If your family loves milk, milkshakes, grilled cheese, fried cheese, cheese curds, beer cheese–all things dairy–then you should definitely live in Wisconsin. The trick, however, is finding the places in the Dairy Capital of the World that have all of the above and are family friendly to boot. And this is where HomeSnacks steps in: we’ve created a list of the best places for families in Wisconsin for 2026.
How did we determine Wisconsin most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in The Badger State with more than 10,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 78 family friendly Wisconsin places that any family would be lucky to call home.
Now, if the thought of changing jobs is holding your family back from setting up shop in one of Wisconsin’s most family friendly places, have no fear. Wisconsin is home to a bunch of major companies that are always hiring. Companies like Miller Brewing in Milwaukee and Menards in Eau Claire are keeping families employed and their pockets full. And that’s a good thing, because there’s a lot of family fun to be had in the land of the Cheese Heads. And that fun starts with Wisconsin’s four seasons. You can take your family boating on Lake Winnebago just outside of Oshkosh in the summer and skiing at Granite Peak in Weston in the winter.
To learn more about our methodology and to see why Wisconsin’s top ten best places to raise a family are truly the best of the best, read on.
$144,051 median income · 32.6% households with kids
Located in
Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
Mequon is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 23,132 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,978 median income · 38.9% households with kids
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Oregon is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the census of 2010, the population was 9,231. Oregon is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is located mostly within the Town of Oregon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$119,606 median income · 32.2% households with kids
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Verona is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, in the United States and is a suburb of Madison. The population was 10,619 at the 2010 census. The city is located ten miles southwest of downtown Madison within the Town of Verona. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$84,896 median income · 27.1% households with kids
Located in
Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located about 20 miles north of Milwaukee and near the shores of Lake Michigan. The city is bordered by the village of Grafton to the east and the Town of Cedarburg elsewhere. The population was 11,412 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$77,649 median income · 30.8% households with kids
Located in
Walworth County, Wisconsin
Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is southwest of Milwaukee and northwest of Chicago. The population was 10,084 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,220 median income · 41.1% households with kids
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$157,109 median income · 40.7% households with kids
Located in
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,548 median income · 33.0% households with kids
Located in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the third largest city in Waukesha County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,425 median income · 28.8% households with kids
Located in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Oconomowoc is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for “waterfall.” The population was 15,712 at the 2010 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Town of Oconomowoc and near the village of Oconomowoc Lake, Wisconsin.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,894 median income · 28.6% households with kids
Located in
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Wisconsin’s statewide median.
Wisconsin statewide median: $77,485
Wisconsin statewide median: $330,171
On the map
Where Wisconsin’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Wisconsin anyways?
To give you the places in Wisconsin that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of Wisconsin, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Wisconsin, that meant a total of 78 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in Wisconsin.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In Wisconsin
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mequon | 25,270 | $144,051 | $647,578 | 32.6% |
| 2 | Oregon | 11,547 | $102,978 | $489,920 | 38.9% |
| 3 | Verona | 15,232 | $119,606 | $590,564 | 32.2% |
| 4 | Cedarburg | 12,605 | $84,896 | $552,361 | 27.1% |
| 5 | Elkhorn | 10,221 | $77,649 | $338,685 | 30.8% |
| 6 | Waunakee | 15,687 | $125,220 | $584,110 | 41.1% |
| 7 | Whitefish Bay | 14,665 | $157,109 | $642,953 | 40.7% |
| 8 | Brookfield | 41,273 | $129,548 | $517,699 | 33.0% |
| 9 | Oconomowoc | 19,080 | $106,425 | $537,005 | 28.8% |
| 10 | Franklin | 35,886 | $106,894 | $436,182 | 28.6% |
| 11 | Greendale | 14,594 | $94,769 | $383,283 | 32.8% |
| 12 | New Richmond | 10,539 | $88,157 | $374,056 | 34.5% |
| 13 | Menomonee Falls | 39,539 | $100,238 | $431,120 | 27.6% |
| 14 | Shorewood | 13,627 | $86,726 | $544,885 | 24.1% |
| 15 | Burlington | 10,987 | $83,419 | $351,654 | 27.8% |
| 16 | Grafton | 12,445 | $89,861 | $450,690 | 22.9% |
| 17 | Holmen | 11,372 | $79,899 | $413,026 | 33.5% |
| 18 | Hartford | 15,821 | $82,014 | $374,925 | 29.9% |
| 19 | Middleton | 22,301 | $89,524 | $613,360 | 25.3% |
| 20 | New Berlin | 40,270 | $101,091 | $448,456 | 26.3% |
| 21 | Sun Prairie | 37,570 | $90,942 | $436,614 | 32.1% |
| 22 | Port Washington | 12,645 | $81,948 | $381,021 | 23.8% |
| 23 | Muskego | 25,406 | $112,221 | $515,980 | 26.5% |
| 24 | Hudson | 14,959 | $93,937 | $496,565 | 26.1% |
| 25 | Reedsburg | 10,168 | $75,028 | $303,020 | 35.1% |
| 26 | Stevens Point | 25,785 | $58,031 | $280,949 | 21.9% |
| 27 | Monroe | 10,587 | $69,334 | $277,861 | 24.7% |
| 28 | Waukesha | 71,233 | $83,837 | $413,609 | 24.9% |
| 29 | Kenosha | 99,372 | $71,239 | $273,053 | 32.3% |
| 30 | Kaukauna | 17,706 | $80,365 | $303,856 | 29.1% |
| 31 | Menomonie | 16,539 | $56,889 | $298,133 | 20.7% |
| 32 | Caledonia | 25,257 | $93,152 | $380,069 | 27.3% |
| 33 | De Pere | 25,301 | $84,869 | $401,113 | 28.3% |
| 34 | Glendale | 13,656 | $78,092 | $351,578 | 27.0% |
| 35 | Stoughton | 13,033 | $79,551 | $428,271 | 26.7% |
| 36 | Platteville | 11,499 | $43,083 | $255,582 | 18.6% |
| 37 | Fort Atkinson | 12,463 | $79,302 | $297,960 | 22.8% |
| 38 | Portage | 10,236 | $64,722 | $288,025 | 26.6% |
| 39 | Waupun | 11,174 | $65,625 | $260,262 | 30.0% |
| 40 | Cudahy | 17,853 | $66,719 | $282,520 | 19.6% |
| 41 | Neenah | 27,336 | $75,374 | $305,615 | 31.8% |
| 42 | South Milwaukee | 20,442 | $73,427 | $300,412 | 27.9% |
| 43 | Oak Creek | 37,325 | $96,555 | $407,623 | 25.9% |
| 44 | Wauwatosa | 48,529 | $101,138 | $415,682 | 26.6% |
| 45 | Madison | 278,001 | $78,050 | $423,767 | 19.6% |
| 46 | Plover | 13,884 | $88,042 | $347,474 | 29.1% |
| 47 | Appleton | 75,023 | $80,483 | $297,642 | 28.7% |
| 48 | Wausau | 39,996 | $64,389 | $240,743 | 25.0% |
| 49 | Whitewater | 15,807 | $54,969 | $338,753 | 18.5% |
| 50 | West Bend | 32,030 | $74,076 | $347,505 | 27.0% |
| 51 | Two Rivers | 11,231 | $57,222 | $218,730 | 24.4% |
| 52 | Beaver Dam | 16,565 | $66,673 | $288,264 | 27.6% |
| 53 | Green Bay | 106,253 | $66,206 | $278,024 | 28.9% |
| 54 | Fitchburg | 32,619 | $86,516 | $501,314 | 19.9% |
| 55 | Menasha | 18,273 | $64,698 | $307,807 | 27.5% |
| 56 | Brown Deer | 12,564 | $93,974 | $283,653 | 21.6% |
| 57 | Manitowoc | 34,620 | $63,757 | $235,894 | 26.7% |
| 58 | Watertown | 22,774 | $70,107 | $318,226 | 27.6% |
| 59 | Janesville | 66,030 | $73,446 | $288,359 | 26.9% |
| 60 | Superior | 26,677 | $64,216 | $220,786 | 22.4% |
| 61 | Mount Pleasant | 27,953 | $91,616 | $336,759 | 25.9% |
| 62 | Onalaska | 19,348 | $85,867 | $359,544 | 22.5% |
| 63 | Chippewa Falls | 14,782 | $57,873 | $330,661 | 21.8% |
| 64 | Beloit | 36,534 | $62,663 | $198,921 | 29.2% |
| 65 | Eau Claire | 70,322 | $67,395 | $311,027 | 23.2% |
| 66 | Greenfield | 37,345 | $70,459 | $323,451 | 21.4% |
| 67 | Pleasant Prairie | 21,669 | $103,902 | $451,234 | 23.3% |
| 68 | Racine | 77,633 | $57,740 | $208,908 | 32.4% |
| 69 | Milwaukee | 566,973 | $54,234 | $220,137 | 28.1% |
| 70 | Marshfield | 18,700 | $58,407 | $250,143 | 21.3% |
| 71 | Oshkosh | 66,729 | $62,188 | $253,810 | 22.3% |
| 72 | Marinette | 11,115 | $58,638 | $195,369 | 21.1% |
| 73 | La Crosse | 51,356 | $55,866 | $276,422 | 18.3% |
| 74 | Sheboygan | 49,645 | $62,927 | $257,466 | 26.9% |
| 75 | West Allis | 59,612 | $67,611 | $268,506 | 21.0% |
| 76 | Wisconsin Rapids | 18,722 | $55,253 | $219,124 | 25.3% |
| 77 | Ashwaubenon | 17,314 | $69,667 | $338,976 | 21.6% |
| 78 | Fond du Lac | 44,494 | $62,260 | $253,674 | 25.2% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 78 Wisconsin cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Wisconsin
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Wisconsin ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in Wisconsin are Mequon, Oregon, Verona, Cedarburg, Elkhorn, Waunakee, Whitefish Bay, Brookfield, Oconomowoc, and Franklin. Not sold on Wisconsin? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places For Families In Wisconsin FAQs
What is the best place to raise a family in Wisconsin?
Mequon is the best place to raise a family in Wisconsin for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Oregon and Verona round out the top three.
What are the best places for families in Wisconsin?
The best Wisconsin places to raise a family are Mequon, Oregon, Verona, Cedarburg, Elkhorn, Waunakee, Whitefish Bay, Brookfield, Oconomowoc, and Franklin. We ranked all 78 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
How do you rank family-friendly cities?
Family-friendliness blends low crime, good schools, proximity to a major city, the share of households with kids, and nearby amenities. The city that balances all of it best in Wisconsin is Mequon.
Is Mequon affordable for families?
The median home in Mequon costs $647,578 against a median household income of $144,051. Statewide, the median home runs $330,171, so check the gap before you pack the minivan.
What is the toughest place to raise a family in Wisconsin?
Fond du Lac lands at the bottom of the family ranking for Wisconsin. Families make it work everywhere, but the crime, school, and income numbers stack against it there.
