Polk ranks #6 in Wisconsin for graduation rate
Polk is ranked on 33 lists against the 371 Wisconsin towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 7.
The lists Polk does best on
Each list ranks every WI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Polk marked.
Polk lands in the top half on 12 of 20 lists
Each dot is Polk’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Polk does best come first.
More seniors than 94% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Polk’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 3 for graduation rate
Lists where Polk sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Polk out-ranks 2 of its 6 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.
Where Polk 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
#78
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#102
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#66
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#57
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#39
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#78
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#15 
People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#139
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#332
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#40
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#22
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#227 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#42
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#140
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#276
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Antigo · 1.4 yrs
#344
Cheapest rent#1 Bass Lake · $404/mo
#264
Lowest property tax#1 Stanley · $1,492/yr
#164
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Richmond · 20.8%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#226
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#261
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#265 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#359 Climate
Snowiest#1 Minocqua · 99 in
#53
Least snow#1 Williams Bay · 32 in
#300
Mildest winters#1 Racine · 16.5°
#161
Hottest summers#1 Brodhead · 83.8°
#250
Coolest summers#1 Superior · 75.9°
#114
Longest growing season#1 Cudahy · 192 days
#144
Wettest#1 Monroe · 39 in
#184 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 Polk’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.