Ripon ranks #23 in Wisconsin for cheap rent
Ripon 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 Ripon does best on
Each list ranks every WI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Ripon marked.
Ripon lands in the top half on 9 of 22 lists
Each dot is Ripon’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Ripon does best come first.
Fewer kids than 89% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Ripon’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Ripon 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
#44
Cheapest rent#1 Bass Lake · $404/mo
#23
Lowest property tax#1 Stanley · $1,492/yr
#80
Rent easiest to afford#1 New Richmond · 20.8%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#267
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#61
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#96 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#90 Safety
Safest#1 Geneva · 2.6
#61 
Health
Healthiest#1 Whitefish Bay · 98 / 100
#287
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#336
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#181
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#291
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#290
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#289
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#312 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#278
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#202
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#61
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#288
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#175
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#195
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#77
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#332 
The number on the right is Ripon’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.