Wyman-Rye Farmstead · Photo: Sa magnuson33 · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Bradford costs less to live in than 58% of U.S. towns
Up 9.8% in a year, 29% above the Wisconsin typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Janesville metro earn ($76K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 4.5 years of metro income, and 19% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $434Ktypical home, 29% above the Wisconsin typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,450a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 94prices across the Janesville metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 80)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Janesville-area income
- 9%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 16%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Bradford, in brief
Nearly every household owns
89% of Bradford households own their home, against 68% across Wisconsin. There are only 32 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
A median income goes further next door
At Bradford’s median income, the calculator’s budget of about $429K falls short here but covers the typical home in Darien ($293K), Clinton ($299K) and La Prairie ($400K). Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Bradford’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Bradford is more affordable than 58% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Up 9.8% in a year
Faster than Wisconsin (5.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Bradford | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $365,000 | $296,000 |
| 2025 | $396,000 | $314,000 |
| 2026 | $414,000 | $330,000 |
| September 2026 | $434,000 | $337,000 |
A typical Bradford home worth $365K in December 2023 is worth about $434K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 9% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Bradford’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $153K short of a typical Bradford home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month here, $1,290 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Bradford’s typical property tax (1.28% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450
Renters already here pay a median of $538, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Janesville-Beloit, WI MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1 new home permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1 new home in Bradford in 2025. Over the past 10 years, Bradford has permitted 13 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Bradford's population fell by 108 even though 9 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Wisconsin: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $367,000 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $353,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $546,000 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $285,000 |
| 2020 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $271,000 |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $517,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $259,000 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $254,000 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $246,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $235,000 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $202,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $194,000 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $619,000 |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $567,000 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $195,000 |
| 2006 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2005 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $4,408 (Wisconsin: $3,792), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 1.28% a year, against 1.42% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Bradford
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area, or Wisconsin. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 94 | WI 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | WI 94 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 90 | WI 90 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | WI 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Bradford vs. its neighbors
Of the 3 towns here with a Zillow value, Bradford has the 2nd-lowest. Clinton and Darien have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford | B | $434K | $344K | 1.28% | $1,450 |
| La Prairie | – | $400K | $289K | 1.54% | $1,270 |
| Clinton | – | — | $299K | 1.50% | $1,270 |
| Darien | – | — | $293K | 0.84% | $1,100 |
| Johnstown | – | $459K | $340K | 1.18% | $1,340 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Bradford
Is Bradford expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Bradford costs less than 58% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 4.5 years of the median household income of the Janesville-Beloit, WI metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Bradford?
About $434K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 9.8% in a year. The Wisconsin typical home is $337K.
What salary do you need to live in Bradford?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $117,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,740 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $58,000.
How much is rent in Bradford?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,450 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $538 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Bradford?
The median bill is $4,408 a year, 1.28% of the median home value (Wisconsin: $3,792, 1.42%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Bradford buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.