Middleton makes Wisconsin’s top 10 on 3 lists
Middleton is ranked on 37 lists against the 371 Wisconsin towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 3 and the top quarter on 15.
Wetter than 95% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Middleton’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Middleton does best on
Each list ranks every WI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Middleton marked.
Middleton out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
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.
1 spot from the top 10 for staying active
Lists where Middleton sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Middleton lands in the top half on 20 of 23 lists
Each dot is Middleton’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Middleton does best come first.
Where Middleton 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.
Health
Healthiest#1 Whitefish Bay · 98 / 100
#7
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#20
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#10
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#11
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#39
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#78
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#91 People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#14
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#100
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#270
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#236
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#238 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#155
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#12
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#287
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
#35 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#18
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#13
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#63 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#94 
Safety
Safest#1 Geneva · 2.6
#77 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Antigo · 1.4 yrs
#352
Cheapest rent#1 Bass Lake · $404/mo
#300
Lowest property tax#1 Stanley · $1,492/yr
#363
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Richmond · 20.8%
#40 
The number on the right is Middleton’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.