Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetWI-WAUKESHA-WI · Waukesha, WI 70,779 pop · income 63rd pct · 98 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 Waukesha
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Waukesha on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Lafayette · lowest
52,946
Lafayette · lowest
52,946 median HH income
25.8% of the leader · rank #1
Perry · near
81,648
Perry · near
81,648 median HH income
39.8% of the leader · rank #2
Carlton · near
81,648
Carlton · near
81,648 median HH income
39.8% of the leader · rank #3
Waukesha · this city
81,651
Waukesha · this city
81,651 median HH income
39.8% of the leader · rank #4
Mount Royal · near
81,653
Mount Royal · near
81,653 median HH income
39.8% of the leader · rank #5
Bristol · near
81,656
Bristol · near
81,656 median HH income
39.8% of the leader · rank #6
Dublin · highest
205,046
Dublin · highest
205,046 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 Waukesha 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: 70,779.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Waukesha - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Waukesha lands in the 63rd percentile for household income and the 64th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
63rd
percentile, household income
63rd
percentile, home value
29th
percentile, median rent
64th
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: Waukesha, WI
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 70,779 residents in Waukesha, a small city within Wisconsin. Median household income here is $81,651 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.2%. Waukesha's housing stock carries a median value of $286,600, and the median resident age is 36.4 years. Educational attainment runs 40.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 69.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 66 residential building permits were authorized in Waukesha (Slowing), down 14% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Waukesha reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 988.6 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Wisconsin run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Wisconsin at 94.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,097 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Wisconsin run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 59.1 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Waukesha'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 population change to reported crime to housing and income to work and mobility to within-city variation to comparison shortlist to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Waukesha, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, local building permits, annual population history, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Population change
Is Waukesha growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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 declined by -277 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 66 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Waukesha?
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 988.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 57% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
PlainCities matches 98 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Waukesha?
Within Wisconsin, the closest population matches are Eau Claire (69,274 residents, $65,369 income); Appleton (74,873 residents, $77,450 income); Oshkosh (66,247 residents, $61,929 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Casas Adobes, AZ (70,770 residents); Baldwin Park, CA (70,720 residents); Lafayette, IN (70,650 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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Waukesha?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.2%, 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.
Household income
$81,651
Home value
$286,600
Value / income
3.5×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in Waukesha?
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 76.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.5%
Work from home
11.8%
Drive alone
76.6%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 40,036 workers age 16+.
The NCES join finds 28 public schools within the city match. 40.7% 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.
Matched public schools
28
Bachelor's degree+
40.7%
Poverty estimate
7.2%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 7.2% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
94.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Wisconsin average
C+
City profile score · Waukesha, WI
64/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share B+
40.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
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 B-
114 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income C+
$81,651
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C-
7.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Waukesha profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 76/100 (B+) · 40.7%
Cost of living: 68/100 (B-) · 94.1 index
Violent crime: 67/100 (B-) · 114 /100k
Household income: 61/100 (C+) · $81,651
Poverty rate: 51/100 (C-) · 7.2%
Where Waukesha sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Waukesha'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 - Waukesha highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Waukesha, WI (this city): home $286,600, crime 989/100k
Baldwin Park, CA : home $588,100, crime 1,834/100k
Lafayette, IN : home $157,600, crime 2,642/100k
Dublin, CA : home $1,224,100, crime 2,072/100k
Ankeny, IA : home $311,300, crime 1,188/100k
Maple Grove, MN : home $397,400, crime 1,877/100k
Eau Claire, WI : home $228,000, crime 2,068/100k
Appleton, WI : home $211,500, crime 1,549/100k
Oshkosh, WI : home $168,400, crime 1,684/100k
Janesville, WI : home $209,700, crime 1,985/100k
Racine, WI : home $158,100, crime 1,495/100k
West Allis, WI : home $191,700, crime 2,234/100k
How does Waukesha compare to other US cities?
Where Waukesha sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income63% higher than other cities
Home value63% pricier than other cities
Median rent29% pricier than other cities
Safety64% 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: Waukesha ranks #103 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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha near the bottom of Wisconsin's cities
Among the 761 Wisconsin cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Waukesha ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Waukesha only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#218 of 753
71st percentile in Wisconsin
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 761
0th percentile in Wisconsin
Median Home Value
#125 of 754
83rd percentile in Wisconsin
Poverty Rate
#284 of 761
62nd percentile in Wisconsin
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#99 of 761
87th 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 · 64th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Waukesha's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Waukesha'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 Waukesha's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$286,60037th percentilemore affordable than 37% 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
Waukesha's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,998 of 15,516
More affordable than 42% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#215 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 3.5×, Waukesha sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,998 of 15,516 and #215 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
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
$81,651Waukesha, WI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Waukesha, 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 Waukesha, WI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)40.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)69.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
70,779
Median Income
$81,651
Median Home Value
$286,600
Median Age
36.4
Poverty Rate
7.2%
Labor force participation
69.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
988.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
114.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
874.6
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
28
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Waukesha's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
71,149 residents
2021
71,035 residents
2022
71,058 residents
2023
71,284 residents
2024
71,238 residents
2025
70,872 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
66
housing units authorized
Single-Family
28
detached homes
Multifamily
38
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2022
77
31
46
$23.5M
2023
53
33
20
$17.5M
2024
66
28
38
$20.2M
Permit volume decreased 14% from 2022 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.6%
Carpool
7.1%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
3.0%
Work from Home
11.8%
Other
1.0%
Based on 40,036 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 Waukesha. 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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Waukesha 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.