The 10 Best Places To Live In Wisconsin For 2022

The 10 Best Places To Live In Wisconsin For 2022

Start popping that champagne Whitefish Bay, you just earned the title, “Wisconsin’s best place to live”. Holding strong with the #1 rank two years in a row, this bay city might not house an NFL Championship Team like Green Bay, but it’s winning at the things that really matter–cost of living, safety, education, and jobs.

Yes, if your real estate budget is $393,300 for a home, you can find that in Whitefish Bay. If you’re looking for job opportunities, Whitefish Bay’s unemployment rate is well below the national average at 2.2%. And if you’re looking for great schools, Whitefish has those, too–it’s one of Wisconsin’s best places to raise a family.

And if that doesn’t seal-the-deal, this should: you have a better chance of having an 80 degree day in January in this Great Lakes region than being a victim of a crime. Whitefish Bay’s crime rate is almost 50% below the national average.

Wisconsin’s 2nd best place to live, Fox Point is a year round playground for all. It’s position on Lake Michigan’s western shore and the fact that it is only 15 minutes north of Milwaukee allow one to spend the day with the kids in the water at Doctors Park and after hours soaking up the night life in the Badger State’s biggest city.

Fox Point is also easy on the wallet. The median household income here is $90,063/year and the median price for a home is $336,000. This small town in Wisconsin ranks the 2nd best for home values.

Not to mention, Fox Point’s job opportunities are endless. If you like the outdoors, water, and you have a boat, chartering fishing trips is a hot market in this bay city, and if protecting and serving is your schtick, you could become part of a team that keeps Fox Point’s crime rate 55% below the national average.

Not only do happy cows come from Wisconsin’s 3rd best place to live, Waunakee, but a lot of happy people do as well. There’s a reason why notables like former NFL star Lawrence Johnson and the Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Volleyball Coach, Kelly Sheffield, have been singing Waunakee’s praises for years. Not only do they get some of the best ice cream from the happy cows at the local dairies, their cost of living is affordable, and they get to experience what makes Waunakee one of Wisconsin’s best on the daily.

Yes, things like low crime, great schools, low unemployment rates, and year-round fun, have been front and center in Waunakee for quite some time. So, when you’re ready to take charge of your quality of life by moving to Waunakee, this small town in Dane County, just north of Lake Mendota, has homes for $358,100. If that number makes you nervous, don’t let it–the job market is strong here and the average household income is $114,983/year.

If you’re looking for a great place to live, Elm Grove is your place. This Milwaukee suburb in Waukesha County is after all one of the richest places in Wisconsin. But, if money is not an issue, then step right up and join this small town of 6,156 residents who can pay $395,500 for a home because they make at least $112,500/year. Elm Grove’s salaries aren’t just handed out to its residents, these people are educated: 38% have a Bachelor’s Degree and 18% have a Master’s Degree.

It also doesn’t hurt that 31% of Elm Grove’s residents make $200,000 or more a year. And with money like this, it’s not surprising that Elm Grove has the funds to pay for the programs to keep its crime rate 62% below the national average.

Like trolls? Well, welcome to Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, the “Troll Capital of the World.” More than that, Mount Horeb represents the number 5 best place to live in the state.

First off, let’s talk about those trolls. Drawing on the heritage of Norwegian settlers to the region, Mount Horeb created Trollway, an area in the business district decorated with life-sized troll statues. The town offers more than just kitschy tourist draws, however. Residents also enjoy a solid local economy and easy access to one of the state’s most important cities.

Mount Horeb sports an unemployment rate of 1.1%, the 7th best pace in Wisconsin. The median income is $81,297 and the median home value comes in at $277,700.

The community offers significant draws for families, with 42.17% of households in town having children. The schools in the area rate a 7/10 on Great Schools’ ranking system. Crime is well below the national average and the cost of living is just 10% above the U.S. standard.

Beyond its homegrown benefits, Mount Horeb boasts an excellent location as well. A half hour drive takes you to downtown Madison, the state capital.

Cedarburg, Wisconsin, started life as a mill town. While those rustic days are gone, the town has transitioned into a cozy suburb of nearby Milwaukee. It’s also one of the top places in Wisconsin to call home.

Cedarburg likes to flaunt its old-time charm, housing sites such as the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts. Want to see what life in the region was like way back when? You can head to the historic Cedarburg Mill or check out the 1849 Kuhefuss House Museum.

The town has more than homespun charm, however. The community also offers an excellent place to raise a family. The median income stands at $79,868 and the median home value comes in at $325,300. Crime is low and the schools are stellar, with a 10/10 rating from Great Schools. Meanwhile, the area remains affordable. The cost of living is around the national average.

Even if quilts and old buildings aren’t your idea of a good time, Cedarburg offers plenty to do. It’s just a half-hour drive to downtown Milwaukee and, if you want even more action, only two hours from the heart of Chicago.

Located about 15 miles east of Madison, Cottage Grove is our 7th best place to live in Wisconsin, a spot well deserved. This great place to live checks all the boxes you’d like to see. Niche gives the school system a solid A, it’s super safe, and the cost of living is affordable. Add the proximity to the University of Wisconsin into the mix and there will always be something to do nearby.

The numbers back up the rosy image of Cottage Grove, the city ranks 6th for property crime and 3rd for violent crime. Both of those marks are some of the tops in the country given how safe Wisconsin is.

In town you can visit Bakken Park with the kids and then get a babysitter and head to Jack Sprats Restaurant for dinner. And then go home happy and healthy knowing you live in a great place to call home.

McFarland may only have 8,845 residents, but big things are happening in Wisconsin’s 8th best place to live in terms of safety, great schools, great jobs, and fun stuff to do.

Located 20 minutes southeast of Madison on the eastern side of Lake Wauseba, this small town’s crime rate is almost 60% below the national average. This number is especially important for McFarland as they rely on the tourists who visit this year-round playground.

Incidentally, don’t be afraid to start your new life in McFarland with a rental as the average rent is $1,185/month. But, if you want to jump all in, the median home price here is $260,800. This number shouldn’t be a problem, either, if you join the other 27% of McFarland’s residents who hold a Bachelor’s Degree and are earning $82,583/year.

Basically, you’d be pretty lucky to call McFarland home, but only you can pull the chute.

If you’re looking for that one place in Wisconsin that knows how to balance hard work and play, look no further than the state’s 9th best place to live, Oregon.

Centrally located just south of Madison, this little town of 10,513 residents is starting to see its name in the headlines more and more and this is because the locals here have a front row seat to great schools, an extremely low crime rate, and a strong job market. The numbers don’t lie, folks, Oregon’s unemployment rate is well below the national average at 1.9%.

And if you choose this small town in Dane County to buy your forever home, don’t be surprised if you get asked to take a hike around Lerner Conservation Park or a bike ride on the trails at Anderson Farm: the locals here are very serious about their activities and they can afford this kind of fun because their median income is $86,039/year.

Built along Lake Mendota, Middleton, Wisconsin, provides a scenic suburb to the nearby state capital of Madison. With excellent access to both the seat of government and the University of Wisconsin, the community of 19,764 residents represents the number 10 top living area in Wisconsin.

Don’t worry about criminal activity in Middleton. The crime rate sits about a third below the national average. The schools are superior as well, garnering a 7/10 rating from Great Schools.

Home prices in the area can get daunting. The median home value sits at $361,000, the 5th highest mark in the state. Those expenses help make the cost of living in Middleton relatively high, about 15%-20% above the national average.

The median income in the community stands at $73,336, with an unemployment rate of 2.1%.

Interested in the history of condiments? Middleton might be a stop for you. It hosts the National Mustard Museum. Thanks to its lake access, the town also provides plenty of outdoor fun. You can also check out the local Pheasant Branch Creek Conservancy, with plenty of hiking and other activities.

Methodology: How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Wisconsin

Now that we had our set of cities, it was time to rank them.

We ranked each place in Wisconsin across a number of criteria from one to 140, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place To Live In Wisconsin”.

The criteria we looked at were:

• Median Home Values
• Median Income
• Population Density (Higher better)
• Unemployment Rate
• Commute Time
• Crime
• Education Levels
• Health Insurance Coverage
• Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data. You can download the data here.

After the dust settled, what was the best place to live in Wisconsin? That would be Whitefish Bay.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Wisconsin.

Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Whitefish Bay at the end of the cul-de-sac.