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.

Down paymentRate%

Windsor$3,390/mo

Typical home $524K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.47% · or rent about $1,375/mo · Housing →

DeForest$2,970/mo

Typical home $451K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · or rent about $1,442/mo · Housing →

The difference: $420 a month, about $5,100 a year, between Windsor 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

Windsor and DeForest share a border

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

WindsorDeForest

Windsor ↔ DeForest3.4 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

348 Windsor residents work in DeForest (7.4% of its workers)

139 DeForest residents work in Windsor (2.4% of its workers)

Work & commute in Windsor →

Report cards

DeForest places higher on 13 of 21 WI lists

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

–WindsorNot graded B+DeForestSafer than 70% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−WindsorBetter than 52% of districts in the state B−DeForestBetter than 52% of districts in the state

Health

A−WindsorHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns ADeForestHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns

6Windsor

13DeForest

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 371 towns #151#295 Most trailsOutdoors · 301 towns #192#103 Most walkableOutdoors · 371 towns #240#142 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 366 towns #115#39 Most affordableCost of living · 371 towns #325#264 Best schoolsSchools · 262 towns #129#167 Highest incomeIncome · 371 towns #43#90 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 371 towns #299#262

Left end = #1 in Wisconsin. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Windsor’s rankings →

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

WindsorDeForest

Snow a year43″43″

January low9°F 9°F

July high82°F 82°F

Growing season (days)154d 154d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)27th 39th

Outdoors & history

WindsorDeForest

Trails8 mi 6 mi

Conserved land3.1%3.3%

Archive photos6 —

Famous people born here1 —

Community

WindsorDeForest

Library hours a week—64 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 0

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.

Only big differences vs Wisconsin average

WindsorDeForest

People

Population 9,452Lowest 11,501Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +145%Highest WI: +3.6% +21%Lowest WI: +3.6%

Median age 38.3±1.6Lowest 5% below WI 40.7±2.6Highest about the WI average

DeForest and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 26.8%±3.7Highest WI: 21.4% 25.6%±4Lowest WI: 21.4%

Windsor and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 13.6%±3.3Lowest WI: 18.5% 15.6%±3.1Highest WI: 18.5%

DeForest and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 43.5%Highest WI: 33.4% 41.7%Lowest WI: 33.4%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.3%±1Lowest WI: 5.8% 5%±1.7Highest WI: 5.8%

DeForest and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $120,048±$14kHighest 55% above WI $106,419±$7kLowest 37% above WI

Windsor and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $425,600±$29kHighest 60% above WI $359,600±$18kLowest 35% above WI

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,375±$220Lowest 26% above WI $1,442±$143Highest 33% above WI

DeForest and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $6,250Highest 65% above WI $5,747Lowest 52% above WI

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 32.3%±18.3Highest WI: 43.7% 29.3%±10.5Lowest WI: 43.7%

Windsor and DeForest are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 4.5%Lowest WI: 10.6% 5.7%Highest WI: 10.6%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 75.8%Lowest WI: 67.8% 77.9%Highest WI: 67.8%

Typical home builtmedian year 1994Highest 19 yrs newer than WI 1993Lowest 18 yrs newer than WI

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 4% below WI 26 minHighest 18% above WI

Work from home 18.8%±4.2Lowest WI: 13.1% 20%±3.9Highest WI: 13.1%

DeForest and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 3.5%Lowest 10.3%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 12.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.46Lowest 1.08Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Madison (46%)Madison (41%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in DeForest2% work in Windsor

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 3.1%Lowest 3.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 8.4 miHighest 5.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miLowest 0.6 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 19 19

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 13.7Lowest 49.2Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #129 of 262 in WI #167 of 262 in WI

School district De Forest Area School DistrictDe Forest Area School District

High school in town None in townDe 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.

Windsor neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Windsor's Fall Traditions

1 neighbor in Windsor can answer.

DeForest neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to DeForest’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Windsor and DeForest

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

Bordering Windsor

+ Compare

Sun Prairie37,570 people · $366K homes

+ Compare

Bristol4,374 people · $493K homes

+ Compare

Leeds870 people · $333K homes

+ Compare

Burke3,181 people · $369K homes

Towns like Windsor

+ Compare

Mukwonago8,415 people · $366K homes

+ Compare

Washington7,593 people · $367K homes

+ Compare

Mount Horeb7,736 people · $389K homes

+ Compare

Oregon11,547 people · $417K 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.

Windsor vs DeForest

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $420 more a month in Windsor

Windsor and DeForest share a border

DeForest places higher on 13 of 21 WI lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Windsor's Fall Traditions

Set another town beside Windsor and DeForest

Bordering Windsor

Towns like Windsor

Post to Windsor

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