Merrill ranks #6 in Wisconsin for affordability
Merrill is ranked on 37 lists against the 371 Wisconsin towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 5.
Shorter growing season than 95% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Merrill’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Merrill does best on
Each list ranks every WI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Merrill marked.
Merrill lands in the top half on 7 of 23 lists
Each dot is Merrill’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Merrill does best come first.
3 spots from the top 3 for affordability
Lists where Merrill sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Merrill out-ranks 0 of its 1 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 Merrill 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
#6
Cheapest rent#1 Bass Lake · $404/mo
#22
Lowest property tax#1 Stanley · $1,492/yr
#33
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Richmond · 20.8%
#99 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#71 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#126
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#168
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#80 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#85
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#135
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#105
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
Health
Healthiest#1 Whitefish Bay · 98 / 100
#356
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#345
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#324
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#348
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#290
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#289
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#308 Safety
Safest#1 Geneva · 2.6
#143 
People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#356
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#174
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#194
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#120
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#300 
The number on the right is Merrill’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.