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Vienna vs DeForest

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (17× in DeForest) and trails (4.8× in DeForest).

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Vienna, WIHomes around $621KDane County · 1,385 people
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DeForest, WIHomes around $451KWisconsin · 11,501 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

ViennaHomes around $621K
Housing$621K typical home83% above the WI typical home Work1,300 jobsbased in Vienna, a regional job hub HealthHealthier than 89%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Vienna →
DeForestHomes around $451K
Housing$451K typical home33% above the WI typical home HealthHealthier than 87%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#103 most trails in WI5.8 miles of trails across 19 parks and preserves All about DeForest →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Street grid17×
DeForest has the more walkable street grid
DeForest 49.2Vienna 2.9
Trails4.8×
DeForest has more miles of trail
DeForest 5.8 miVienna 1.2 mi
Size8.3×
DeForest is the bigger place
DeForest 11,501Vienna 1,385
Household income+31%
Households in Vienna earn more
Vienna $139,583DeForest $106,419
Home values+27%
Homes cost more in Vienna
Vienna $457,100DeForest $359,600
Growth since 2010+8.6 pts
DeForest has grown faster since 2010
DeForest +21%Vienna +12.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,010 more a month in Vienna

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Vienna$3,970/mo
Typical home $621K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.38% · or rent about $1,159/mo · Housing →
DeForest$2,970/mo
Typical home $451K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · or rent about $1,442/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,010 a month, about $12,100 a year, between Vienna and DeForest.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Vienna and DeForest share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

ViennaDeForestViennaDeForest
Vienna ↔ DeForest4.4 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
36 Vienna residents work in DeForest (4.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Vienna →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Wisconsin ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–ViennaNot graded B+DeForestSafer than 70% of U.S. towns
Schools
–ViennaNot graded B−DeForestBetter than 52% of districts in the state
Health
AViennaHealthier than 89% of U.S. towns ADeForestHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ViennaDeForest
Snow a year43″43″
January low9°F9°F
July high82°F82°F
Growing season (days)154d154d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)10th39th
Outdoors & history
ViennaDeForest
Trails1 mi6 mi
Conserved land0.8%3.3%
National Register places1—
Archive photos6—
Community
ViennaDeForest
Library hours a week—64 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ViennaDeForest
People
Population 1,385Lowest 11,501Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +12.4%Lowest WI: +3.6% +21%Highest WI: +3.6%
Median age 43.9±4.1Highest 9% above WI 40.7±2.6Lowest about the WI average
Vienna and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.9%±2.4Lowest WI: 21.4% 25.6%±4Highest WI: 21.4%
DeForest and Vienna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.8%±2.6Highest WI: 18.5% 15.6%±3.1Lowest WI: 18.5%
Vienna and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 44.6%Highest WI: 33.4% 41.7%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.9Highest WI: 5.8% 5%±1.7Lowest WI: 5.8%
Vienna and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $139,583±$24kHighest 80% above WI $106,419±$7kLowest 37% above WI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $457,100±$31kHighest 72% above WI $359,600±$18kLowest 35% above WI
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,159±$164Lowest 7% above WI $1,442±$143Highest 33% above WI
DeForest and Vienna are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,301Highest 66% above WI $5,747Lowest 52% above WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.6%±64.6Highest WI: 43.7% 29.3%±10.5Lowest WI: 43.7%
Vienna and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 2.9%Lowest WI: 10.6% 5.7%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 94.3%Highest WI: 67.8% 77.9%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1978Lowest 3 yrs newer than WI 1993Highest 18 yrs newer than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 6% below WI 26 minHighest 18% above WI
Work from home 21.5%±6Highest WI: 13.1% 20%±3.9Lowest WI: 13.1%
Vienna and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4.1%Lowest 10.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.66Highest 1.08Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Madison (36%)Madison (41%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in DeForestFew work in Vienna
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 3.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.2 miLowest 5.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Lowest 19Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 2.9Lowest 49.2Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#167 of 262 in WI
School district —De Forest Area School District
High school in town —De Forest High
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.2
Wisconsin average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Vienna neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vienna’s Town Square.

DeForest neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to DeForest’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Vienna and DeForest

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Vienna

+ Compare
Arlington807 people · $350K homes
+ Compare
Dane1,567 people · $473K homes
W
+ Compare
Westport4,213 people · $419K homes

Towns like Vienna

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New Glarus1,456 people · $494K homes
K
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Kinnickinnic1,603 people · $450K homes
R
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Rockland1,787 people · $420K homes
B
+ Compare
Brooklyn1,223 people · $460K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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