Study: Best Cities for Families in Wisconsin

Wisconsin offers residents way more than just instant access to freshly made cheese. When it comes to affordable living and natural beauty, Wisconsin provides the total package, making it a great state for raising a family. Read on to find out the 10 best cities to raise a family in Wisconsin.

In the right community for your family, you could find a house that doesn’t eat up too much of your income and you can spend your free time enjoying the fantastic lakes and outdoor recreation that the rugged residents of the Badger State are renowned for enjoying.

If you're planning a move with kids, consider this list.

10 Best Cities to Raise a Family in Wisconsin

Study Methodology

To start, we compiled a list of Wisconsin cities with a population of 15,000 residents or higher. From there, we zeroed in on these five factors based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau:

1. Education
   
2. Commute Time
   
3. Household Type
   
4. Residency
   
5. Housing Costs

Making sure your kids get a solid education is a priority for any parent. Wisconsin is home to some excellent schools, as evidenced by its higher overall graduation rate. For our study, we considered the percentage of adults who earned a high school diploma or higher.

When you live in a high traffic area, getting to work can be a nightmare. Congestion usually isn't as bad in suburban areas but it all depends on where you decide to live. We checked the average commute for each city so you'll know what kind of drive time you’ll encounter.

When you're checking out different cities and neighborhoods, one of the things that may sway your decision is the number of families already living in the area. When ranking each city, we looked at the percentage of family households with children under 18 years of age.

When a city has a high turnover rate among residents, it's a sign that it may not be such a great place to call home. For our study, we based our rankings in part on the percentage of people still living in the same house they were living in 1 year ago.

One of the great things about living in Wisconsin is the relatively low cost of living. Homes for the most part are more affordable than in other parts of the country, which is important when you're raising kids. We considered the percentage of income residents in each city spend on housing to pinpoint those most affordable places to live.

10. Kaukauna

• High School Graduates or Higher: 91.9%
  
• Commute Time: 20.1 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 31.9%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 87.4%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 19.9%

Kaukauna is nicknamed "The Friendly City," and newcomers will find a close-knit group that's welcoming to young families. With under 16,000 residents, Kaukauna is the smallest city in our study but it's one of the Appleton metro area's largest suburbs. Homes here are very reasonably priced and 87% of residents have lived here longer than one year. Despite its size, the city's got everything families need to feel at home, including several parks, a public swimming pool and a well-stocked library.

Did You Know: Originally settled as a fur trading post in the 18th century, Kaukauna is one of Wisconsin's oldest communities.

9. Appleton

• High School Graduates or Higher: 92.1%
  
• Commute Time: 17.9 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 32.8%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 86.6%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 20.8%

Appleton straddles the Fox River and sits just to the north of Lake Winnebago. We chose this city of 73,000 people for our study because of its fairly short commute and budget-friendly home prices. Appleton's historic downtown is a hotspot for young professionals, but families will enjoy events like Art at the Park and the annual Children's Parade. Nearly 33% of family households have at least one child under 18, so your youngsters should have plenty of opportunities to hang out with kids their age.

Did You Know: Famed magician Harry Houdini resided in Appleton as a child and a local museum is dedicated to his life and legacy.

8. De Pere

• High School Graduates or Higher: 95.5%
  
• Commute Time: 16.4 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 35.4%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 80.6%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 21.3%

Further up the Fox River is the city of De Pere, a mid-size suburb of Green Bay. The city stands out because of its short average commute time and the higher percentage of family households that include minor children. You'll pay a little more for a home than you would in Titletown (Green Bay’s nickname), but it’s worth it if you're looking for top-notch schools and quiet neighborhoods. If you're ready to have some fun with the kiddies, you're less than 10 miles from most of Green Bay's major attractions.

Did You Know: Locals want you to know that the city's name is pronounced "dee peer" not "duh pear."

7. Muskego

• High School Graduates or Higher: 96.4%
  
• Commute Time: 25.3 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 34.8%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 92.4%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 21.4%

The Milwaukee suburb of Muskego was originally a Potawatomi Indian settlement before becoming a fur trading post in the 1800s. Today, the city is one of the metro area's more desirable locales, attributed in part to its family-centric attitude. Residents tend to be more affluent, earning a median income of $84,000, and you can expect to spend an average of 21.4% of your pay on housing. If you're looking for that small-town feel but don't want to sacrifice any modern conveniences, Muskego fits the bill.

