Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Wisconsin with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Wisconsin that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Wisconsin at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Mayville.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In Wisconsin For 2024
- Mayville
- Richland Center
- West Salem
- Columbus
- North Fond du Lac
- Bristol
- Rothschild
- Evansville
- Berlin
- Slinger
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more Wisconsin reading:
- Best Counties To Live In Wisconsin
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Wisconsin
- Best Places To Retire In Wisconsin
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Wisconsin For 2024
/10
2. Richland Center
/10
Population: 5,058
Median Home Price: $158,102
Population Change: -0.8%
Home Price Change: 4.6%
More on Richland Center: Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,253
Median Home Price: $320,923
Population Change: 0.5%
Home Price Change: 4.1%
More on West Salem: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,481
Median Home Price: $268,346
Population Change: 0.3%
Home Price Change: 5.6%
More on Columbus: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,372
Median Home Price: $167,126
Population Change: 0.4%
Home Price Change: -1.2%
More on North Fond Du Lac: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,169
Median Home Price: $533,141
Population Change: 0.3%
Home Price Change: 4.0%
More on Bristol: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,537
Median Home Price: $214,618
Population Change: 0.0%
Home Price Change: 9.9%
More on Rothschild: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,720
Median Home Price: $299,429
Population Change: 1.0%
Home Price Change: 6.6%
More on Evansville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,537
Median Home Price: $162,521
Population Change: -0.2%
Home Price Change: 6.5%
More on Berlin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Population: 6,055
Median Home Price: $404,668
Population Change: 1.8%
Home Price Change: 6.2%
More on Slinger: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Wisconsin for 2024?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 9. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Wisconsin. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Wisconsin with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2018-2022 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Wisconsin with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in Wisconsin, only 143 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 143 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Mayville is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Badger State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Wisconsin for 2024
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Wisconsin. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Wisconsin are Mayville, Richland Center, West Salem, Columbus, North Fond du Lac, Bristol, Rothschild, Evansville, Berlin, and Slinger.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more Wisconsin reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In Wisconsin
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayville | 5,176 | $221,037 | 0.2% | 9.7% |
| 2 | Richland Center | 5,058 | $158,102 | -0.8% | 4.6% |
| 3 | West Salem | 5,253 | $320,923 | 0.5% | 4.1% |
| 4 | Columbus | 5,481 | $268,346 | 0.3% | 5.6% |
| 5 | North Fond Du Lac | 5,372 | $167,126 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 6 | Bristol | 5,169 | $533,141 | 0.3% | 4.0% |
| 7 | Rothschild | 5,537 | $214,618 | 0.0% | 9.9% |
| 8 | Evansville | 5,720 | $299,429 | 1.0% | 6.6% |
| 9 | Berlin | 5,537 | $162,521 | -0.2% | 6.5% |
| 10 | Slinger | 6,055 | $404,668 | 1.8% | 6.2% |
| 11 | Waterford | 5,587 | $383,978 | 0.8% | 6.4% |
| 12 | Edgerton | 5,878 | $255,568 | 0.9% | 5.4% |
| 13 | Milton | 5,692 | $293,485 | -0.3% | 9.7% |
| 14 | Prairie Du Chien | 5,502 | $180,549 | -0.8% | 7.1% |
| 15 | Waupaca | 6,294 | $269,090 | 0.7% | 5.4% |
| 16 | Lake Mills | 6,280 | $364,364 | 1.4% | 6.4% |
| 17 | Twin Lakes | 6,341 | $332,070 | 0.6% | 5.4% |
| 18 | Elm Grove | 6,445 | $580,004 | -0.2% | 5.3% |
| 19 | Sturtevant | 6,823 | $245,292 | -2.1% | 5.7% |
