Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Berlin gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $220K, 3.2 years of the county’s $68K median household income. It grades B overall, 219th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 76% of the country. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. On hazard risk, just 51 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Nelson F. Beckwith House and Beckwith House Hotel. Berlin is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where Berlin beats most towns.
Nelson F. Beckwith House
Census counts: 1,449 in 1860, 5,571 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Berlin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Berlin, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Berlin.
Berlin trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Oshkosh and other neighbors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Wisconsin (mostly inland flooding).
Homes are within reach (about $220K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. Home values rose 53% in five years, to about $220K, against 31% across Wisconsin.
57% of Berlin households own their home, below both the Wisconsin town median (74%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Typical home values rose 8.4% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Berlin is $832 a month.
| Berlin | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $832 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Berlin Area School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Berlin High, with 441 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Lamberton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 480 | B |
| Berlin HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 441 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 66 to 33 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Berlin’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents, below both Wisconsin’s towns (1.1) and U.S. towns (1.6).
| Berlin | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
34% of Berlin adults get no exercise outside work. Berlin beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 17% of Berlin adults smoke cigarettes.
| Berlin | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Berlin | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 6.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 15.9% | 12.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.4% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.0 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Riverside Park, at 39 acres.
| Berlin | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 0.6 mi | 39 |
| 2. Longcroft Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
| 3. East Side Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 81.9°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 75% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 9.4°.
Berlin has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Berlin’s January low is 9°F. About 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Berlin | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 9°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Wisconsin towns, with expected losses of about $731 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 35 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Berlin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Berlin has about as many jobs (2,288) as working residents, but only 532 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 2,879 in 2013 to 2,288.
About one in 5 of Berlin’s working residents works in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Berlin. Since 2013, Berlin has lost 591 jobs, to 2,288 in 2023.
| Berlin | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Berlin. Close and well known come first.
27 mi LakeLake Winnebago
19 mi MuseumEAA Aviation Museum
34 mi MuseumThe History Museum at the Castle
20 mi MuseumOshkosh Public Museum22 mi Zoo & aquariumMenominee Park Zoo
34 mi MuseumMalone Area Heritage MuseumLake Winnebago: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · EAA Aviation Museum: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · The History Museum at the Castle: Sirala at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Oshkosh Public Museum: The original uploader was Royalbroil at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 · Malone Area Heritage Museum: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Berlin
About 3 of every 100 Berlin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
8 places in Berlin on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Berlin.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Berlin (/ˈbɜːrlɪn/ BUR-lin) is a city in Green Lake and Waushara counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,571 at the 2020 census. Of this, 5,435 were in Green Lake County, and only 89 were in Waushara County. The city is located mostly within the Town of Berlin in Green Lake County, with a small portion extending into the Town of Aurora in Waushara County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Berlin.
Berlin and Aurora have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Berlin and Aurora report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Berlin with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Berlin grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #219 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C− for health, A− for safety and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
12 notable people were born here, including William Nigh and Luther Reed.
