Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 80 largest places in Wisconsin, Whitefish Bay has the largest share of adults with a bachelor's degree (81.8%), followed by Shorewood and Mequon. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 80 places in Wisconsin that we cover, the median is 37.7% and the average 39.5%; the figure runs from 81.8% (Whitefish Bay) to 17.9% (Beloit). That is a spread of 4.6 times between the two ends. The state figure is 33.4%; 49 of the 80 places are above it and 31 at or below.
The first five are Whitefish Bay, Shorewood, Mequon, Verona, Brookfield. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Bachelor's degree or higher ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitefish Bay | Milwaukee County | 81.8% | 14,665 | $157,109 | $1,335 |
| 2 | Shorewood | Milwaukee County | 75.6% | 13,627 | $86,726 | $1,347 |
| 3 | Mequon | Ozaukee County | 69.7% | 25,270 | $144,051 | $2,157 |
| 4 | Verona | Dane County | 64.3% | 15,232 | $119,606 | $1,605 |
| 5 | Brookfield | Waukesha County | 64.3% | 41,273 | $129,548 | $1,886 |
| 6 | Wauwatosa | Milwaukee County | 64.0% | 48,529 | $101,138 | $1,438 |
| 7 | Waunakee | Dane County | 63.8% | 15,687 | $125,220 | $1,324 |
| 8 | Middleton | Dane County | 61.7% | 22,301 | $89,524 | $1,437 |
| 9 | Madison | Dane County | 59.9% | 278,001 | $78,050 | $1,413 |
| 10 | Glendale | Milwaukee County | 59.2% | 13,656 | $78,092 | $1,432 |
| 11 | Cedarburg | Ozaukee County | 57.7% | 12,605 | $84,896 | $1,116 |
| 12 | Fitchburg | Dane County | 57.7% | 32,619 | $86,516 | $1,373 |
| 13 | Pewaukee | Waukesha County | 57.3% | 16,211 | $108,350 | $1,622 |
| 14 | Richfield | Washington County | 52.4% | 11,755 | $143,963 | $1,388 |
| 15 | Sussex | Waukesha County | 51.2% | 12,066 | $119,041 | $1,369 |
| 16 | Sun Prairie | Dane County | 50.9% | 37,570 | $90,942 | $1,419 |
| 17 | Oconomowoc | Waukesha County | 48.4% | 19,080 | $106,425 | $1,301 |
| 18 | Menomonee Falls | Waukesha County | 48.2% | 39,539 | $100,238 | $1,313 |
| 19 | Germantown | Washington County | 47.4% | 20,962 | $100,231 | $1,355 |
| 20 | New Berlin | Waukesha County | 47.4% | 40,270 | $101,091 | $1,426 |
| 21 | Grafton | Ozaukee County | 47.2% | 12,445 | $89,861 | $1,310 |
| 22 | Greendale | Milwaukee County | 46.3% | 14,594 | $94,769 | $1,252 |
| 23 | Harrison | Calumet County | 45.9% | 13,658 | $121,504 | $1,422 |
| 24 | Muskego | Waukesha County | 45.6% | 25,406 | $112,221 | $1,313 |
| 25 | Suamico | Brown County | 45.6% | 12,985 | $118,337 | $1,188 |
| 26 | River Falls | Saint Croix County | 44.9% | 16,719 | $83,627 | $1,107 |
| 27 | Franklin | Milwaukee County | 44.3% | 35,886 | $106,894 | $1,458 |
| 28 | Hudson | Saint Croix County | 43.1% | 14,959 | $93,937 | $1,359 |
| 29 | Plover | Portage County | 42.2% | 13,884 | $88,042 | $1,089 |
| 30 | Waukesha | Waukesha County | 41.7% | 71,233 | $83,837 | $1,219 |
| 31 | Onalaska | La Crosse County | 41.7% | 19,348 | $85,867 | $1,130 |
| 32 | Brown Deer | Milwaukee County | 40.6% | 12,564 | $93,974 | $1,183 |
| 33 | Pleasant Prairie | Kenosha County | 40.6% | 21,669 | $103,902 | $1,458 |
| 34 | Port Washington | Ozaukee County | 40.1% | 12,645 | $81,948 | $1,008 |
| 35 | Oak Creek | Milwaukee County | 39.4% | 37,325 | $96,555 | $1,452 |
| 36 | Stoughton | Dane County | 39.3% | 13,033 | $79,551 | $1,157 |
