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Compare towns

Wells vs Leon

Next-door neighbors in Monroe County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (2.1× in Leon) and age 65+ (+10.9 pts in Wells).

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Wells, WIA small town of 430Monroe County · 430 people
L ×
Leon, WIOne of the healthiest townsMonroe County · 1,142 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.

WellsA small town of 430
Quiet strengthsWells doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Wells →
LeonOne of the healthiest towns
Health65% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Leon →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Jobs per worker2.1×
Leon is more of a job hub
Leon 0.19Wells 0.09
Age 65++10.9 pts
Wells has more people 65 and up
Wells 24.4%Leon 13.5%
Street grid+71%
Leon has the more walkable street grid
Leon 2.4Wells 1.4
Size2.7×
Leon is the bigger place
Leon 1,142Wells 430
Typical home built13 yrs
Wells’s homes are older
Leon 1992Wells 1979
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $290 more a month in Leon

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.

Wells$1,490/mo
Typical home $230K (Census) · tax rate 1.47% · Housing →
Leon$1,780/mo
Typical home $282K (Census) · tax rate 1.27% · or rent about $990/mo · Housing →

The difference: $290 a month, about $3,500 a year, between Leon and Wells.

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

Wells and Leon share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WellsLeonWellsLeon
Wells ↔ Leon6.0 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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.

Health
–WellsNot graded CLeonHealthier than 35% 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
WellsLeon
Snow a year55″55″
January low11°F11°F
July high81°F81°F
Growing season (days)170d170d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd52nd
Outdoors & history
WellsLeon
Archive photos1—
Community
WellsLeon
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.

WellsLeon
People
Population 430Lowest 1,142Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.3%Highest WI: +3.6% +5.3%Lowest WI: +3.6%
Median age 42.2±6Highest 5% above WI 39.5±6.7Lowest about the WI average
Wells and Leon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.7%±5.5Lowest WI: 21.4% 29.1%±4.1Highest WI: 21.4%
Leon and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.4%±3.6Highest WI: 18.5% 13.5%±3.7Lowest WI: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.4%Lowest WI: 33.4% 22.1%Highest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.8%±1.6Lowest WI: 5.8% 3.8%±1.7Highest WI: 5.8%
Leon and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $75,417±$17kLowest about the WI average $88,750±$19kHighest 15% above WI
Leon and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $230,000±$26kLowest 14% below WI $282,200±$39kHighest 6% above WI
Leon and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $990±$117 9% below WI
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,379Lowest 11% below WI $3,572Highest 6% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 45.5%±100Highest WI: 43.7% 0%±58.8Lowest WI: 43.7%
Wells and Leon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11%Highest WI: 10.6% 2.2%Lowest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 92%Highest WI: 67.8% 87%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest 4 yrs newer than WI 1992Highest 17 yrs newer than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minLowest about the WI average 24 minHighest 9% above WI
Work from home 6.4%±5.2Lowest WI: 13.1% 6.9%±2.7Highest WI: 13.1%
Leon and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.4%Lowest 0.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.8 miHighest 18.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.09Lowest 0.19Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sparta (15%)Sparta (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LeonFew work in Wells
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.4Lowest 2.4Highest
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.

Wells neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wells’s Town Square.

Leon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Leon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Wells and Leon

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

Bordering Wells

R
+ Compare
Ridgeville406 people · $304K homes
A
+ Compare
Angelo1,669 people · $212K homes
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+ Compare
Jefferson790 people · $263K homes

Towns like Wells

M
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Mackford451 people · $210K homes
E
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Estella528 people · $205K homes
S
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Sheridan450 people · $247K homes
T
+ Compare
Two Creeks369 people · $212K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Wisconsin towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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