Mauston is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,347 as of the 2020 census. It is approximately 70 miles northwest from the state capital, Madison.

History

Mauston was founded by Milton M. Maughs. The town was originally named Maughs Town, after him. The town's beginning was based on the lumber industry of early Wisconsin. The history of Mauston is currently preserved in the Boorman House on Union Street.http://epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=24272 e-Podunk

Geography

Mauston is located at (43.798, -90.077). It is in the Central Standard time zone. Elevation is 883 feet. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Climate

Transportation

Mauston is served by the Mauston-New Lisbon Union Airport (82C). This general-aviation airport is jointly owned with New Lisbon. The closest airports with commercial service are Dane County Regional Airport and La Crosse Regional Airport, about one hour in either direction via

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

. I-90 and

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

run concurrently, with an interchange located at Wisconsin Highway 82. U.S. Route 12 and

Wisconsin Highway 16 State Trunk Highway 16 (often called Highway 16, STH-16 or WIS 16) is a Wisconsin state highway running from Pewaukee across the state to La Crosse. Much of its route in the state parallels the former mainline of the Milwaukee Road and c ...

run concurrently northwest/southeast through downtown as a two-lane road almost parallel to the interstates. Wisconsin Highway 58 runs north/south through town and crosses over I-90/I-94 without an exit. WIS-82 runs east/west through town with a brief concurrency with WIS-58, then continues east to the interchange. Mauston is served by the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Tomah Subdivision, the former Milwaukee Road main line between Chicago and Seattle.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 4,347. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,955 housing units at an average density of . Ethnically, the population was 3.6%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. When grouping both Hispanic and non-Hispanic people together by race, the city was 89.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.7%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.2% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. The 2020 census population of the city included 378 people incarcerated in adult correctional facilities. According to the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates for 2016-2020, the median income for a household in the city was $49,730, and the median income for a family was $63,839. Male full-time workers had a median income of $40,547 versus $35,809 for female workers. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $26,214. About 7.6% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 22% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 89.2% were high school graduates or higher and 15.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,423 people, 1,779 households, and 985 families living in the city. The

was . There were 2,006 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.8%

, 2.6%

, 1.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 3.5% of the population. There were 1,779 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,740 people, 1,585 households, and 963 families living in the city. The

was 1,022.6 people per square mile (394.5/km²). There were 1,729 housing units at an average density of 472.8 per square mile (182.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.28%

, 0.67%

, 0.35% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 2.11% of the population. There were 1,585 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45% were

living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.

Education

MaustonWisconsinLibraryWIS58WIS82US12WIS16

The city and surrounding area are served by the Mauston Area School District, which provides kindergarten through senior high education. District schools include West Side Elementary (grades 4K-2), Grayside Elementary (grades 3–5), Olson Middle School (which is housed in the former high school and serves grades 6, 7, and 8), and Mauston High School, which opened its doors in 2001. Lyndon Station Elementary School, which houses grades K-5, is located in nearby Lyndon Station. A pre-K through 8th grade Catholic parochial school has been operated by St. Patrick Parish since 1895. The parish also operated St. Patrick High School from 1933 to 1951, and Madonna High School from 1951 to 1966. This school holds about 200 students from all counties of Southern Wisconsin. Mauston is also home to a campus of Western Technical College.

Media

* WRJC-FM, radio *'' Juneau County Star-Times'', newspaper Mauston is a part of the Madison Television Market and is also served by radio stations from the greater Wisconsin Dells- Baraboo area.

Notable people

* John T. Benson, Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin *

Kelly Bires Kelly James Bires (born August 25, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He most recently drove part-time for Go Green Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series. Previously, Bires drove competitively for ...

, NASCAR driver, also won two state wrestling championships in Wisconsin * Thomas John Curran, United States Federal Court judge * Kenneth Philip Grubb. United States Federal Court judge * Frank H. Hanson, Wisconsin State Senator and Representative * Leo Kieffer, Maine State Senator * Bill Lobenstein, NFL player * Orland Steen Loomis, one-time governor-elect of Wisconsin * John Patterson,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Jessica Powers,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

nun and writer * Clinton G. Price, Wisconsin State Representative and lawyer * Edwin M. Truell,

recipient * Florence E. Ward, educator, USDA official

Gallery

File:Mauston, Wisconsin Wis-82.jpg, Wis-82 entering on the west side File:City of Mauston municipal building.jpg, City of Mauston municipal building File:Lemonweir River.jpg,

Lemonweir River The Lemonweir River is a river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is a tributary of the Wisconsin River as the Lemonweir River originates near Tomah in Monroe County and flows into Juneau County through New Lisbon and Mauston before conve ...

File:Mauston water tower with cellular tower on top.jpg, Mauston

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

with

cellular tower A cell site, cell phone tower, cell base tower, or cellular base station is a cellular frequencies, cellular-enabled mobile device site where antenna (electronics), antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed (typically on a Rad ...

on top

References

External links

City of MaustonGreater Mauston Tourism website
* Sanborn fire insurance maps
189419011909
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Juneau County, Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin