Village · Columbia County, Wisconsin

Fall River, Wisconsin

Fall River is a village in Columbia County, Wisconsin, part of the Madison, WI metro area. It has 1,678 residents. Fall River, Wisconsin has a quality-of-life score of 81 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,944 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wisconsin it ranks #219 of 396 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent as share of income (low), restaurants and bars (high) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), natural hazard risk (high) and dentists (low).

81Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,944 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wisconsin: #219 of 396 in WI
Population: 1,678 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 888.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 5525150

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety75#3,863/15,637
Economy56#6,899/15,631
Housing85#2,198/14,977
Health62#5,967/15,609
Healthcare66#5,353/15,650
Environment57#6,568/15,453
Education64#5,602/15,649
Infrastructure51#7,630/15,650
Community95#716/15,651
Leisure & amenities71#4,484/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fall River, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Columbia County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Rent as share of income · low24.5%
94/100Wisconsin 27.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Restaurants and bars · high14.1 /10k
94/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsColumbia County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Wisconsin 4.3 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataColumbia County value
Rent-burdened households · low39.0%
93/100Wisconsin 43.7%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Wisconsin 4.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationColumbia County value
Drought exposure · low2%
90/100Wisconsin 29%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAColumbia County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-3.3%
6/100Wisconsin 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataColumbia County value
Natural hazard risk · high85.6
14/100Wisconsin 10.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyColumbia County value
Dentists · low36 /100k
18/100Wisconsin 75 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColumbia County value
Suicide rate · high20.7 /100k
19/100Wisconsin 16.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataColumbia County value
Injury deaths · high115 /100k
20/100Wisconsin 101 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColumbia County value
Traffic deaths · high19.2 /100k
22/100Wisconsin 10.2 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataColumbia County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,861 (2015-2019) → 1,678 (2020-2024)
−9.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.3× (2015-2019) → 3.4× (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
43.5% (2015-2019) → 39.0% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
29.8% (2015-2019) → 26.1% (2020-2024)
−3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
13.9% (2015-2019) → 10.5% (2020-2024)
−3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.8% (2015-2019) → 87.9% (2020-2024)
+3.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Fall River, Wisconsin improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Property tax−0.5 points1.86% → 1.32%

Declined1

Price / income+1.0×2.3× → 3.4×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Fall River, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.2 min2015-2019	25.6 min2020-2024	−2.6 min	Within the margin of error	76%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.8%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	−3.7 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Broadband subscriptions	84.8%2015-2019	87.9%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Child poverty rate	13.9%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Effective property tax rate	1.86%2015-2019	1.32%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	92%
High school diploma or higher	90.7%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	21%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3552015-2019	0.3742020-2024	+0.019	Within the margin of error	34%
Median household income	$77,9912015-2019	$72,1672020-2024	−7.5%	Within the margin of error	4%
Poverty rate	8.9%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Rent as share of income	25.4%2015-2019	24.5%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Rent-burdened households	43.5%2015-2019	39.0%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Unemployment rate	2.0%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.7%2015-2019	4.4%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Fall River, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fall River, Wisconsin in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Fall River, Wisconsin itself moved −6.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,678 residents (±185)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

646 households (±66)

Fall River, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k13%†81
$25k–50k22%140
$50k–75k17%110

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

646 households (±66)

Fall River, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own67%436
Rent33%210

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

852 workers (±101)

Fall River, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone83%705
Carpool9.3%†79
Public transit0.2%†

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Madison, WI

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Columbia County, the county holding most of Fall River's residents.

Columbia County has 1,432 employer establishments, 247 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 1.01× Wisconsin's), with 20,998 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,652. The Census Bureau also counts 4,076 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,432; 4,076 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 247; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 20,998
Average annual pay: $50,652; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Columbia County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	145	25	1.62×More than typical	809	$70,692	338
Restaurants and other eating places	138	23.8	1.30×More than typical	1,637	$21,879	5
Full-service restaurants	69	11.9	1.55×More than typical	635	$21,165	3
Truck transportation	60	10.4	2.05×More than typical	334	$58,844	120
Ambulatory health care services	59	10.2	0.49×Fewer than typical	953	$85,318	101
Building equipment contractors	57	9.8	1.63×More than typical	409	$63,289	52
Religious organizations	55	9.5	1.71×More than typical	508	$22,230	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	49	8.5	1.25×More than typical	203	$59,163	247
Limited-service restaurants	48	8.3	1.03×About typical	795	$24,713	—
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	43	7.4	2.35×More than typical	230	$81,487	72
Lessors of real estate	42	7.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	130	$32,038	507
Automotive repair and maintenance	41	7.1	1.41×More than typical	233	$46,841	63

Rank places for an industry Open Columbia County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 57,941 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fall River, Wisconsin: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

6KFY2017
-681.5FY2018
-31.4FY2019
1.1KFY2020
-672FY2021
519.2FY2022

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Fall River, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

Fall River, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Columbia County, WI ($48.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Fall River is mostly in Columbia County.

See federal money in Columbia County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Fall River, Wisconsin is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Glenn GrothmanR-WI-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 2.1%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Columbia County91100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Madison, WI98

Other cities and towns in Columbia County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5525150

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends