Is Brighton a good place to live?
Brighton’s best subject grades are an A for incomes, schools, and the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for cost of living. On hazard risk, just 42 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Only 60 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on cost of living. Brighton’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Richard Bong State Recreation Area, at 4,776 acres with 58.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On the outdoors, just 72 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. Brighton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Brighton stand out
Where Brighton beats most towns.
1,438 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Brighton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Brighton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Brighton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brighton, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Brighton.
A typical Brighton home is worth about $620K
For Brighton, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,432 a month. Home values are up 11% over the year to September 2026. In Brighton, 93% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Brighton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,432 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Brighton’s schools rank ahead of 86% of Wisconsin districts
Its one school is below. Public schools: the Brighton #1 School District. 196 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 196 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Brighton faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
In Brighton, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 4 of 100, below both Wisconsin’s towns (23 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). 39% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 29%. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2004.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most of Brighton’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.3 jobs for each of them
The median commute is under 17 miles. Since 2013, Brighton has added 76 jobs, to 187 in 2023. Most working residents leave Brighton for work: only 2% work in town. Also worth knowing: 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line in the town.
| Brighton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Conserved land covers 20.4% of Brighton
Trails run 74 miles in 3 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Brighton: 3, covering 4,883 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Richard Bong State Recreation Area | 58.6 mi | 4,776 |
| 2. Brighton Dale Park | 2 mi | 99 |
| 3. Ed Wack Memorial Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Brighton, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Brighton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Summer afternoons peak near 83° in July, and January nights bottom out around 14°; snowfall runs to about 38 inches a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Brighton ranks healthier than 64% of the country’s towns
The share of adults in Brighton who have obesity: 39%. Brighton: 28% of adults feel lonely.
| Brighton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Brighton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.8% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.8% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Brighton is older than the Wisconsin average
Among adults 25 and older, 37% have a four-year degree or more, against 33% across Wisconsin. People 65 and older are 25% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). For Brighton, the median age is 48 years.
| Brighton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 21% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.1 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Brighton | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.7% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.5% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.5% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.9% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.8% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Six Flags Great America and 35 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brighton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Theme parkSix Flags Great America3.0M visitors a year
31 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
31 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
34 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
17 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
31 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther ArenaPhoto credits
Six Flags Great America: Feather Better, CC BY 4.0 · Fiserv Forum: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Milwaukee Art Museum: Michael Hicks (Mulad), CC BY 2.0 · Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena: Shadowlink1014, Public domain
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Everything we know about Brighton
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Brighton
About 2 of every 100 Brighton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
98% of working residents leave Brighton for work
Where Brighton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Brighton
Town in Wisconsin, United States
The Town of Brighton is a town located in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Brighton and Klondike are located within the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 784 ft
- Area code
- 262
Questions about Brighton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Brighton, WI expensive?
Yes. That is 7.6 years of the area's median household income ($81,239 across the Kenosha, WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.