Laverne and Shirley put Milwaukee on the map 50 years ago and HomeSnacks is here to put Cream City on the map for a second time with our list of the top ten best neighborhoods in Milwaukee for 2026. But, before we take you to our list, it’s important to tell you how we calculated Milwaukee’s best of the best.
Milwaukee is filled with pockets of people who have pride in their city, pride in their living situations, and pride in their day-to-day. Some might say too much pride in their Bucks at times, but that’s a topic for another day. Needless to say, when it came time to ranking Milwaukee’s 182 neighborhoods, we had quite the job-a job for the latest census data. So, from the census, we extrapolated the median income and median home prices for all 182 Milwaukee neighborhoods and added that information to our SnackAbility algorithm which looked at things like crime, jobs, and amenities.
And while there’s a lot of Milwaukee urban culture-A.K.A neighborhoods-to explore, the neighborhood is great for people who don’t really want to have to venture too far from their home for the necessities. If you’re looking for a neighborhood with young, motivated professionals, many good ideas have been conceived and friendships formed around a table at Wolski’s Tavern in Northpoint. Heck, the city itself, is, afterall, one of the best cities for singles in America. It also doesn’t hurt that there are 579,549 residents that call Brew City home.
So, want to know the Milwaukee neighborhoods that you should look at first when deciding to move to this midwestern paradise? We suggest you grab a cold Milwaukee’s Best, find a sunny spot on Lake Michigan, and read on.
$125,141 median income · $375,440 median home value
$76,071 median income · $159,600 median home value
$75,419 median income · $220,400 median home value
$73,552 median income · $173,600 median home value
$76,656 median income · $243,200 median home value
$69,762 median income · $284,080 median home value
$67,182 median income · $145,000 median home value
$72,508 median income · $184,610 median home value
$68,512 median income · $150,250 median home value
$69,638 median income · $175,300 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Milwaukee, WI neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Milwaukee, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 182 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Milwaukee.” We’re lookin’ at you, Downer Woods.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Milwaukee, Wisconsin has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Milwaukee.
The full plate
Table: Best Milwaukee neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Downer Woods | 4,513 | $375,440 | $125,141 |
| 2 | Cooper Park | 3,327 | $159,600 | $76,071 |
| 3 | Fernwood | 2,703 | $220,400 | $75,419 |
| 4 | Wedgewood | 1,416 | $173,600 | $73,552 |
| 5 | Schlitz Park | 719 | $243,200 | $76,656 |
| 6 | Northpoint | 5,549 | $284,080 | $69,762 |
| 7 | Hawley Farms | 2,165 | $145,000 | $67,182 |
| 8 | Washington Heights | 7,077 | $184,610 | $72,508 |
| 9 | Lyons Park | 1,675 | $150,250 | $68,512 |
| 10 | Alcott Park | 1,753 | $175,300 | $69,638 |
| 11 | Highwood Estates | 2,070 | $169,450 | $46,678 |
| 12 | Tippecanoe | 6,305 | $155,600 | $63,116 |
| 13 | Upper East Side | 3,081 | $317,880 | $76,938 |
| 14 | Rolling Green | 2,839 | $153,950 | $48,375 |
| 15 | Euclid Park | 1,910 | $159,600 | $45,096 |
| 16 | River Bend | 1,235 | $150,850 | $65,248 |
| 17 | Fairview | 4,542 | $135,400 | $69,937 |
| 18 | Red Oak Heights | 540 | $173,600 | $73,158 |
| 19 | Honey Creek Manor | 2,818 | $137,500 | $60,219 |
| 20 | Mill Valley | 837 | $158,200 | $69,833 |
| 21 | Golden Valley | 3,008 | $165,575 | $78,633 |
| 22 | Town Of Lake | 5,325 | $156,600 | $68,166 |
| 23 | Mount Mary | 1,953 | $162,200 | $80,822 |
| 24 | Murray Hill | 4,157 | $287,229 | $52,588 |
| 25 | Clayton Crest | 1,481 | $165,700 | $65,578 |
| 26 | Lower East Side | 11,469 | $253,908 | $49,114 |
| 27 | Morgan Heights | 1,635 | $175,300 | $69,638 |
| 28 | Pheasant Run | 1,992 | $163,200 | $57,105 |
| 29 | Juneau Town | 5,235 | $252,343 | $69,987 |
| 30 | Bay View | 15,979 | $185,616 | $69,349 |
| 31 | Yankee Hill | 2,930 | $321,850 | $49,708 |
| 32 | Honey Creek Parkway | 776 | $137,200 | $71,375 |
| 33 | Valley Forge | 205 | $213,400 | $60,365 |
| 34 | Riverside Park | 2,079 | $230,175 | $43,800 |
| 35 | Woodland Court | 983 | $153,950 | $48,375 |
| 36 | Green Moor | 665 | $146,000 | $65,403 |
| 37 | Mitchell Field | 1,592 | $161,733 | $66,203 |
| 38 | Cannon Park | 2,345 | $150,750 | $58,153 |
| 39 | Brewer’s Hill | 2,536 | $213,775 | $44,029 |
| 40 | Hawthorne Glen | 223 | $154,100 | $65,365 |
