Village · Wisconsin
Melrose, Wisconsin
Melrose, village, in Jackson County, Wisconsin. Melrose had 528 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.6% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 544 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 562 (±96). GEOID 5550750.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
528
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 544 · ACS 2020-2024: 562 ±96
Median household income
$48,750
±$13,771 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $77,485
Median home value
$151,600
±$16,937 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $266,500
Median gross rent
$744
±$304 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $1,087
Where is Melrose and what county is it in?
Melrose is a village in Jackson County, Wisconsin. It covers 0.8 square miles of land, 679 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Melrose, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 528 people lived in Melrose on July 1, 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, while Wisconsin grew 1.3%. The 2020 Census counted 544 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 562 (±96).
| Measure | Melrose | Jackson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 562 ±96 | 20,981 | no clear change |
| Households | 232 ±46 | 8,274 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.42 ±0.33 | 2.38 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 232 ±46 | 9,750 | no clear change |
Melrose's population since 2000
From 529 in 2000 to 528 in 2025: down 0.2%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Melrose as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Melrose?
The median resident of Melrose is 36.1 years old; 20.3% are under 18 and 15.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 87.2%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 6.0%.
| Measure | Melrose | Jackson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.1 ±8.9 | 43.4 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 20.3% ±5.3 pts | 21.1% | – |
| 65 years and over | 15.3% ±5.1 pts | 20.5% | – |
| Male | 48.8% ±5.4 pts | 53.6% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6.0% ±4.6 pts | 3.7% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 87.2% ±6.3 pts | 85.3% | −8.3 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 0.5% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 4.5% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 5.9% ±5.7 pts | 3.6% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.7% ±0.8 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.2% ±0.4 pts | 4.8% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 6.5% ±2.9 pts | 9.1% | – |
| With a disability | 12.6% ±4.3 pts | 13.6% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 4.1% ±4.2 pts | 6.8% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 96.6% ±2.6 pts | 92.1% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 18.0% ±6.1 pts | 15.9% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 4.4% ±2.3 pts | 5.6% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 89.9% ±6.3 pts | 87.9% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±4.0 pts | 1.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Melrose earn?
Half of Melrose's 232 households earn less than $48,750 a year (±$13,771), against $68,110 in Jackson County and $77,485 in Wisconsin. In 2015-2019 the median was $74,696 in 2024 dollars, so it fell by $25,946 after inflation. 18.9% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Melrose | Jackson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,750 ±$13,771 | $68,110 | −$25,946 |
| Mean household income | $67,564 ±$10,335 | $84,451 | – |
| Per capita income | $28,308 ±$3,619 | $34,930 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 18.9% ±7.4 pts | 12.4% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 40.4% ±18.3 pts | 15.9% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 21.6% ±9.3 pts | 15.3% | – |
| Households with a computer | 90.9% ±6.7 pts | 91.1% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 77.6% ±8.8 pts | 84.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Melrose?
Owners occupy 72.4% of Melrose's occupied homes and renters 27.6%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $151,600 by its owner (±$16,937). The median renter pays $744 a month including utilities, and 57.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Melrose | Jackson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $151,600 ±$16,937 | $196,100 | +$26,069 |
| Median gross rent | $744 ±$304 | $787 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 57.8% ±26.2 pts | 32.2% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,201 ±$159 | $1,454 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 72.4% ±12.2 pts | 80.1% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 27.6% ±12.2 pts | 19.9% | – |
| Housing units | 232 ±46 | 9,750 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±12.5 pts | 0.9% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±28.9 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 84.1% ±12.4 pts | 80.2% | – |
| Mobile homes | 1.3% ±1.4 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±9.2 pts | 1.2% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 0.0% ±9.2 pts | 7.8% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 38.4% ±11.9 pts | 19.7% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 5.2% ±6.0 pts | 5.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Melrose building?
Builders took permits for 3 new housing units in Melrose in 2025 (3 in single-family houses), 5.7 per 1,000 residents against 4.3 across Wisconsin.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Melrose work and get to work?
73.0% of Melrose's workers drive alone and 5.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 31.0 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.4%.
| Measure | Melrose | Jackson County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 64.3% ±7.5 pts | 57.2% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% ±2.7 pts | 4.7% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 73.0% ±9.8 pts | 79.9% | – |
| Carpooled | 4.6% ±3.3 pts | 8.1% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±7.7 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Walked | 14.2% ±10.0 pts | 2.4% | – |
| Worked from home | 5.3% ±3.1 pts | 7.5% | −8.6 pts |
| Mean travel time to work | 31.0 min ±5.2 | 25.9 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Melrose?
No census tract lies mostly in Melrose; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9604Jackson County | 4,355 | $73,889 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Melrose) · Census block assignment files
How does Melrose compare with other places in Wisconsin?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Melrose is the 12,980th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 472nd-most populous of 608 in Wisconsin.
Melrose is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 472nd | 608 |
Melrose's figures with every place in Wisconsin (CSV)
Every place in Wisconsin, sortable · Compare Melrose with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Melrose?
20 of the 57 figures for Melrose on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Melrose are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Melrose.