Cost of living in Wisconsin

Wisconsin at a glance

Median rent

$1,087

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$77,485

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$266,500

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$3,792

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

22 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

3.2%

Census ACS, DP03

Wisconsin's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 6% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Wisconsin

These are the most populous places in Wisconsin, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Milwaukee County

  Population

  926K

  Rent

  $1,101

  Household income

  $64,435

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,444

  Set as targetPlan

• Dane County

  Population

  573K

  Rent

  $1,398

  Household income

  $89,975

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $6,420

  Set as targetPlan

• Waukesha County

  Population

  412K

  Rent

  $1,356

  Household income

  $106,076

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,554

  Set as targetPlan

Wisconsin, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state. French explorer Jean Nicolet was most likely the first European to enter Wisconsin, in 1634. More than 4,000 lead miners worked in the southwest by 1829, seven years before Wisconsin Territory was created.

• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

  Sea caves, sandy beaches and lighthouses across 21 islands in Lake Superior.

• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

  The St. Croix and Namekagon rivers, over 200 miles of clean water through forest for paddlers, anglers and campers.

• Ice Age National Scenic Trail

  A 1,200-mile trail across Wisconsin's glacial landforms.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Wisconsin

Current owners in Wisconsin pay a median 1.42% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $3,792 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,768 in Iron County to $6,420 in Dane County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Wisconsin

Life expectancy

77.8 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

6.3%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

15.6%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

97

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Wisconsin as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Wisconsin

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$2.6B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$0.99

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$1.1B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Wisconsin

Side by side

Milwaukee County, WI is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Wisconsin

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Milwaukee County926K
2. 2Dane County573K
3. 3Waukesha County412K
4. 4Brown County271K
5. 5Racine County198K
6. 6Outagamie County193K
7. 7Winnebago County172K
8. 8Kenosha County168K
9. 9Rock County164K
10. 10Marathon County138K

All 72 counties in Wisconsin

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Wisconsin next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Wisconsin beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties