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Place dossier plate
SheetWI-MENASHA-WI · Menasha, WI 18,130 pop · income 42nd pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Menasha
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Menasha on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Steubenville · lowest
47,057
Steubenville · lowest
47,057 median HH income
24.4% of the leader · rank #1
Parkway · near
64,380
Parkway · near
64,380 median HH income
33.4% of the leader · rank #2
Menasha · this city
64,392
Menasha · this city
64,392 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #3
Garden City · near
64,396
Garden City · near
64,396 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #4
Warrenton · near
64,400
Warrenton · near
64,400 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #5
Carbonville · near
64,405
Carbonville · near
64,405 median HH income
33.5% of the leader · rank #6
Pinecrest · highest
192,477
Pinecrest · highest
192,477 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Menasha on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 18,130.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Menasha - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Menasha lands in the 42nd percentile for household income and the 61st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
42nd
percentile, household income
33rd
percentile, home value
29th
percentile, median rent
61st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Menasha, WI
18,130 people live in Menasha, Wisconsin - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $64,392 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.0%. Menasha's housing stock carries a median value of $169,200, and the median resident age is 37.6 years. 24.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 68.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 19 residential building permits were authorized in Menasha (Rapid Growth), up 36% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Menasha reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1060.6 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Wisconsin run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Wisconsin scores 94.1 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,097 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Wisconsin's average monthly utility costs around $225 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 59.1 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Menasha's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to comparison shortlist to housing and income to schools and households to reported crime to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Menasha, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Menasha?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 76.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Which cities make useful reference points for Menasha?
Within Wisconsin, the closest population matches are Cudahy (17,964 residents, $66,717 income); Oconomowoc (18,385 residents, $105,833 income); Marshfield (18,718 residents, $59,294 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Colonial Park, PA (18,125 residents); Pinecrest, FL (18,138 residents); Palos Hills, IL (18,139 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
How far does income reach against housing in Menasha?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The NCES join finds 8 public schools within the city match. 24.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Menasha?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1060.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 53% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
882.9
Violent rate
177.7
Total reported rate
1060.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +107 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 19 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+0.6%
2025 estimate
18,385
2020 estimate
18,278
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 8.0% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average
C-
City profile score · Menasha, WI
51/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B-
94.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime C-
178 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate D
8.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share D
24.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income D
$64,392
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Menasha profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
Violent crime: 52/100 (C-) · 178 /100k
Poverty rate: 48/100 (D) · 8.0%
Bachelor's+ share: 47/100 (D) · 24.4%
Household income: 41/100 (D) · $64,392
Where Menasha sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Menasha's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Menasha highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Menasha, WI (this city): home $169,200, crime 1,061/100k
Palos Hills, IL : home $259,200, crime 479/100k
White Settlement, TX : home $176,500, crime 2,210/100k
Steubenville, OH : home $128,000, crime 2,999/100k
Cudahy, WI : home $201,000, crime 888/100k
Oconomowoc, WI : home $367,700, crime 324/100k
Marshfield, WI : home $169,900, crime 1,328/100k
Wisconsin Rapids, WI : home $116,600, crime 2,425/100k
Onalaska, WI : home $279,100, crime 2,329/100k
Fox Crossing, WI : home $228,000, crime 835/100k
How does Menasha compare to other US cities?
Where Menasha sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income42% higher than other cities
Home value33% pricier than other cities
Median rent29% pricier than other cities
Safety61% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Wisconsin and the picture shifts: Menasha ranks #113 of 202 Wisconsin cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Menasha against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Wisconsin only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Wisconsin-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Menasha near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities
Among the 761 Wisconsin cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Menasha ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Menasha only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#441 of 753
41st percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#410 of 754
46th percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#247 of 761
67th percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#320 of 761
58th percentile in Wisconsin
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Wisconsin only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
42nd percentile nationally for median household income · 61st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Menasha's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Menasha's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Menasha's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$169,200Among the most affordablemore affordable than 67% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Menasha's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#4,659 of 15,516
More affordable than 70% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#476 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.6×, Menasha sits in the affordable band:
national rank #4,659 of 15,516 and #476 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$64,392Menasha, WI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Menasha, WI median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Menasha, WI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)24.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)68.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
18,130
Median Income
$64,392
Median Home Value
$169,200
Median Age
37.6
Poverty Rate
8.0%
Labor force participation
68.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1060.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
177.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
882.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
8
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Menasha's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
18,278 residents
2021
18,125 residents
2022
18,287 residents
2023
18,363 residents
2024
18,405 residents
2025
18,385 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
19
housing units authorized
Single-Family
19
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
14
14
0
$3.6M
2020
20
17
3
$4.6M
2021
28
28
0
$8.8M
2022
78
22
56
$18.0M
2023
27
27
0
$10.4M
2024
19
19
0
$5.8M
Permit volume increased 36% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.5%
Carpool
9.1%
Public Transit
0.9%
Walk
1.3%
Work from Home
11.5%
Other
0.7%
Based on 9,691 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Wisconsin statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Wisconsin at $225 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Wisconsin statewide averages, not a meter reading for Menasha. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Wisconsin's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.1 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Menasha is $1,097/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Wisconsin statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 59.1 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Wisconsin statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Menasha sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Menasha compares to similar-size Wisconsin cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.