Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Burlington is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B+ overall, ranked 194th of 357 in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $83K. It also does better than most on safety: it reports less crime per resident than 69% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $364K, 4.7 years of the Racine metro’s $78K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Only 44 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on history. 23% of working residents work locally in Burlington, above both Wisconsin’s towns (8.2%) and U.S. towns (8%). The biggest park or preserve is Burlington State Habitat Area, at 46 acres.
Where Burlington beats most towns.
Census counts: 993 in 1860, 11,047 in 2020. The archive holds 36 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 4 maps from 1893 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Burlington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burlington, 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 Burlington.
Burlington draws workers from Burlington and beyond and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
8,065 jobs are based in Burlington, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Burlington’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Burlington has added 533 jobs, to 8,065 in 2023. The average trip to work in Burlington is 22 minutes.
| Burlington | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.9% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Burlington Area School District. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karcher Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 779 | B |
| Burlington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 880 | B− |
| Dyer ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 395 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 13.6°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 97% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.8°.
Burlington has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Burlington’s January low is 14°F. About 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Burlington | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Burlington | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Burlington State Habitat Area | — | 46 |
| 2. McCanna Park | 0.1 mi | 27 |
| 3. St. Mary's Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
57% of Burlington households own their home. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026.
| Burlington | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $999 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Burlington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Burlington | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 40.2 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Burlington | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.7% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.3% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.2% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Burlington tracks Wisconsin closely on all 32 CDC measures. 28% of adults feel lonely in Burlington.
| Burlington | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Burlington; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Burlington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Burlington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Burlington on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Burlington.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Burlington is a city in Racine and Walworth counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, with the majority of the city located in Racine County. The population of the city was 11,047 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Burlington.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | #194 | B+ | C+ | B+ | B | B− |
| Burlington | #193 | B+ | B− | — | B | B |
| Browns Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lyons | #236 | B− | B− | — | B+ | B |
| Spring Prairie | — | — | C− | — | B | B |
Spring Prairie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Burlington, Lyons and Spring Prairie report no FBI crime data of their own. Browns Lake isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Burlington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Burlington grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #194 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
12 notable people were born here, including Bill Kazmaier and Ed Garvey.
