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Place dossier plate
SheetWI-PORT-WASHINGTON-WI · Port Washington, WI 12,569 pop · income 63rd pct · 22 tracts
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 Port Washington
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Port Washington on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Parker · lowest
38,607
Parker · lowest
38,607 median HH income
20.3% of the leader · rank #1
Port Washingt… · this city
81,582
Port Washingt… · this city
81,582 median HH income
43.0% of the leader · rank #2
Calmar · near
81,583
Calmar · near
81,583 median HH income
43.0% of the leader · rank #3
Camden · near
81,583
Camden · near
81,583 median HH income
43.0% of the leader · rank #4
West Rancho D… · near
81,585
West Rancho D… · near
81,585 median HH income
43.0% of the leader · rank #5
Midland · near
81,591
Midland · near
81,591 median HH income
43.0% of the leader · rank #6
Castle Pines · highest
189,918
Castle Pines · highest
189,918 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 Port Washington 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: 12,569.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Port Washington - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Port Washington lands in the 63rd percentile for household income and the 81st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
63rd
percentile, household income
61st
percentile, home value
29th
percentile, median rent
81st
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: Port Washington, WI
Port Washington is a small town in Wisconsin, home to 12,569 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Port Washington households earn a median of $81,582 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.6%. Home values in Port Washington run a median of $276,000, and the median resident age is 39.6 years. 38.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 66.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 38 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 65% from five years earlier. Port Washington reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 605.2 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 46.7°F with 33.9 inches of precipitation per year and 42.3 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Wisconsin run below the national norm: the state registers 94.1 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,097 per month. 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 Port Washington'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 schools and households to work and mobility to reported crime to housing and income to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist to population change to within-city variation; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Port Washington, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Port Washington?
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.
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 38.8% 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Port Washington?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Port Washington?
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.
Within Wisconsin, the closest population matches are Brown Deer (12,615 residents, $91,567 income); Baraboo (12,506 residents, $73,515 income); Fort Atkinson (12,490 residents, $75,350 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Lindsay, CA (12,572 residents); Castle Pines, CO (12,573 residents); Geneva, NY (12,573 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.
What can 22 Census tracts reveal inside Port Washington?
PlainCities matches 22 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
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 Port Washington?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 605.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 73% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
Total reported rate
605.2
Violent rate
38.8
Property rate
566.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Port Washington?
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 home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.6%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.4×
Home value
$276,000
Household income
$81,582
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What physical conditions frame life in Port Washington?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 46.7°F, with 33.9 inches of precipitation and 42.3 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Wisconsin is 59.1 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
FEMA risk index (state avg)
59.1
Annual precipitation
33.9 in
Mean temperature
46.7°F
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Is Port Washington growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +223 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 38 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
12,435
2025 estimate
12,658
Period change
+1.8%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 4.6% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average
B
City profile score · Port Washington, WI
71/100
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.
Violent crime A
39 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B
38.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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.
Household income C+
$81,582
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Port Washington profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 87/100 (A) · 39 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 73/100 (B) · 38.8%
Poverty rate: 68/100 (B-) · 4.6%
Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
Household income: 61/100 (C+) · $81,582
Where Port Washington sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Port Washington'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 - Port Washington highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Port Washington, WI (this city): home $276,000, crime 605/100k
Lindsay, CA : home $268,400, crime 1,904/100k
Geneva, NY : home $140,300, crime 3,109/100k
Levelland, TX : home $126,200, crime 1,368/100k
Richton Park, IL : home $200,400, crime 2,437/100k
Brown Deer, WI : home $221,100, crime 2,960/100k
Fort Atkinson, WI : home $198,600, crime 994/100k
Cedarburg, WI : home $386,400, crime 443/100k
Grafton, WI : home $301,300, crime 696/100k
How does Port Washington compare to other US cities?
Here's how Port Washington stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income63% higher than other cities
Home value61% pricier than other cities
Median rent29% pricier than other cities
Safety81% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Wisconsin alone, Port Washington ranks #67 of 202 Wisconsin cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Port Washington 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 Port Washington near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities
Among the 761 Wisconsin cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Port Washington ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Port Washington only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#219 of 753
71st percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#147 of 754
81st percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#423 of 761
44th percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#113 of 761
85th 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
63rd percentile nationally for median household income · 81st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Port Washington's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Port Washington'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 Port Washington's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$276,00039th percentilemore affordable than 39% 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
Port Washington's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,502 of 15,516
More affordable than 45% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,381 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.4×, Port Washington sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,502 of 15,516 and #1,381 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$81,582Port Washington, WI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Port Washington, 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 Port Washington, WI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)38.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)66.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,569
Median Income
$81,582
Median Home Value
$276,000
Median Age
39.6
Poverty Rate
4.6%
Labor force participation
66.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
38.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
605.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
38.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
566.4
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
46.7°F
Annual Precipitation
33.9"
Annual Snowfall
42.3"
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Port Washington's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,435 residents
2021
12,683 residents
2022
12,640 residents
2023
12,684 residents
2024
12,685 residents
2025
12,658 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
38
housing units authorized
Single-Family
38
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
110
64
46
$16.2M
2020
112
31
81
$18.4M
2021
65
28
37
$24.9M
2022
22
16
6
$8.4M
2023
29
29
0
$8.8M
2024
38
38
0
$14.7M
Permit volume decreased 65% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.8%
Carpool
5.0%
Public Transit
0.7%
Walk
0.7%
Work from Home
12.3%
Other
2.5%
Based on 6,460 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 Port Washington. 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 Port Washington 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 Port Washington sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Port Washington 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.