How Howard compares across Wisconsin
Howard is ranked on 36 lists against the 371 Wisconsin towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Howard does best on
Each list ranks every WI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Howard marked.
Howard lands in the top half on 15 of 22 lists
Each dot is Howard’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Howard does best come first.
Cooler summers than 94% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Howard’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
4 spots from the top 25 for affordable rent
Lists where Howard sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Howard out-ranks 4 of its 5 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every WI list, and where Howard lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#252
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#40
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#104
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
#105 Health
Healthiest#1 Whitefish Bay · 98 / 100
#136
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#244
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#66
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#127
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#39
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#78
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#122 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#121 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#95
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#129
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#191 
People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#144
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#156
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#215
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#248
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#151 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Antigo · 1.4 yrs
#222
Cheapest rent#1 Bass Lake · $404/mo
#186
Lowest property tax#1 Stanley · $1,492/yr
#205
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Richmond · 20.8%
#29 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Minocqua · 99 in
#99
Least snow#1 Williams Bay · 32 in
#268
Mildest winters#1 Racine · 16.5°
#72
Hottest summers#1 Brodhead · 83.8°
#342
Coolest summers#1 Superior · 75.9°
#22
Longest growing season#1 Cudahy · 192 days
#144
Wettest#1 Monroe · 39 in
#331 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Monona · 11.6 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Whitefish Bay · 24.8 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Monona · 45.8 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Geneva · 2.6
The number on the right is Howard’s spot. All of Wisconsin’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every WI list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.