Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 51/100
D+
Median home value$315,500
Milwaukee $306,400
Median rent$1,219/mo
Milwaukee $1,139/mo
Cost-burdened households31%
Milwaukee 31%
Waukesha
Waukesha County71,233 residentsWaukesha School District
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
20th of 30 Milwaukee suburbs. Strongest on commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
64
Milwaukee median 65
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Waukesha yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Waukesha is like to live in, by category
Bars show Waukesha against Milwaukee. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 62/100
C
Within-state proficiency49th pct
Milwaukee median 81st pct
Student–teacher ratio13.8
Milwaukee median 14.6
Graduation rate89%
Milwaukee median 97%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index103
Milwaukee 100
Eff. tax rate1.45%
Milwaukee 1.38%
Local sales tax5.72%
Milwaukee median 5.72%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 71/100
B−
Mean commute21.3 min
Milwaukee 22.7 min
Under 30 minutes76%
Milwaukee 71%
Transit stops / sq mi1.0
Milwaukee median 0.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 70/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés60
Milwaukee median 34 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Milwaukee median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks58
Milwaukee median 47 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Median household income$83,837
Milwaukee $78,218
Unemployment2.7%
Milwaukee 3.8%
Professional occupations44%
Milwaukee 44%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Waukesha yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Waukesha on housing & affordability
Waukesha's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Mequon18 mi from WaukeshaA− 70 B− Richfield16 mi from WaukeshaB+ 65 C+ Brookfield7 mi from WaukeshaB+ 72 B− Pewaukee4 mi from WaukeshaB 71 B− Whitefish Bay19 mi from WaukeshaB 79 B+ Lisbon10 mi from WaukeshaB 68 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Waukesha
Is Waukesha, WI a good place to live?
Waukesha scores 64 out of 100, 20th of 30 Milwaukee suburbs. It is strongest on commute & transport and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Waukesha expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $315,500, 3% above the Milwaukee median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.45%. $1,219/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Waukesha?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Waukesha sit at the 49th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 13.8 student–teacher ratio. Waukesha is served by Waukesha School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Waukesha?
The mean commute is 21.3 min, with 76% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 13% working from home. Transit density is 1.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Waukesha?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 60 restaurants and cafés and 58 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Waukesha old or new?
The median home in Waukesha was built in 1979 — newer than the Milwaukee median of 1967. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 59% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.