Waukesha, WI
Census place 5584275 · pop 8,514
Sales & income are statewide.
The breakdown — worst first
U.S. median $214,900 · worse than most cities
$415,500 median home value · Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.
U.S. median 24 min · worse than most cities
26 min average one-way commute · Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.
U.S. median 0.99% · better than most cities
0.89% of home value paid in property tax · Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.
U.S. median $1,756/mo · better than most cities
$1,510/mo typical rent · Typical monthly rent (Zillow Observed Rent Index, all home types).
U.S. median 24.3% · better than most cities
49.4% have a bachelor's degree or higher · Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
U.S. median 90.0% · better than most cities
96.2% of homes have broadband · Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
U.S. median $67,857 · better than most cities
$130,978 median household income · Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.
U.S. median 12.1% · better than most cities
3.0% live in poverty · Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.
U.S. median 0.43 · better than most cities
Gini 0.35 (0 = equal, 1 = unequal) · Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).
U.S. median 67.2% · better than most cities
92.6% own their home · Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.
Not measured for Waukesha: Crime, Jobs, Growth, Air, Obesity, Mental, Inactive, Smoking, Uninsured, Disaster, Bad air, Property crime. Not every public source covers every city — EPA air monitors and Zillow rent only reach some places, and national crime data is still being added.
Frequently asked
- Is Waukesha, WI a good place to live?
- By the numbers, Waukesha scores 68/100 — a C (Solid) on Shcity, which ranks U.S. cities on public data across 10 metrics like crime, cost, jobs and health. Its strongest area is homeownership and its weakest is housing cost. Wisconsin overall ranks #7 of 50 states. Whether it's "good" depends on what you value — re-weight the factors to score it your way.
- Is Waukesha, WI expensive to live in?
- Waukesha has a median home value of $415,500 and typical rent around $1,510/mo — pricier than most U.S. cities.
- What's the biggest downside of living in Waukesha, WI?
- Its weakest measured area is housing cost ($415,500) — 28/100, worse than most U.S. cities.
- What is Waukesha, WI best at?
- Its strongest measured area is homeownership (92.6%) — 98/100, better than most U.S. cities.
Sources: U.S. Census (ACS), CDC PLACES, FBI Crime Data Explorer, BLS, EPA AirData, FEMA National Risk Index, and Zillow.