| 37 | Menomonie | Dunn County | 38.7% | 16,539 | $56,889 | $970 |
| 38 | Appleton | Outagamie County | 38.2% | 75,023 | $80,483 | $1,030 |
| 39 | Stevens Point | Portage County | 37.9% | 25,785 | $58,031 | $890 |
| 40 | Mount Pleasant | Racine County | 37.7% | 27,953 | $91,616 | $1,127 |
| 41 | De Pere | Brown County | 37.7% | 25,301 | $84,869 | $1,053 |
| 42 | Eau Claire | Eau Claire County | 36.7% | 70,322 | $67,395 | $1,045 |
| 43 | Allouez | Brown County | 36.3% | 13,975 | $91,250 | $1,114 |
| 44 | Ashwaubenon | Brown County | 36.2% | 17,314 | $69,667 | $964 |
| 45 | Howard | Brown County | 35.8% | 21,087 | $85,477 | $1,102 |
| 46 | Neenah | Winnebago County | 35.8% | 27,336 | $75,374 | $1,006 |
| 47 | Whitewater | Walworth County | 35.2% | 15,807 | $54,969 | $1,041 |
| 48 | La Crosse | La Crosse County | 35.0% | 51,356 | $55,866 | $1,010 |
| 49 | Greenfield | Milwaukee County | 33.5% | 37,345 | $70,459 | $1,170 |
| 50 | Fox Crossing | Winnebago County | 33.3% | 19,131 | $79,187 | $1,009 |
| 51 | Caledonia | Racine County | 32.2% | 25,257 | $93,152 | $1,141 |
| 52 | Wausau | Marathon County | 30.9% | 39,996 | $64,389 | $1,010 |
| 53 | Bellevue | Brown County | 30.4% | 16,442 | $84,672 | $1,154 |
| 54 | South Milwaukee | Milwaukee County | 29.9% | 20,442 | $73,427 | $1,014 |
| 55 | West Allis | Milwaukee County | 29.6% | 59,612 | $67,611 | $1,007 |
| 56 | Cudahy | Milwaukee County | 29.1% | 17,853 | $66,719 | $1,028 |
| 57 | Superior | Douglas County | 29.1% | 26,677 | $64,216 | $900 |
| 58 | Kenosha | Kenosha County | 29.0% | 99,372 | $71,239 | $1,186 |
| 59 | Hartford | Washington County | 28.8% | 15,821 | $82,014 | $1,110 |
| 60 | West Bend | Washington County | 28.6% | 32,030 | $74,076 | $1,076 |
| 61 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee County | 27.4% | 566,973 | $54,234 | $1,059 |
| 62 | Oshkosh | Winnebago County | 27.4% | 66,729 | $62,188 | $935 |
| 63 | Janesville | Rock County | 27.3% | 66,030 | $73,446 | $1,054 |
| 64 | Salem Lakes | Kenosha County | 27.1% | 14,366 | $94,819 | $1,184 |
| 65 | Green Bay | Brown County | 26.7% | 106,253 | $66,206 | $932 |
| 66 | Fort Atkinson | Jefferson County | 26.2% | 12,463 | $79,302 | $961 |
| 67 | Baraboo | Sauk County | 25.9% | 12,769 | $69,750 | $940 |
| 68 | Menasha | Winnebago County | 25.8% | 18,273 | $64,698 | $903 |
| 69 | Weston | Marathon County | 25.7% | 15,749 | $78,207 | $1,024 |
| 70 | Marshfield | Wood County | 25.6% | 18,700 | $58,407 | $842 |
| 71 | Kaukauna | Outagamie County | 25.1% | 17,706 | $80,365 | $1,083 |
| 72 | Beaver Dam | Dodge County | 25.1% | 16,565 | $66,673 | $959 |
| 73 | Manitowoc | Manitowoc County | 24.6% | 34,620 | $63,757 | $804 |
| 74 | Sheboygan | Sheboygan County | 23.4% | 49,645 | $62,927 | $924 |
| 75 | Racine | Racine County | 21.4% | 77,633 | $57,740 | $1,033 |
| 76 | Fond du Lac | Fond du Lac County | 21.3% | 44,494 | $62,260 | $913 |
| 77 | Chippewa Falls | Chippewa County | 20.9% | 14,782 | $57,873 | $910 |
| 78 | Watertown | Jefferson County | 18.2% | 22,774 | $70,107 | $1,052 |
| 79 | Wisconsin Rapids | Wood County | 18.1% | 18,722 | $55,253 | $888 |
| 80 | Beloit | Rock County | 17.9% | 36,534 | $62,663 | $1,066 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Whitefish Bay, with 81.8% (among the 80 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 80 largest places in Wisconsin by population.