| 41 | Jackson Park | 7,745 | $149,242 | $57,077 |
| 42 | Enderis Park | 3,377 | $149,067 | $60,327 |
| 43 | Gra-Ram | 2,061 | $163,350 | $53,860 |
| 44 | Layton Park | 9,233 | $108,162 | $53,097 |
| 45 | Park Place | 1,118 | $277,700 | $93,713 |
| 46 | Harder’s Oaks | 500 | $159,300 | $66,332 |
| 47 | Kilbourn Town | 5,135 | $292,150 | $50,358 |
| 48 | Story Hill | 1,778 | $166,700 | $53,624 |
| 49 | Saveland Park | 1,353 | $148,250 | $64,010 |
| 50 | Castle Manor | 3,883 | $154,075 | $43,733 |
| 51 | White Manor | 1,609 | $139,300 | $57,953 |
| 52 | Historic Third Ward | 1,703 | $295,300 | $108,106 |
| 53 | Nash Park | 2,420 | $125,900 | $58,602 |
| 54 | Kops Park | 2,834 | $126,767 | $58,557 |
| 55 | Riverwest | 11,993 | $174,923 | $49,851 |
| 56 | Wick Field | 550 | $154,100 | $65,365 |
| 57 | Morgandale | 9,102 | $130,800 | $52,985 |
| 58 | Bluemound Heights | 3,453 | $129,114 | $51,738 |
| 59 | Lindsay Park | 4,286 | $122,240 | $48,000 |
| 60 | West View | 1,908 | $150,700 | $47,083 |
| 61 | Goldman Park | 1,606 | $182,400 | $62,122 |
| 62 | Johnson’s Woods | 2,882 | $124,050 | $46,006 |
| 63 | Wyrick Park | 1,625 | $131,300 | $60,132 |
| 64 | Timmerman Airport | 2,152 | $111,500 | $53,500 |
| 65 | Polonia | 5,813 | $118,600 | $45,486 |
| 66 | Arlington Gardens | 2,666 | $119,975 | $45,800 |
| 67 | Alverno | 1,169 | $162,700 | $39,723 |
| 68 | Grantosa | 1,722 | $102,900 | $31,091 |
| 69 | Park Knoll | 887 | $242,133 | $77,928 |
| 70 | Little Menomonee Parkway | 1,185 | $133,533 | $52,270 |
| 71 | Harbor View | 1,609 | $154,800 | $55,651 |
| 72 | Ridgeview | 651 | $143,200 | $29,911 |
| 73 | Burnham Park | 8,397 | $100,925 | $45,214 |
| 74 | Calumet Farms | 1,096 | $277,700 | $93,713 |
| 75 | Cambridge Heights | 1,667 | $228,280 | $42,424 |
| 76 | Heritage Heights | 877 | $326,800 | $52,292 |
| 77 | Maitland Park | 611 | $143,300 | $73,731 |
| 78 | Pollber Heights | 88 | $162,100 | $65,093 |
| 79 | Wilson Park | 4,057 | $114,950 | $33,270 |
| 80 | Vogel Park | 2,624 | $140,800 | $52,054 |
| 81 | Root Creek | 2,038 | $132,800 | $46,307 |
| 82 | Riverton Heights | 722 | $136,400 | $63,872 |
| 83 | Mitchell West | 3,716 | $115,700 | $42,128 |
| 84 | Lenox Heights | 2,317 | $130,880 | $45,294 |
| 85 | Lincoln Village | 12,542 | $89,420 | $36,506 |
| 86 | Menomonee River Parkway | 705 | $98,800 | $41,776 |
| 87 | Menomonee River Hills | 8,614 | $107,420 | $53,431 |
| 88 | Fair Park | 1,403 | $137,533 | $60,001 |
| 89 | Florist Highlands | 1,188 | $170,050 | $64,992 |
| 90 | Granville Station | 2,294 | $150,500 | $54,440 |
| 91 | Southgate | 3,002 | $137,133 | $53,212 |
| 92 | Saint Amelian’s | 1,622 | $101,150 | $40,778 |
| 93 | The Valley-Pigsville | 316 | $164,300 | $64,579 |
| 94 | Avenues West | 8,087 | $118,633 | $23,453 |
| 95 | Long View | 3,001 | $113,900 | $59,161 |
| 96 | Zoo | 662 | $145,200 | $49,877 |
| 97 | Rufus King | 5,079 | $81,300 | $61,099 |
| 98 | Grasslyn Manor | 4,975 | $104,955 | $45,362 |
| 99 | Columbus Park | 4,574 | $106,400 | $44,951 |
| 100 | Estabrook Park | 727 | $351,700 | $44,175 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 182 Milwaukee neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Milwaukee
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Milwaukee where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Milwaukee are Downer Woods, Cooper Park, Fernwood, Wedgewood, Schlitz Park, Northpoint, Hawley Farms, Washington Heights, Lyons Park, and Alcott Park.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Milwaukee aren’t all good. Mitchell Park takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Milwaukee.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Wisconsin? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Milwaukee FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Milwaukee?
Downer Woods is the best neighborhood in Milwaukee for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Cooper Park and Fernwood are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Milwaukee?
The best neighborhoods in Milwaukee are Downer Woods, Cooper Park, Fernwood, Wedgewood, Schlitz Park, Northpoint, Hawley Farms, Washington Heights, Lyons Park, and Alcott Park. We ranked all 182 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Downer Woods?
The median household income in Downer Woods is $125,141 and the median home costs $375,440. The best blocks in Milwaukee rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Milwaukee neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Downer Woods, takes the top spot.
Which Milwaukee neighborhood ranked last?
Mitchell Park came in last of the 182 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Milwaukee the numbers put it there.
