin River: atramos, CC BY 2.0 · Ice Age Trail: MDuchek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Devil's Lake State Park: CrispAir at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
None within 15 miles of Wisconsin Dells; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Wisconsin Dells residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin State.
5 places in Wisconsin Dells on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Wisconsin Dells (formerly Kilbourn) is a city in Columbia, Sauk, Adams and Juneau counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,942 at the 2020 census. The city takes its name from the Dells of the Wisconsin River, a scenic gorge that features sandstone formations along the banks of the Wisconsin River. It is a popular Midwestern tourist destination, home to several water parks and tourist attractions. Wisconsin Dells is about 42 miles (68 km) northwest of Madison, the state's capital city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Wisconsin Dells.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Dells | #281 | C+ | B | — | B− | B |
| Dell Prairie | — | — | D | — | B− | C+ |
| Newport | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lyndon | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C |
| Delton | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Lake Delton | #230 | B− | B+ | — | B− | B− |
Dell Prairie, Lyndon and Delton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Wisconsin Dells, Dell Prairie, Lyndon, Delton and Lake Delton report no FBI crime data of their own. Newport isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wisconsin Dells with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wisconsin Dells grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #281 of 357 in Wisconsin State. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income 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.
