DeForest is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, home to about 11,501 people across 8.5 square miles. Its ZIP code is 53532, and parts of 53598 are in DeForest too.
Homes sold for a median of $227 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly DeForest; also Windsor and Madison
Mostly Windsor; part is in DeForest
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside DeForest. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up DeForest’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | General Mitchell International Airport (MKE)76 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Dane County Regional Truax Field (MSN)7 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Madison, WI12 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL129 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of DeForest; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
DeForest had 10,811 residents in the 2020 census, up 47% since 2000.
It’s the 86th largest of 1,889 towns in Wisconsin by population.
Dane County grew from 69,435 residents in 1900 to 561,504 in 2020.
Dane County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 82°F in summer, and winter lows average 9°F. About 35.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 43 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Arlington, WI weather station (4 miles away).
314,435 jobs at 14,765 businesses in Dane County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
47 doctors and other health care providers list an office in DeForest.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 7 |
|---|---|
| Dentists | 6 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 9 |
| Mental health providers | 7 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 8 |
| Optometrists | 3 |
| Chiropractors | 7 |
| Pharmacies | 4 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (23 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies
Libraries (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 2 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by De Forest Area School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Learning ProgramDeForest | Pre-K | 297 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Eagle Point ElementaryDeForest | K–3 | 389 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| Yahara ElementaryDeForest | K–3 | 329 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Harvest Intermediate SchoolDeForest | 4–6 | 966 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| De Forest MiddleDe Forest | 7–8 | 602 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| De Forest HighDeForest | 9–12 | 1,137 | Public | 0.8 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Windsor, Madison, Burke, Vienna and Leeds.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.