Did You Know: Little Muskego Lake is roughly one-quarter the size of Big Muskego Lake, but it's nearly three times as deep as its larger counterpart.

6. Ashwaubenon

• High School Graduates or Higher: 93.5%
  
• Commute Time: 14.5 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 28.1%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 85.3%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 18.9%

Ashwaubenon is an all-around great city, and the only thing that might pose a problem for newcomers is figuring out how to spell it correctly. Part of the Green Bay area, this little village is home to just over 17,000 people and nearly a third of families include minor children. Ashwaubenon has one of the best rankings when it comes to the amount of income residents shell out for housing. To top it off, residents have the shortest average commute of any city on our list, at just 14.5 minutes.

Did You Know: Ashwaubenon is less than five miles from Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.

5. Mequon

• High School Graduates or Higher: 98.3%
  
• Commute Time: 22.1 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 28.5%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 90.6%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 18.4%

Mequon, a small city of 23,000 people, is located close to the much smaller village of Thienville. Mequon outshines the other cities on our list based on the percentage of income residents spend on housing. People here also earn the highest median income, at nearly $107,000 annually. If your kids are into nature, they can enjoy the great outdoors at places like River Barn Park and the Trinity Creek Wetland Habitat.

Did You Know: Mequon is designated as a Bird City for its efforts to preserve local bird habitats.

Tip: Use an airline credit card to earn rewards toward your next vacation with your kids.

4. Onalaska

• High School Graduates or Higher: 95.4%
  
• Commute Time: 18.6 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 30.6%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 87.3%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 18.7%

Onalaska is without a doubt one of the most scenic cities on our list, offering views of the Black River, Lake Onalaska and the Minnesota bluffs. Onalaska is perfect for taking the kids hiking, biking and canoeing in summer, but winter's prime time for snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Natural beauty aside, the city gets our seal of approval because of its highly educated population, short average commute and wallet-friendly housing market. The local school system is also praise-worthy and Onalaska High School ranks among the top high schools in the state.

Did You Know: Onalaska's name comes from the poem "The Pleasures of Hope," by Thomas Campbell, published in 1799.

3. Germantown

• High School Graduates or Higher: 94.8%
  
• Commute Time: 21.2 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 33.2%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 91%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 20%

The peaceful village of Germantown sits to the northwest of Milwaukee and west of Mequon. Once a small agricultural community, the city continues to evoke plenty of rural charm that's influenced by its Germanic heritage. Residents clearly love Germantown; 91% of people are living in the same house they were a year ago. Homes are less expensive than in some of Milwaukee's other suburbs, and the commute time's not bad, at 21.2 minutes.

Did You Know: German architectural touches can be seen on many of the village’s historic buildings, including the Wolf Haus, a completely restored fachwerk structure.

2. Brookfield

• High School Graduates or Higher: 96.3%
  
• Commute Time: 20.7 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 30.9%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 92%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 20.1%

The city of Brookfield sits roughly 12 miles west of Milwaukee, adjacent to a town that shares the same name. The two split in 1954 and the city has grown significantly; today, the population hovers just under 38,000. Brookfield has one of the best long-term residency rates, which may be due to the fact that median incomes are among the highest in the state. There are plenty of historic attractions nearby but if you're wondering where the wild things are, it's a short drive to the Milwaukee Zoo.

Did You Know: According to local historians, notorious gangster Al Capone once owned a home in the Brookfield area that was used to make moonshine.

1. Howard

• High School Graduates or Higher: 93.3%
  
• Commute Time: 17.7 minutes
  
• Households With Own Children Under 18: 37.8%
  
• Residing in Same Home: 86.9%
  
• Income Spent on Housing: 18.6%

Howard is our first-place finisher as Wisconsin's best city to raise a family because of its overall high ratings across each of our five categories. It has the highest percentage of family households with children under 18 and one of the shortest commute times. Homes go for a little more here than they do in nearby Green Bay but you'll end up spending less of your income overall on housing. If good schools, safe neighborhoods and welcoming people are what you're after, Howard hits the mark.

Did You Know: For most of the 19th century, the Duck Creek served as Howard's main route for transportation and commerce.

You might have noticed that our study doesn't include larger cities like Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay. While there's no disputing their popularity or the wealth of things they have to offer, the 10 cities in our rankings have the advantage when it comes to being the best all-around places for families with children.