County housing intelligence
Wisconsin Housing Market by County
Wisconsin is not one housing market. Across 72 counties, the median county home value is $224,800 and the median county rent is $878/mo. The useful question is not whether Wisconsin is cheap. It is which county fits your income, tax tolerance, and buy-versus-rent plan.
County median home value
$224,800
Median of county medians, less distorted by the largest metros.
County median rent
$878/mo
Gross rent includes rent plus utilities where Census reports it.
Counties compared
72
Every county with available ACS housing data in this state.
Fast answers
Start with the housing question.
Market brief
The state-level housing signal
These benchmarks use the median county in the state, not one metro-weighted average. That makes the brief better for county comparison and rural-to-urban screening.
Purchase price
State county median vs national benchmark
Rent
State county median vs national benchmark
Owner cost
State county median vs national benchmark
Income base
State county median vs national benchmark
Tax rate
State county median vs national benchmark
The Wisconsin Pattern
These are the signals a statewide average hides. Start here before choosing counties to compare.
Price geography
Waukesha County, Dane County, Ozaukee County sit at the top of the purchase market, while Menominee County, Langlade County, Marinette County anchor the lower-cost end.
Rent reality
Dane County, Waukesha County, St. Croix County lead on rent, while Forest County, Menominee County, Iron County show where monthly lease costs are lowest.
Decision lens
Menominee County, Lafayette County, Marinette County screen best for purchase affordability when home values are measured against local household income.
Best Counties by Housing Goal
Different households need different rankings. Price alone is not enough, so these groups compare rent, income, owner costs, and tax exposure.
Cheapest to buy
Lowest median home values. Useful for purchase-price screening.
- 1. Menominee County
$110,200
- 2. Langlade County
$158,200
- 3. Marinette County
$158,600
- 4. Price County
$162,500
- 5. Rusk County
$163,400
Best buy affordability
Lowest home-value-to-income ratios. Better than price alone.
- 1. Menominee County
1.8x home-value-to-income
- 2. Lafayette County
2.5x home-value-to-income
- 3. Marinette County
2.5x home-value-to-income
- 4. Clark County
2.6x home-value-to-income
- 5. Juneau County
2.6x home-value-to-income
Cheapest to rent
Lowest median gross rent among counties with ACS rent data.
- 1. Forest County
$594/mo
- 2. Menominee County
$626/mo
- 3. Iron County
$662/mo
- 4. Langlade County
$702/mo
- 5. Sawyer County
$712/mo
Lowest rent burden
Where typical renters spend the smallest share of income on rent.
- 1. Forest County
19.8% rent burden
- 2. Menominee County
19.9% rent burden
- 3. Vernon County
20.2% rent burden
- 4. Clark County
22.3% rent burden
- 5. Manitowoc County
22.3% rent burden
Lowest tax-rate signal
Lowest effective property-tax rates in the state data.
- 1. Vilas County
0.73% effective tax rate
- 2. Sawyer County
0.80% effective tax rate
- 3. Oneida County
0.89% effective tax rate
- 4. Burnett County
0.93% effective tax rate
- 5. Bayfield County
1.01% effective tax rate
Owner-cost advantage
Counties where median owner costs are furthest below median rent.
- 1. Marinette County
$30/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 2. Langlade County
$23/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 3. Rusk County
$18/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 4. Price County
$15/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 5. Oneida County
$-1/mo cheaper to own than rent
Income-backed value
Higher-income counties that still hold a reasonable value-to-income profile.
