Ladysmith ranks #7 in Wisconsin for affordability
Ladysmith is ranked on 35 lists against the 371 Wisconsin towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
Shorter growing season than 100% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Ladysmith’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Ladysmith does best on
Each list ranks every WI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Ladysmith marked.
Ladysmith lands in the top half on 8 of 21 lists
Each dot is Ladysmith’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Ladysmith does best come first.
2 spots from the top 10 for low property taxes
Lists where Ladysmith sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Ladysmith lands in every WI ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Antigo · 1.4 yrs
#7
Cheapest rent#1 Bass Lake · $404/mo
#77
Lowest property tax#1 Stanley · $1,492/yr
#12
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Richmond · 20.8%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#69 Safety
Safest#1 Geneva · 2.6
#54 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#145
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#134 Health
Healthiest#1 Whitefish Bay · 98 / 100
#364
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#313
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#354
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#357
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#290
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#178
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#365 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#339
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#235
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#29
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#327
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#313
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#60
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#39
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#312 
The number on the right is Ladysmith’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.