Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Wisconsin with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Wisconsin that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Wisconsin at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Dodgeville.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In Wisconsin For 2026
- Dodgeville
- Mayville
- Summit
- Richland Center
- West Salem
- Union Grove
- Columbus
- North Fond du Lac
- Bristol
- Rothschild
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more Wisconsin reading:
- Best Counties To Live In Wisconsin
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Wisconsin
- Best Places To Retire In Wisconsin
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Wisconsin For 2026
1. Dodgeville
/10
Population: 5,042
Median Home Price: $328,872
Population Change: 0.6%
Home Price Change: -2.3%
More on Dodgeville: Crime | Movers
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4. Richland Center
/10
Population: 5,109
Median Home Price: $186,795
Population Change: 1.6%
Home Price Change: 2.2%
More on Richland Center: Movers
/10
Population: 5,330
Median Home Price: $370,539
Population Change: 1.2%
Home Price Change: 1.0%
More on West Salem: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,036
Median Home Price: $328,655
Population Change: 1.4%
Home Price Change: 2.1%
More on Union Grove: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,488
Median Home Price: $311,070
Population Change: -0.1%
Home Price Change: 3.5%
More on Columbus: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,392
Median Home Price: $192,155
Population Change: 0.4%
Home Price Change: -0.0%
More on North Fond Du Lac: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,207
Median Home Price: $641,622
Population Change: 0.2%
Home Price Change: 3.2%
More on Bristol: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,600
Median Home Price: $253,441
Population Change: 1.2%
Home Price Change: 2.2%
More on Rothschild: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Wisconsin for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 11. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Wisconsin. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Wisconsin with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Wisconsin with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in Wisconsin, only 146 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 146 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Dodgeville is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Badger State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Wisconsin for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Wisconsin. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Wisconsin are Dodgeville, Mayville, Summit, Richland Center, West Salem, Union Grove, Columbus, North Fond du Lac, Bristol, and Rothschild.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more Wisconsin reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In Wisconsin
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodgeville | 5,042 | $328,872 | 0.6% | -2.3% |
| 2 | Mayville | 5,228 | $267,718 | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| 3 | Summit | 5,114 | $752,618 | 2.3% | 2.9% |
| 4 | Richland Center | 5,109 | $186,795 | 1.6% | 2.2% |
| 5 | West Salem | 5,330 | $370,539 | 1.2% | 1.0% |
| 6 | Union Grove | 5,036 | $328,655 | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| 7 | Columbus | 5,488 | $311,070 | -0.1% | 3.5% |
| 8 | North Fond Du Lac | 5,392 | $192,155 | 0.4% | -0.0% |
| 9 | Bristol | 5,207 | $641,622 | 0.2% | 3.2% |
| 10 | Rothschild | 5,600 | $253,441 | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| 11 | Evansville | 5,782 | $358,800 | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| 12 | Berlin | 5,562 | $204,328 | 0.7% | -0.7% |
| 13 | Slinger | 6,307 | $463,134 | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| 14 | Waterford | 5,692 | $432,512 | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 15 | Edgerton | 6,014 | $294,921 | 1.5% | -0.1% |
| 16 | Milton | 5,706 | $347,047 | 0.4% | 2.4% |
| 17 | Prairie Du Chien | 5,491 | $212,912 | 0.4% | 1.2% |
| 18 | Waupaca | 6,283 | $319,369 | -0.5% | 2.3% |
| 19 | Lake Mills | 6,470 | $420,977 | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| 20 | Twin Lakes | 6,309 | $394,923 | -0.7% | 3.6% |
