Mauston ranks #15 in Wisconsin for affordability
Mauston is ranked on 35 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 Mauston does best on
Each list ranks every WI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Mauston marked.
Mauston lands in the top half on 6 of 21 lists
Each dot is Mauston’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Mauston does best come first.
More year-round than 83% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Mauston’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
4 spots from the top 25 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Mauston sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Every WI list, and where Mauston lands
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
#15
Cheapest rent#1 Bass Lake · $404/mo
#75
Lowest property tax#1 Stanley · $1,492/yr
#51
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Richmond · 20.8%
Health
Healthiest#1 Whitefish Bay · 98 / 100
#366
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#336
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#366
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#357
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#332
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#345
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#29 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#222 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#304
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#128 Safety
Safest#1 Geneva · 2.6
#107 
People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#326
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#230
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#142
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#153
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#294 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#308
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#285
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#86
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
The number on the right is Mauston’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.