Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Wisconsin? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Wisconsin, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Wisconsin suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$158,016 median income · $672,840 median home price
Located in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$157,109 median income · $642,953 median home price
Located in
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,220 median income · $584,110 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$119,606 median income · $590,564 median home price
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
$141,467 median income · $547,714 median home price
Located in
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Fox Point is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,701 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$144,051 median income · $647,578 median home price
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
$84,896 median income · $552,361 median home price
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
$139,313 median income · $474,956 median home price
Located in
Dane County, Wisconsin
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$140,682 median income · $752,619 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,548 median income · $517,699 median home price
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
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 best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Badger State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Wisconsin. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Wisconsin, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Wisconsin across these criteria from one to 64, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Wisconsin.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Wisconsin.
Read on to see why Elm Grove is the ‘burb with the most, while Racine is probably not the best place to live in Wisconsin.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Wisconsin
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elm Grove | 6,459 | $158,016 | $672,840 |
| 2 | Whitefish Bay | 14,665 | $157,109 | $642,953 |
| 3 | Waunakee | 15,687 | $125,220 | $584,110 |
| 4 | Verona | 15,232 | $119,606 | $590,564 |
| 5 | Fox Point | 6,683 | $141,467 | $547,714 |
| 6 | Mequon | 25,270 | $144,051 | $647,578 |
| 7 | Cedarburg | 12,605 | $84,896 | $552,361 |
| 8 | Cottage Grove | 8,513 | $139,313 | $474,956 |
| 9 | Summit | 5,114 | $140,682 | $752,619 |
| 10 | Brookfield | 41,273 | $129,548 | $517,699 |
| 11 | Oregon | 11,547 | $102,978 | $489,920 |
| 12 | McFarland | 9,160 | $97,500 | $485,872 |
| 13 | Muskego | 25,406 | $112,221 | $515,980 |
| 13 | Mount Horeb | 7,736 | $107,856 | $481,815 |
| 15 | Grafton | 12,445 | $89,861 | $450,690 |
| 16 | Hartland | 9,972 | $87,754 | $654,280 |
| 17 | Port Washington | 12,645 | $81,948 | $381,021 |
| 18 | Delafield | 7,202 | $94,806 | $741,321 |
| 19 | Menomonee Falls | 39,539 | $100,238 | $431,120 |
| 20 | New Berlin | 40,270 | $101,091 | $448,456 |
| 21 | Oconomowoc | 19,080 | $106,425 | $537,005 |
| 22 | Richfield | 11,755 | $143,963 | $560,142 |
| 23 | Shorewood | 13,627 | $86,726 | $544,885 |
| 24 | Wauwatosa | 48,529 | $101,138 | $415,682 |
| 25 | Hales Corners | 7,689 | $87,740 | $402,132 |
| 26 | Sun Prairie | 37,570 | $90,942 | $436,614 |
| 27 | Sussex | 12,066 | $119,041 | $507,551 |
| 28 | Greendale | 14,594 | $94,769 | $383,283 |
| 29 | Evansville | 5,782 | $81,149 | $358,801 |
| 30 | Jackson | 8,003 | $93,170 | $416,165 |
| 31 | Lake Mills | 6,470 | $91,027 | $420,977 |
| 32 | River Falls | 16,719 | $83,627 | $406,768 |
| 33 | Union Grove | 5,036 | $107,482 | $328,655 |
| 34 | Middleton | 22,301 | $89,524 | $613,360 |
| 35 | Monona | 8,527 | $87,773 | $468,106 |
| 36 | Waterford | 5,692 | $82,404 | $432,513 |
| 37 | Pewaukee | 8,196 | $62,139 | $557,877 |
| 38 | Stoughton | 13,033 | $79,551 | $428,271 |
| 39 | Mukwonago | 8,415 | $98,273 | $487,932 |
| 40 | Slinger | 6,307 | $101,404 | $463,134 |
| 41 | Waukesha | 71,233 | $83,837 | $413,609 |
| 42 | Oak Creek | 37,325 | $96,555 | $407,623 |
| 43 | Burlington | 10,987 | $83,419 | $351,654 |
| 44 | Franklin | 35,886 | $106,894 | $436,182 |
| 45 | DeForest | 11,501 | $106,419 | $445,514 |
| 46 | Caledonia | 25,257 | $93,152 | $380,069 |
| 47 | Cudahy | 17,853 | $66,719 | $282,520 |
| 48 | Hudson | 14,959 | $93,937 | $496,565 |
| 49 | St. Francis | 9,004 | $57,368 | $282,497 |
| 50 | Fitchburg | 32,619 | $86,516 | $501,314 |
| 51 | Sturtevant | 6,772 | $92,647 | $281,361 |
| 52 | Greenfield | 37,345 | $70,459 | $323,451 |
| 53 | Columbus | 5,488 | $75,427 | $311,071 |
| 54 | Hartford | 15,821 | $82,014 | $374,925 |
| 55 | New Richmond | 10,539 | $88,157 | $374,056 |
| 56 | Mount Pleasant | 27,953 | $91,616 | $336,759 |
| 57 | Glendale | 13,656 | $78,092 | $351,578 |
| 58 | Brown Deer | 12,564 | $93,974 | $283,653 |
| 59 | Baraboo | 12,769 | $69,750 | $298,881 |
| 60 | West Bend | 32,030 | $74,076 | $347,505 |
| 61 | South Milwaukee | 20,442 | $73,427 | $300,412 |
| 62 | West Allis | 59,612 | $67,611 | $268,506 |
| 63 | Edgerton | 6,014 | $72,489 | $294,921 |
| 64 | Racine | 77,633 | $57,740 | $208,908 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 64 Wisconsin suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Wisconsin
If you’re measuring the locations in Wisconsin where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Wisconsin are Elm Grove, Whitefish Bay, Waunakee, Verona, Fox Point, Mequon, Cedarburg, Cottage Grove, Summit, and Brookfield.