| 20 | Fox Point | 6,811 | $481,451 | -1.1% | 7.4% |
| 21 | Lake Hallie | 7,178 | $308,070 | 1.1% | 7.6% |
| 22 | Kimberly | 7,331 | $243,898 | 0.6% | 9.6% |
| 23 | Cottage Grove | 7,567 | $416,743 | 4.3% | 7.2% |
| 24 | New London | 7,342 | $190,917 | 2.0% | 8.4% |
| 25 | Jackson | 7,814 | $367,088 | 9.6% | 9.2% |
| 26 | Mount Horeb | 7,717 | $412,236 | -0.1% | 4.3% |
| 27 | Delafield | 7,181 | $638,617 | 0.1% | 3.6% |
| 28 | Hales Corners | 7,677 | $351,737 | -0.4% | 10.8% |
| 29 | Rhinelander | 8,236 | $225,786 | 0.7% | 3.9% |
| 30 | Altoona | 8,506 | $306,195 | 3.2% | 5.8% |
| 31 | Antigo | 8,075 | $146,364 | 0.3% | 5.4% |
| 32 | Ripon | 7,823 | $183,554 | 0.5% | 10.2% |
| 33 | Ashland | 7,903 | $179,999 | 0.2% | 5.4% |
| 34 | Lake Geneva | 8,335 | $341,584 | 0.4% | 4.8% |
| 35 | Kronenwetter | 8,335 | $288,694 | 0.9% | 9.3% |
| 36 | Sheboygan Falls | 8,163 | $273,284 | 0.2% | 7.3% |
| 37 | Jefferson | 7,778 | $285,758 | -0.5% | 6.3% |
| 38 | Pewaukee | 8,227 | $459,571 | 0.3% | 2.8% |
| 39 | Monona | 8,592 | $417,017 | 0.4% | 9.4% |
| 40 | Mukwonago | 8,311 | $423,592 | 0.7% | 9.3% |
| 41 | Delavan | 8,519 | $286,756 | -0.6% | 6.5% |
| 42 | Rice Lake | 8,990 | $250,957 | 1.6% | 4.3% |
| 43 | Plymouth | 8,907 | $279,607 | 0.3% | 7.8% |
| 44 | Mcfarland | 9,104 | $418,062 | 0.9% | 5.1% |
| 45 | Sturgeon Bay | 9,620 | $327,051 | 0.8% | 10.1% |
| 46 | Shawano | 9,212 | $203,619 | -0.2% | 9.7% |
| 47 | Merrill | 9,266 | $180,411 | -0.8% | 6.3% |
| 48 | New Richmond | 10,158 | $345,613 | 2.5% | 1.1% |
| 49 | Hartland | 9,599 | $421,737 | 1.5% | 2.9% |
| 50 | Tomah | 9,527 | $226,985 | 0.1% | 4.9% |
| 51 | Hobart | 10,130 | $425,683 | 2.6% | 6.0% |
| 52 | Reedsburg | 10,019 | $265,464 | 0.8% | 6.6% |
| 53 | St. Francis | 9,288 | $250,548 | 0.4% | 8.3% |
| 54 | Sparta | 9,943 | $239,695 | -0.1% | 5.1% |
| 55 | Holmen | 10,806 | $357,250 | 1.8% | 4.2% |
| 56 | Elkhorn | 10,253 | $310,154 | -0.1% | 6.1% |
| 57 | Portage | 10,450 | $244,455 | 1.0% | 9.1% |
| 58 | Deforest | 10,767 | $356,196 | 0.6% | 6.1% |
| 59 | Oregon | 11,240 | $422,070 | 1.3% | 6.8% |
| 60 | Marinette | 11,065 | $166,215 | 0.4% | 4.8% |
| 61 | Monroe | 10,622 | $237,656 | -0.4% | 2.8% |
| 62 | Sussex | 11,549 | $437,059 | 1.3% | 8.0% |
| 63 | Burlington | 11,000 | $305,324 | 0.3% | 5.0% |
| 64 | Two Rivers | 11,252 | $256,600 | -0.2% | 8.2% |
| 65 | Waupun | 11,109 | $216,145 | -3.3% | 7.0% |
| 66 | Cedarburg | 12,213 | $475,448 | 0.9% | 5.4% |
| 67 | Little Chute | 11,798 | $250,340 | 1.3% | 12.0% |
| 68 | Grafton | 12,160 | $377,473 | 0.7% | 5.8% |
| 69 | Richfield | 11,757 | $493,223 | 0.5% | 8.0% |
| 70 | Port Washington | 12,446 | $322,974 | 1.4% | 6.0% |
| 71 | Brown Deer | 12,593 | $253,305 | 0.2% | 9.4% |
| 72 | Platteville | 11,543 | $227,451 | -2.0% | 2.5% |
| 73 | Baraboo | 12,541 | $246,414 | 0.8% | 6.1% |
| 74 | Fort Atkinson | 12,522 | $256,174 | -0.1% | 7.5% |
| 75 | Suamico | 12,878 | $396,184 | 0.8% | 7.4% |
| 76 | Glendale | 13,227 | $312,896 | -0.6% | 7.9% |
| 77 | Plover | 13,549 | $296,269 | 0.8% | 7.6% |
| 78 | Stoughton | 13,091 | $331,307 | -0.5% | 5.7% |
| 79 | Verona | 14,040 | $480,612 | 1.8% | 6.9% |
| 80 | Shorewood | 13,707 | $467,870 | -0.2% | 7.0% |
| 81 | Allouez | 14,089 | $274,547 | 0.1% | 9.1% |
| 82 | Whitefish Bay | 14,804 | $553,113 | -0.1% | 7.6% |
| 83 | Waunakee | 14,794 | $512,820 | 0.8% | 5.9% |
| 84 | Hudson | 14,763 | $461,468 | 1.8% | 4.1% |
| 85 | Greendale | 14,722 | $342,979 | -0.1% | 9.0% |
| 86 | Chippewa Falls | 14,623 | $275,687 | 0.3% | 5.7% |
| 87 | Pewaukee | 15,817 | $459,571 | 1.5% | 2.8% |
| 88 | Whitewater | 15,725 | $295,965 | 9.4% | 6.0% |
| 89 | Weston | 15,698 | $250,370 | 0.6% | 7.6% |
| 90 | Hartford | 15,667 | $324,957 | 0.9% | 7.0% |
| 91 | Bellevue | 16,086 | $345,424 | 1.0% | 6.5% |
| 92 | River Falls | 16,165 | $370,227 | 0.7% | 0.9% |
| 93 | Kaukauna | 17,111 | $258,413 | 1.1% | 10.4% |
| 94 | Beaver Dam | 16,652 | $239,342 | 0.3% | 8.4% |
| 95 | Menomonie | 16,563 | $273,762 | -0.9% | 4.4% |
| 96 | Oconomowoc | 18,178 | $435,095 | 1.2% | 6.6% |
| 97 | Ashwaubenon | 16,939 | $289,524 | -0.6% | 6.8% |
| 98 | Wisconsin Rapids | 18,783 | $187,866 | 0.4% | 9.5% |
| 99 | Cudahy | 18,087 | $248,599 | -0.6% | 10.6% |
| 100 | Marshfield | 18,795 | $223,593 | 0.7% | 7.4% |