Best suburbs of Milwaukee
We scored all 28 towns and communities of 10,000+ people in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area on what most people weigh when they pick a suburb: what homes cost compared with local pay, household income, poverty, commute times, education, homeownership and how many families with kids live there. Brookfield, Whitefish Bay and Mequon come out on top.
The top 25
| # | Place | Score | Population | Median home | Home vs income | Household income | Commute | Poverty | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookfield, WI | 84 | 41,448 | $443,900 | 3.4× | $129,548 | 20.7 min | 3.2% | 8 |
| 2 | Whitefish Bay, WI | 84 | 14,489 | $533,800 | 3.4× | $157,109 | 20.8 min | 3.7% | 5 |
| 3 | Mequon, WI | 76 | 25,120 | $501,600 | 3.5× | $144,051 | 21.9 min | 4.2% | 11 |
| 4 | Wauwatosa, WI | 65 | 48,649 | $339,000 | 3.4× | $101,138 | 19.5 min | 5.8% | 3 |
| 5 | Pewaukee, WI | 64 | 16,375 | $447,100 | 4.1× | $108,350 | 19.6 min | 3.7% | 14 |
| 6 | Sussex, WI | 63 | 12,779 | $430,600 | 3.6× | $119,041 | 24.6 min | 4.5% | 14 |
| 7 | Richfield, WI | 63 | 11,785 | $503,400 | 3.5× | $143,963 | 28.0 min | 4.8% | 18 |
| 8 | Muskego, WI | 59 | 25,602 | $417,400 | 3.7× | $112,221 | 22.9 min | 3.0% | 16 |
| 9 | Franklin, WI | 58 | 36,687 | $364,200 | 3.4× | $106,894 | 23.3 min | 6.7% | 13 |
| 10 | Menomonee Falls, WI | 57 | 41,291 | $368,000 | 3.7× | $100,238 | 20.8 min | 5.2% | 10 |
| 11 | New Berlin, WI | 57 | 39,953 | $365,700 | 3.6× | $101,091 | 21.7 min | 4.1% | 10 |
| 12 | Greendale, WI | 53 | 14,426 | $314,200 | 3.3× | $94,769 | 23.0 min | 8.4% | 9 |
| 13 | Germantown, WI | 52 | 21,050 | $373,600 | 3.7× | $100,231 | 22.8 min | 4.9% | 14 |
| 14 | Glendale, WI | 52 | 14,795 | $282,800 | 3.6× | $78,092 | 20.7 min | 10.0% | 5 |
| 15 | Brown Deer, WI | 51 | 12,821 | $239,300 | 2.5× | $93,974 | 22.4 min | 6.9% | 8 |
| 16 | Oak Creek, WI | 47 | 38,296 | $331,700 | 3.4× | $96,555 | 23.0 min | 4.9% | 13 |
| 17 | Oconomowoc, WI | 47 | 20,119 | $394,500 | 3.7× | $106,425 | 24.6 min | 7.7% | 27 |
| 18 | Cedarburg, WI | 44 | 12,916 | $422,000 | 5.0× | $84,896 | 22.4 min | 4.7% | 16 |
| 19 | Port Washington, WI | 42 | 12,658 | $296,300 | 3.6× | $81,948 | 21.0 min | 6.7% | 23 |
| 20 | Grafton, WI | 39 | 13,389 | $328,800 | 3.7× | $89,861 | 25.0 min | 3.7% | 18 |
| 21 | South Milwaukee, WI | 37 | 20,191 | $235,700 | 3.2× | $73,427 | 24.2 min | 13.1% | 12 |
| 22 | West Allis, WI | 35 | 60,119 | $203,800 | 3.0× | $67,611 | 21.0 min | 11.5% | 5 |
| 23 | Hartford, WI | 33 | 16,005 | $297,100 | 3.6× | $82,014 | 25.8 min | 9.0% | 27 |
| 24 | Shorewood, WI | 30 | 13,474 | $443,700 | 5.1× | $86,726 | 20.8 min | 14.3% | 4 |
| 25 | West Bend, WI | 29 | 32,268 | $263,100 | 3.6× | $74,076 | 25.9 min | 8.2% | 27 |
Show all 28 places
| # | Place | Score | Population | Median home | Home vs income | Household income | Commute | Poverty | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Waukesha, WI | 28 | 70,872 | $315,500 | 3.8× | $83,837 | 21.3 min | 9.8% | 15 |
| 27 | Cudahy, WI | 27 | 17,655 | $216,500 | 3.2× | $66,719 | 23.3 min | 11.4% | 10 |
| 28 | Greenfield, WI | 22 | 37,159 | $261,100 | 3.7× | $70,459 | 22.2 min | 8.6% | 7 |
Most affordable homes
- Brown Deer 2.5 years of income, $239,300
- West Allis 3 years of income, $203,800
- South Milwaukee 3.2 years of income, $235,700
- Cudahy 3.2 years of income, $216,500
- Greendale 3.3 years of income, $314,200
Most families with kids
- Whitefish Bay 40.7% of households
- Sussex 33.4% of households
- Brookfield 33.0% of households
- Greendale 32.8% of households
- Mequon 32.6% of households
How the score works
For each measure we rank the 28 places from worst to best within this metro area, then combine the ranks with these weights: home value compared with household income (20%), household income (15%), poverty rate (15%), average commute (15%), share of adults with a bachelor's degree (10%), homeownership (10%), households with children (10%) and population growth since 2020 (5%). Unincorporated communities have no official growth estimate, so they get the middle value for that part. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure.
Everything comes from the Census Bureau: the American Community Survey 2020-2024 and the 2025 population estimates. We leave out crime and school ratings because comparable official data for every town does not exist; check local school district and police data for the places on your shortlist.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best suburbs of Milwaukee?
On our data-only score, Brookfield, Whitefish Bay and Mequon rank highest among 28 places of 10,000+ people in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area.
What is the most affordable suburb of Milwaukee?
Brown Deer has the lowest ratio of median home value to household income (2.5 years), with a median home of $239,300.
Which Milwaukee suburb has the shortest commute?
Wauwatosa, where the average commute is 19.5 minutes each way.
Back to the Milwaukee city profile, or see the best suburbs of other big cities.
Places are incorporated cities, towns and villages plus census-designated places with 10,000 or more residents, assigned to the metro area by county (OMB 2023 delineations). Distances are straight lines from the center of Milwaukee. The Census Bureau caps published medians at $250,000 for income and $2,000,000 for home values, shown with a plus sign.