| 21 | Elm Grove | 6,459 | $672,839 | 0.5% | 2.3% |
| 22 | Sturtevant | 6,772 | $281,361 | -0.2% | 1.5% |
| 23 | Fox Point | 6,683 | $547,714 | -0.9% | 2.9% |
| 24 | Lake Hallie | 7,285 | $361,887 | 0.6% | 4.3% |
| 25 | Kimberly | 7,447 | $281,681 | 0.2% | 2.1% |
| 26 | Cottage Grove | 8,513 | $474,955 | 7.7% | 2.3% |
| 27 | New London | 7,726 | $282,581 | 3.1% | 0.9% |
| 28 | Jackson | 8,003 | $416,165 | 1.5% | 2.0% |
| 29 | Mount Horeb | 7,736 | $481,814 | 0.2% | 1.0% |
| 30 | Delafield | 7,202 | $741,320 | 0.1% | 1.0% |
| 31 | Hales Corners | 7,689 | $402,132 | 0.8% | 3.5% |
| 32 | Rhinelander | 8,316 | $254,837 | 0.8% | -3.0% |
| 33 | Altoona | 8,878 | $327,629 | 1.5% | -2.6% |
| 34 | Antigo | 8,069 | $172,827 | 0.1% | -1.7% |
| 35 | Ripon | 7,772 | $224,704 | -0.4% | 2.1% |
| 36 | Ashland | 7,902 | $192,123 | 0.2% | -4.5% |
| 37 | Lake Geneva | 8,521 | $411,279 | 0.9% | 3.7% |
| 38 | Kronenwetter | 8,395 | $330,174 | -0.3% | 1.3% |
| 39 | Sheboygan Falls | 8,547 | $328,448 | 4.4% | 0.5% |
| 40 | Jefferson | 7,732 | $337,201 | 0.1% | 1.9% |
| 41 | Pewaukee | 8,196 | $557,877 | -0.5% | 1.4% |
| 42 | Monona | 8,527 | $468,105 | -0.9% | 0.8% |
| 43 | Mukwonago | 8,415 | $487,932 | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| 44 | Delavan | 8,689 | $329,932 | 1.9% | 3.4% |
| 45 | Rice Lake | 9,030 | $271,838 | 0.0% | -1.9% |
| 46 | Plymouth | 8,890 | $336,695 | -0.3% | -0.1% |
| 47 | Mcfarland | 9,160 | $485,872 | -0.8% | 1.5% |
| 48 | Sturgeon Bay | 9,806 | $375,223 | 1.1% | 0.1% |
| 49 | Shawano | 9,522 | $246,486 | 3.1% | 0.7% |
| 50 | Merrill | 9,356 | $218,029 | 1.4% | -0.1% |
| 51 | New Richmond | 10,539 | $374,056 | 2.0% | -0.6% |
| 52 | Hartland | 9,972 | $654,280 | 2.6% | 1.8% |
| 53 | Tomah | 9,532 | $251,285 | 0.3% | -2.8% |
| 54 | Hobart | 10,610 | $481,198 | 1.8% | 0.2% |
| 55 | Reedsburg | 10,168 | $303,020 | 1.1% | -0.4% |
| 56 | St. Francis | 9,004 | $282,496 | -3.4% | 2.5% |
| 57 | Sparta | 9,950 | $272,155 | 0.3% | -0.1% |
| 58 | Holmen | 11,372 | $413,026 | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| 59 | Elkhorn | 10,221 | $338,685 | -0.4% | -0.3% |
| 60 | Portage | 10,236 | $288,024 | -1.3% | -0.3% |
| 61 | Deforest | 11,501 | $445,514 | 6.0% | -0.5% |
| 62 | Oregon | 11,547 | $489,919 | 1.4% | 2.5% |
| 63 | Marinette | 11,115 | $195,369 | 0.5% | -0.7% |
| 64 | Monroe | 10,587 | $277,860 | 0.2% | -0.6% |
| 65 | Sussex | 12,066 | $507,550 | 2.3% | 2.6% |
| 66 | Burlington | 10,987 | $351,654 | -0.3% | 1.5% |
| 67 | Two Rivers | 11,231 | $218,730 | 0.1% | 3.1% |
| 68 | Waupun | 11,174 | $260,262 | -0.6% | -0.6% |
| 69 | Cedarburg | 12,605 | $552,361 | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| 70 | Little Chute | 11,754 | $298,046 | -1.5% | 3.2% |
| 71 | Grafton | 12,445 | $450,690 | 1.4% | 2.2% |
| 72 | Richfield | 11,755 | $560,142 | -0.4% | 3.4% |
| 73 | Port Washington | 12,645 | $381,021 | 0.6% | 2.5% |
| 74 | Brown Deer | 12,564 | $283,652 | -0.4% | 1.7% |
| 75 | Platteville | 11,499 | $255,581 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
| 76 | Baraboo | 12,769 | $298,881 | 2.1% | -2.4% |
| 77 | Fort Atkinson | 12,463 | $297,960 | -0.2% | 0.3% |
| 78 | Suamico | 12,985 | $461,750 | -0.1% | 0.9% |
| 79 | Glendale | 13,656 | $351,577 | 4.0% | 2.1% |
| 80 | Plover | 13,884 | $347,473 | 1.2% | 0.9% |
| 81 | Stoughton | 13,033 | $428,270 | -0.2% | 2.9% |
| 82 | Verona | 15,232 | $590,564 | 5.1% | 0.2% |
| 83 | Shorewood | 13,627 | $544,885 | -0.4% | 3.9% |
| 84 | Allouez | 13,975 | $319,587 | -0.3% | 0.9% |
| 85 | Whitefish Bay | 14,665 | $642,952 | -0.6% | 4.1% |
| 86 | Waunakee | 15,687 | $584,110 | 5.1% | 3.1% |
| 87 | Hudson | 14,959 | $496,564 | -0.3% | 0.2% |
| 88 | Greendale | 14,594 | $383,282 | -0.4% | 1.8% |
| 89 | Chippewa Falls | 14,782 | $330,661 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 90 | Pewaukee | 16,211 | $557,877 | 1.3% | 1.4% |
| 91 | Whitewater | 15,807 | $338,753 | 0.6% | 1.6% |
| 92 | Weston | 15,749 | $300,000 | -0.2% | 2.3% |
| 93 | Hartford | 15,821 | $374,924 | 0.4% | 2.7% |
| 94 | Bellevue | 16,442 | $393,956 | 1.2% | 0.9% |
| 95 | River Falls | 16,719 | $406,768 | 2.3% | 0.4% |
| 96 | Kaukauna | 17,706 | $303,856 | 2.7% | 1.7% |
| 97 | Beaver Dam | 16,565 | $288,264 | -0.4% | 0.7% |
| 98 | Menomonie | 16,539 | $298,133 | -0.1% | -0.9% |
| 99 | Oconomowoc | 19,080 | $537,005 | 3.8% | 1.6% |
| 100 | Ashwaubenon | 17,314 | $338,975 | 2.3% | -0.4% |