- 1. Menominee County
$62,108 income, 1.8x value-to-income
- 2. Kewaunee County
$82,725 income, 2.7x value-to-income
- 3. Lafayette County
$76,462 income, 2.5x value-to-income
- 4. Calumet County
$88,810 income, 3.1x value-to-income
- 5. Waukesha County
$106,076 income, 3.8x value-to-income
Tradeoffs to Check
The best page is not the one that crowns a winner. It is the one that shows where a county can surprise you after the headline price looks attractive.
| Signal | County | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap price, weaker income base | Menominee County $110,200 home value, $62,108 income | Low purchase prices can still feel tight when local wages are also low. |
| Affordable homes, higher tax rate | Menominee County $110,200 home value, 3.56% tax rate | A low home price can be offset by the annual property-tax bill. |
| Renter pressure | Lincoln County $755/mo rent, 30.80% rent burden | Monthly rent alone does not show whether renters can comfortably absorb the cost. |
| Expensive, but income-supported | Waukesha County $398,200 home value, $106,076 income | Some high-price counties also have stronger incomes, so affordability depends on both sides of the equation. |
Lowest home values
Best value-to-income
Compare Every Wisconsin County
Sorted by home-value-to-income ratio so the first rows are not just cheap counties, but counties where purchase prices look smaller relative to local income.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Income | Value/Income | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menominee County | $110,200 | $626/mo | $62,108 | 1.8x | 3.56% |
| Lafayette County | $194,500 | $830/mo | $76,462 | 2.5x | 1.57% |
| Marinette County | $158,600 | $795/mo | $63,809 | 2.5x | 1.20% |
| Clark County | $172,800 | $823/mo | $67,400 | 2.6x | 1.45% |
| Juneau County | $177,700 | $879/mo | $67,270 | 2.6x | 1.47% |
| Wood County | $175,600 | $856/mo | $67,989 | 2.6x | 1.54% |
| Ashland County | $170,300 | $721/mo | $62,462 | 2.7x | 1.42% |
| Douglas County | $205,800 | $909/mo | $75,099 | 2.7x | 1.26% |
| Iron County | $165,900 | $662/mo | $60,625 | 2.7x | 1.07% |
| Kewaunee County | $222,200 | $847/mo | $82,725 | 2.7x | 1.44% |
| Manitowoc County | $186,900 | $797/mo | $69,148 | 2.7x | 1.44% |
| Price County | $162,500 | $786/mo | $60,546 | 2.7x | 1.32% |
| Rusk County | $163,400 | $874/mo | $59,944 | 2.7x | 1.12% |
| Florence County | $173,200 | $750/mo | $61,086 | 2.8x | 1.21% |
| Langlade County | $158,200 | $702/mo | $55,878 | 2.8x | 1.25% |
| Lincoln County | $192,700 | $755/mo | $68,164 | 2.8x | 1.32% |
| Marathon County | $219,600 | $999/mo | $77,884 | 2.8x | 1.47% |
| Taylor County | $197,100 | $823/mo | $69,350 | 2.8x | 1.39% |
| Trempealeau County | $216,700 | $949/mo | $76,313 | 2.8x | 1.56% |
| Crawford County | $183,400 | $789/mo | $64,094 | 2.9x | 1.56% |
| Jackson County | $196,100 | $787/mo | $68,110 | 2.9x | 1.39% |
| Pepin County | $214,800 | $869/mo | $75,256 | 2.9x | 1.36% |
| Shawano County | $194,000 | $821/mo | $66,479 | 2.9x | 1.36% |
| Waupaca County | $211,400 | $852/mo | $72,830 | 2.9x | 1.38% |
| Buffalo County | $213,300 | $876/mo | $70,479 | 3.0x | 1.32% |
| Fond du Lac County | $222,800 | $960/mo | $74,275 | 3.0x | 1.51% |
| Forest County | $185,000 | $594/mo | $61,071 | 3.0x | 1.07% |
| Grant County | $200,700 | $813/mo | $66,858 | 3.0x | 1.36% |
| Green County | $250,200 | $867/mo | $82,852 | 3.0x | 1.60% |
| Monroe County | $210,000 | $914/mo | $69,467 | 3.0x | 1.35% |
| Richland County | $197,500 | $771/mo | $66,420 | 3.0x | 1.38% |
| Waushara County | $203,100 | $796/mo | $67,107 | 3.0x | 1.21% |
| Winnebago County | $225,800 | $965/mo | $74,925 | 3.0x | 1.63% |
| Calumet County | $274,200 | $1,073/mo | $88,810 | 3.1x | 1.41% |
| Dodge County | $231,900 | $988/mo | $75,929 | 3.1x | 1.48% |
| Oconto County | $231,400 | $791/mo | $75,049 | 3.1x | 1.18% |
| Outagamie County | $267,300 | $1,057/mo | $85,069 | 3.1x | 1.37% |
| Rock County | $231,600 | $1,037/mo | $75,673 | 3.1x | 1.60% |
| Vernon County | $223,800 | $836/mo | $71,893 | 3.1x | 1.33% |
| Green Lake County | $215,400 | $818/mo | $68,196 | 3.2x | 1.26% |
| Iowa County | $265,000 | $954/mo | $82,182 | 3.2x | 1.52% |
| Marquette County | $210,400 | $800/mo | $65,681 | 3.2x | 1.26% |
| Portage County | $243,100 | $940/mo | $76,070 | 3.2x | 1.44% |
| Racine County | $251,400 | $1,080/mo | $78,096 | 3.2x | 1.63% |
| Sheboygan County | $232,700 | $934/mo | $73,094 | 3.2x | 1.39% |
| Barron County | $216,600 | $879/mo | $65,933 | 3.3x | 1.31% |
| Brown County | $266,000 | $1,031/mo | $79,649 | 3.3x | 1.38% |
| Columbia County | $283,200 | $978/mo | $85,351 | 3.3x | 1.36% |
| Dunn County | $243,200 | $985/mo | $74,824 | 3.3x | 1.39% |
| Jefferson County | $274,100 | $1,035/mo | $83,750 | 3.3x | 1.46% |
| Kenosha County | $265,500 | $1,219/mo | $81,239 | 3.3x | 1.57% |
| Sauk County | $258,600 | $1,018/mo | $79,541 | 3.3x | 1.45% |
| Adams County | $200,800 | $828/mo | $59,442 | 3.4x | 1.20% |
| Bayfield County | $240,800 | $812/mo | $71,151 | 3.4x | 1.01% |
| Oneida County | $238,400 | $885/mo | $69,371 | 3.4x | 0.89% |
| Chippewa County | $257,900 | $963/mo | $74,680 | 3.5x | 1.08% |
| Eau Claire County | $261,000 | $1,064/mo | $74,546 | 3.5x | 1.35% |
| La Crosse County | $257,000 | $1,059/mo | $73,013 | 3.5x | 1.54% |
| Polk County | $271,900 | $957/mo | $77,219 | 3.5x | 1.13% |
| Milwaukee County | $230,700 | $1,101/mo | $64,435 | 3.6x | 1.93% |
| Pierce County | $333,700 | $1,044/mo | $92,109 | 3.6x | 1.36% |
| Washburn County | $226,100 | $795/mo | $63,441 | 3.6x | 1.05% |
| Washington County | $344,800 | $1,153/mo | $96,359 | 3.6x | 1.10% |
| Burnett County | $231,300 | $771/mo | $62,819 | 3.7x | 0.93% |
| St. Croix County | $377,700 | $1,271/mo | $103,046 | 3.7x | 1.17% |
| Walworth County | $302,700 | $1,150/mo | $80,520 | 3.8x | 1.33% |
| Waukesha County | $398,200 | $1,356/mo | $106,076 | 3.8x | 1.14% |
| Sawyer County | $236,200 | $712/mo | $60,801 | 3.9x | 0.80% |
| Ozaukee County | $390,200 | $1,154/mo | $96,996 | 4.0x | 1.19% |
| Dane County | $394,800 | $1,398/mo | $89,975 | 4.4x | 1.63% |
| Vilas County | $300,000 | $847/mo | $68,431 | 4.4x | 0.73% |
| Door County | $342,600 | $1,086/mo | $74,795 | 4.6x | 1.02% |
Questions This Page Answers
Each answer is generated from the current county dataset, so it changes when the underlying ACS data changes.
What is the typical home value in Wisconsin by county?
What is the typical rent in Wisconsin by county?
Which Wisconsin counties are most affordable to buy in?
Why do cheap counties still need a closer look?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.