City · Juneau County, Wisconsin

Mauston, Wisconsin

Mauston is a city in Juneau County, Wisconsin. It has 4,248 residents. Mauston, Wisconsin has a quality-of-life score of 52 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,482 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wisconsin it ranks #381 of 396 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), property crime rate (low) and rent-burdened households (low). It ranks worst on flu vaccinations (low), adult obesity (high) and adult smoking (high).

52Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,482 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wisconsin: #381 of 396 in WI
Population: 4,248 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 946.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 5550025

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety56#6,908/15,637
Economy38#9,669/15,631
Housing85#2,188/14,977
Health17#13,000/15,609
Healthcare36#10,079/15,650
Environment76#3,693/15,453
Education43#8,920/15,649
Infrastructure33#10,550/15,650
Community64#5,675/15,651
Leisure & amenities73#4,193/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Mauston, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Juneau 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

Preventable hospital stays · low1,298 /100k
98/100Wisconsin 2,596 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJuneau County value
Property crime rate · low256 /100k
98/100Wisconsin 1,017 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationJuneau County value
Rent-burdened households · low32.8%
96/100Wisconsin 43.7%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Restaurants and bars · high15.8 /10k
96/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJuneau County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Wisconsin 4.3 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100k2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionJuneau County value
Rent as share of income · low26.1%
92/100Wisconsin 27.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low27.0%
4/100Wisconsin 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJuneau County value
Adult obesity · high43.2%
9/100Wisconsin 39.2%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high20.8%
10/100Wisconsin 15.2%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Effective property tax rate · high1.79%
12/100Wisconsin 1.32%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Access to exercise opportunities · low52.2%
12/100Wisconsin 83.6%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJuneau County value
Physical inactivity · high32.6%
14/100Wisconsin 27.3%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.2% (2015-2019) → 89.4% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.5 /1k (2021) → 0.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
20.7% (2015-2019) → 12.2% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,933 (2015-2019) → $63,636 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
15.8% (2015-2019) → 9.5% (2020-2024)
−6.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
14.4% (2015-2019) → 20.3% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Mauston, Wisconsin improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved4

Property tax−0.6 points2.42% → 1.79%
Inequality−0.1040.487 → 0.383
Broadband+11 points78.2% → 89.4%
Household income+36%$46,933 → $63,636

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Mauston, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.6 min2015-2019	23.7 min2020-2024	+4.1 min	Within the margin of error	13%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.4%2015-2019	20.3%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Broadband subscriptions	78.2%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	65%
Child poverty rate	20.7%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	−8.5 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Effective property tax rate	2.42%2015-2019	1.79%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Improved	95%
High school diploma or higher	88.0%2015-2019	89.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	63%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4872015-2019	0.3832020-2024	−0.104	Improved	96%
Median household income	$46,9332015-2019	$63,6362020-2024	+36%	Improved	66%
Poverty rate	18.8%2015-2019	18.5%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	22.9%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent-burdened households	33.1%2015-2019	32.8%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.8%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	−6.3 points	Within the margin of error	90%

“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 Mauston, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mauston, 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, Mauston, Wisconsin itself moved +4.4 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

4,248 residents (±31)

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

1,802 households (±131)

Mauston, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k17%†306
$25k–50k24%431
$50k–75k15%†276

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,802 households (±131)

Mauston, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own55%996
Rent45%806

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

2,025 workers (±189)

Mauston, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone79%1,591
Carpool5.0%†102
Public transit0.0%0

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 Juneau County, the county holding most of Mauston's residents.

Juneau County has 541 employer establishments, 203 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248; 0.83× Wisconsin's), with 6,776 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,630. The Census Bureau also counts 1,682 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 541; 1,682 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 203; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 6,776
Average annual pay: $48,630; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	41	15.4	0.84×About typical	495	$17,764	6
Truck transportation	33	12.4	2.45×More than typical	332	$59,202	71
Specialty trade contractors	29	10.9	0.70×Fewer than typical	177	$66,023	150
Religious organizations	25	9.4	1.69×More than typical	139	$21,374	—
Ambulatory health care services	23	8.6	0.41×Fewer than typical	268	$65,239	50
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	22	8.3	6.82×More than typical	126	$19,397	14
Automotive repair and maintenance	20	7.5	1.49×More than typical	121	$44,058	41
Full-service restaurants	20	7.5	0.98×About typical	213	$18,915	6
Gasoline stations	20	7.5	2.32×More than typical	351	$28,838	—
Lessors of real estate	18	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	35	$56,971	143
Services to buildings and dwellings	17	6.4	0.95×About typical	46	$19,304	122
Limited-service restaurants	15	5.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	258	$16,640	—

Rank places for an industry Open Juneau County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 26,606 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 Mauston, 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

80.7FY2017
2.4KFY2018
852FY2019
-109.7FY2020

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 Mauston, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

Mauston, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Juneau County, WI ($5.2M 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: Mauston is mostly in Juneau County.

See federal money in Juneau 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.

Mauston, Wisconsin is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Juneau County62100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Juneau 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/5550025

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends