Milwaukee has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Milwaukee without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Milwaukee: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$158,016 median income · $672,840 median home price
Located in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Elm Grove is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Milwaukee area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Elm Grove.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $158,016 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Milwaukee region. And only 0.7% are out of work. Homes average more than $672,840 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$141,467 median income · $547,714 median home price
Located in
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Fox Point is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Milwaukee for 2026.
It ranks 8th for incomes in the area and only 1.5% of residents lack insurance, good for 9th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$157,109 median income · $642,953 median home price
Located in
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Here in Whitefish Bay, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Milwaukee metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Whitefish Bay.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$140,682 median income · $752,619 median home price
Summit ranks as the 4th best suburb of Milwaukee for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Summit and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$143,963 median income · $560,142 median home price
Located in
Washington County, Wisconsin
Coming in as the fifth best is Richfield.
Richfield gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the Milwaukee area, where houses sell for an average of $560,142. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$152,798 median income · $484,308 median home price
North Prairie is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 0.9%.
According to online reports, North Prairie is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Milwaukee area, meaning you need to get in soon.
$173,913 median income · $713,368 median home price
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Merton.
Merton schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 18.3 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,548 median income · $517,699 median home price
Located in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Brookfield is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.2% of people lack insurance, good for 18th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$144,051 median income · $647,578 median home price
Located in
Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
Is ‘Everything Better In Mequon?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,806 median income · $741,321 median home price
Located in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Delafield.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
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
Wisconsin statewide median: 3.2%
Wisconsin statewide median: 10.6%
On the map
Where the best Milwaukee suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Milwaukee for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Milwaukee was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Milwaukee.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 56 suburbs to evaluate around Milwaukee.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 56 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Milwaukee.” We’re lookin’ at you, Elm Grove.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Milwaukee suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Milwaukee Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elm Grove | 8.93 | 6,459 | $158,016 | $672,840 |
| 2 | Fox Point | 9.00 | 6,683 | $141,467 | $547,714 |
| 3 | Whitefish Bay | 9.14 | 14,665 | $157,109 | $642,953 |
| 4 | Summit | 14.17 | 5,114 | $140,682 | $752,619 |
| 5 | Richfield | 15.64 | 11,755 | $143,963 | $560,142 |
| 6 | North Prairie | 15.93 | 2,385 | $152,798 | $484,308 |
| 7 | Merton | 18.14 | 3,550 | $173,913 | $713,368 |
| 8 | Brookfield | 18.57 | 41,273 | $129,548 | $517,699 |
| 9 | Mequon | 18.71 | 25,270 | $144,051 | $647,578 |
| 10 | Delafield | 19.00 | 7,202 | $94,806 | $741,321 |
| 11 | Bayside | 19.79 | 4,329 | $160,096 | $548,316 |
| 12 | Grafton | 20.86 | 12,445 | $89,861 | $450,690 |
| 13 | Cedarburg | 21.00 | 12,605 | $84,896 | $552,361 |
| 14 | Muskego | 21.36 | 25,406 | $112,221 | $515,980 |
| 15 | Eagle | 21.71 | 2,054 | $112,083 | $522,005 |
| 16 | Wauwatosa | 21.86 | 48,529 | $101,138 | $415,682 |
| 17 | Jackson | 21.86 | 8,003 | $93,170 | $416,165 |
| 18 | Union Grove | 22.93 | 5,036 | $107,482 | $328,655 |
| 19 | Sussex | 23.50 | 12,066 | $119,041 | $507,551 |
| 20 | Rochester | 23.57 | 3,764 | $107,038 | $407,596 |
| 21 | Thiensville | 24.29 | 3,299 | $95,685 | $405,030 |
| 22 | Wales | 24.36 | 2,902 | $109,024 | $545,118 |
| 23 | New Berlin | 24.86 | 40,270 | $101,091 | $448,456 |
| 24 | Waterford | 25.21 | 5,692 | $82,404 | $432,513 |
| 25 | Dousman | 25.29 | 2,479 | $96,513 | $486,213 |
| 26 | Hales Corners | 25.50 | 7,689 | $87,740 | $402,132 |
| 27 | Hartland | 26.29 | 9,972 | $87,754 | $654,280 |
| 28 | Port Washington | 26.93 | 12,645 | $81,948 | $381,021 |
| 29 | Shorewood | 27.29 | 13,627 | $86,726 | $544,885 |
| 30 | Menomonee Falls | 27.36 | 39,539 | $100,238 | $431,120 |
| 31 | Oconomowoc | 27.79 | 19,080 | $106,425 | $537,005 |
| 32 | Greendale | 28.36 | 14,594 | $94,769 | $383,283 |
| 33 | Oak Creek | 29.14 | 37,325 | $96,555 | $407,623 |
| 34 | Slinger | 29.64 | 6,307 | $101,404 | $463,134 |
| 35 | Pewaukee | 30.57 | 8,196 | $62,139 | $557,877 |
| 36 | Pewaukee | 30.57 | 8,196 | $62,139 | $557,877 |
| 37 | Mukwonago | 30.93 | 8,415 | $98,273 | $487,932 |
| 38 | Franklin | 35.14 | 35,886 | $106,894 | $436,182 |
| 39 | Waukesha | 35.21 | 71,233 | $83,837 | $413,609 |
| 40 | Fredonia | 35.43 | 2,448 | $99,013 | $406,081 |
| 41 | East Troy | 37.29 | 4,978 | $79,669 | $475,622 |
| 42 | Brown Deer | 38.14 | 12,564 | $93,974 | $283,653 |
| 43 | Cudahy | 38.29 | 17,853 | $66,719 | $282,520 |
| 44 | St. Francis | 38.71 | 9,004 | $57,368 | $282,497 |
| 45 | Glendale | 38.79 | 13,656 | $78,092 | $351,578 |
| 46 | Greenfield | 38.86 | 37,345 | $70,459 | $323,451 |
| 47 | Hartford | 39.57 | 15,821 | $82,014 | $374,925 |
| 48 | Caledonia | 39.86 | 25,257 | $93,152 | $380,069 |
| 49 | West Bend | 40.57 | 32,030 | $74,076 | $347,505 |
| 50 | Sturtevant | 41.43 | 6,772 | $92,647 | $281,361 |
| 51 | South Milwaukee | 42.29 | 20,442 | $73,427 | $300,412 |
| 52 | Saukville | 42.36 | 4,267 | $79,730 | $399,946 |
| 53 | West Milwaukee | 42.64 | 4,038 | $49,128 | $255,826 |
| 54 | Mount Pleasant | 43.50 | 27,953 | $91,616 | $336,759 |
| 55 | West Allis | 44.29 | 59,612 | $67,611 | $268,506 |
| 56 | Racine | 47.64 | 77,633 | $57,740 | $208,908 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 56 suburbs within 30 miles of Milwaukee.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Milwaukee ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Milwaukee are Elm Grove, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, Summit, Richfield, North Prairie, Merton, Brookfield, Mequon, and Delafield.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Milwaukee but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Wisconsin? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Milwaukee FAQs
What is the best suburb of Milwaukee?
Elm Grove is the best suburb of Milwaukee for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Fox Point and Whitefish Bay are next.
What are the best suburbs of Milwaukee?
The best suburbs of Milwaukee are Elm Grove, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, Summit, Richfield, North Prairie, Merton, Brookfield, Mequon, and Delafield. We ranked all 56 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Elm Grove?
The median household income in Elm Grove is $158,016 and the median home costs $672,840. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Milwaukee?
Any place within 30 miles of Milwaukee qualifies. 56 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Milwaukee suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Elm Grove, takes the crown.
