Brookfield Lilly Heights 2008b, 2008
Brookfield’s story
Brookfield in pictures
Census counts: 19,812 in 1960, 41,464 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1843 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
Explore the history →
Photo: Chris Favero from USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
6,515
2025 Census estimate · +0.7% since 2020
Median home value
$375K
Census ACS
Household income
$89K
median
Median age
52.3
years
Jobs based here
9,093
A job hub
TownGrade
B+
#146 of 357 in WI
Is Brookfield a good place to live?
Brookfield ranks 146th of 357 in Wisconsin, with a B+ overall. On that grade it does better than 74% of U.S. towns. Its standout strength is health: it is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns. What counts against it is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $374K, 4.8 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. On history, just 11 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do worse. Nearly a third of residents are 65 or older here, against 20% in Wisconsin’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Brookfield's schools rank ahead of 76% of Wisconsin towns. The biggest park or preserve is Eble Park, at 34 acres.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Brookfield stand out
Where Brookfield beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 8,985 people come to Brookfield for work
Where Brookfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
9,093jobs based in Brookfield
3%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Brookfield grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Brookfield is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 8% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $375K, 4.8 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household incomeDOpen →HealthWaukesha Memorial Hospital 4 miles awayAOpen →Jobs & income$89K median household incomeA−Open →SchoolsGraded on exam and test resultsA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.2 of 20; 5.8% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trailsB+Open →History17 notable people born hereDOpen →Civic life0 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 46 attractions →Fiserv Forum and 30 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brookfield. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
14 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
13 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
13 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
13 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a year
7 mi Zoo & aquariumMilwaukee County ZooSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Fiserv Forum: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Milwaukee Art Museum: Michael Hicks (Mulad), CC BY 2.0 · UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena: Shadowlink1014, Public domain · Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin: The original uploader was Sulfur at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harley-Davidson Museum: Dori, CC BY-SA 3.0 us · Milwaukee County Zoo: Awkwafaba, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Brookfield: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brookfield, and how to reach them.
PowerWe Energies20.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Brookfield San Dist 4 water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpBy addressTown’s hauler · day by addressTown site
SchoolsWaukesha School DistrictElmbrook School District2 districts serve Brookfield; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Brookfield ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes53045, 53186, 5307253045 57% · 53186 41% · 53072 2%Census 2020
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 Brookfield.
Brookfield draws workers from Milwaukee and beyond and has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most people working in Brookfield commute elsewhere
9,093 jobs are based in Brookfield, 2.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Only 3% of working residents stay in Brookfield for work; the rest commute out. Just over a fifth of Brookfield workers work remotely from home. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 698, to 9,093. In Brookfield, the typical journey to work is 20 minutes.
3%work in town
| Brookfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.4% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Brookfield3%
Milwaukee18%
Brookfield10%
Waukesha10%
Wauwatosa8%
9 mi
median commute distance
9,093
jobs based in Brookfield
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthA
A smaller share of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Brookfield than in most of Wisconsin or the rest of the country
Among adults in Brookfield, 20% binge drink. Against the Wisconsin average, Brookfield comes out ahead on 19 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 1.
89%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Brookfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
19 better12 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Brookfield | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.9% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 3.8% | 5.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.6% |
Waukesha Memorial Hospital
4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
91st
percentile among WI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Brookfield faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Brookfield after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2008. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 2025, one flood insurance claim has been paid in the town.
8risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 2025
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB+
Brookfield has set aside 2% of its land for conservation
Trails total 2.4 miles in 5 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Brookfield: 5, covering 92 acres. Its trail network density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
#146for trails in WI
| Brookfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
2%
conserved · 66 of 3,243 acres
2.4 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eble Park | — | 34 |
| 2. Marx Park | 0.1 mi | 23 |
| 3. Brook Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Brookfield
July afternoons average 81.9°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 75% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 12.6°.
The July high for Brookfield comes to 82°F. About 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
37″snow a winter
| Brookfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 13°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–31°
Spring35–56°
Summer58–80°
Fall40–59°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Brookfield
Brookfield's reported crime rate is close to Wisconsin's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. For Brookfield, the level of violent crime is 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Brookfield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 14.8 per 1,000 residents | 9.2 | 14.1 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Brookfield0.6
Wisconsin3.1
U.S.4
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Brookfield14.8
Wisconsin13.9
U.S.20
4
violent crimes reported in 2022
95
property crimes reported in 2022
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Brookfield
20pages on Brookfield
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
17 within 15 miles of the center of Brookfield
Ottawa University-MilwaukeeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Brookfield2.9 miWaukesha County Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pewaukee4.8 mi$4,872 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeUniversity or college · Public · Milwaukee15 mi$10,398 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Brookfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Famous people from Brookfield
17 notable people were born in Brookfield.
D
Douglas NilesAmerican writer and game designer · born 1954
M
Marcus MuellerAmerican luger · born 2005
About Brookfield
City in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Brookfield is a city in eastern Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 41,464 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 41,448 in 2025. The city is adjacent to the Town of Brookfield and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 28 sq mi
- Elevation
- 830 ft
- ZIP code
- 53005, 53008, 53045
- Area code
- 262
Brookfield’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Brookfield.
BrookfieldWaukeshaNew BerlinPewaukeeMenomonee FallsLisbonBrookfield
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookfield | #146 | B+ | D | — | A− | A |
| Brookfield | #40 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
| Waukesha | #184 | B+ | C− | B | B− | A− |
| New Berlin | #52 | A | C− | B+ | A | A |
| Pewaukee | #139 | A− | C− | — | B | A |
| Menomonee Falls | #46 | A | C− | A− | A | A− |
| Lisbon | — | — | B+ | — | A+ | — |
Brookfield, Pewaukee and Lisbon report no FBI crime data of their own. Lisbon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Brookfield with a neighbor →
Questions about Brookfield
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Brookfield, WI a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Brookfield grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #146 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Brookfield, WI expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.