Ashland, WI: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Ashland County. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 7,908 in the 2020 census, all of whom resided in the Ashland County portion of the city. The unpopulated Bayfield County portion is in the city's southwest, bordered by the easternmost part of the Town of Eileen. The junction of U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and Wisconsin Highway 13 (WIS 13) is located at this city. It is the home of Northwood Technical College, the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, and the recently closed Northland College. The town's original name, zhamawanik, means '…

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Ashland ranks

All →

#6Shortest commute in WI #20Cheapest rent in WI #47Most affordable in WI All WI rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code54806

Area codeSign in to add

Living in Ashland

Safety in Ashland

C⁻

Safety Grade C-

Ashland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 80% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Ashland 2.1

Wisconsin 2.4

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Ashland 23.9

Wisconsin 10.3

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Ashland

Compared with Wisconsin

16worse than WI

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 16 are too close to call.

Conditions 5▼ 7 close Habits 2▼ 2 close Care 2▼ 5 close Mind 3▼ 2 close Everyday needs 4▼ 0 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

14.4%More older adults who have lost all their teethWI 9.9% · worse 7.4%More adults facing a utility shut-offWI 5.5% · worse 9%More adults without reliable transportationWI 6.7% · worse

Care nearby

Tamarack Health Ashland Medical CenterAshland · 1.3 mi · ER · rural critical access

Northlakes - Ashland DowntownAshland · 0.9 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careNo shortage

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Ashland · CMS · HRSAHealth in Ashland →

Schools in Ashland

All Ashland schools →

D

School Grade D

The public schools Ashland’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 94% of Wisconsin’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Ashland’s schools compare in WI →

DistrictAshland School DistrictSchools5

Lake Superior Elementary C-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 603 students Our Lady of the Lake Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 138 students Ashland Middle C-Middle · Grades 6–8 · 383 students Ashland High DHigh · Grades 9–12 · 589 students Ambleside School of AshlandOther · Grades K–9 · 80 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within WI. Ratings are from neighbors.