Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,314, settled in 1837. Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Trash day: look up yoursFor most people who can afford it, yes. Delafield grades A− overall, 114th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. Its schools outperform 94% of the state's and residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $761K for a typical one and 9.7 times the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. 60% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Delafield, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%. Delafield is home to Nashotah House. Delafield's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Delafield beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Country School | PK–8 | 447 |
| Cushing Elementary | PK–5 | 281 |
| Divine Redeemer Lutheran School | PK–8 | 471 |
Census counts: 183 in 1880, 7,185 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1842 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Delafield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Delafield, 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 Delafield.
Delafield has schools in the top 5% of Wisconsin and draws workers from Waukesha and beyond, but it has seen reported crime rise by a third or more.
At 9.7 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $761K) costs more against local pay than in any other Wisconsin town; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. 57.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 43.7% across Wisconsin.
The median rent in Delafield is $1,457 a month. Typical home values rose 6.2% in the year to September 2026. 62% of Delafield households own their home.
| Delafield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,457 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A ranks #14 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $761K.
Its public schools are run by the Lake Country School District. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Country SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 447 | A+ |
| University Lake School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 259 | – |
| Cushing ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 281 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
12 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Delafield’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile. Naga-Waukee County Park, at 233 acres with 5.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Delafield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Naga-Waukee County Park | 5.1 mi | 233 |
| 2. Kettle Moraine State Forest - Lapham Peak Unit | 3.3 mi | 123 |
| 3. Oakwood Community Park | 0.5 mi | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
5,361 jobs are based in Delafield, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Delafield for work: only 6% work in town. 20% of workers work from home in Delafield. Jobs based in Delafield grew to 5,361 in 2023, 1,189 more than in 2013.
| Delafield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is food insecurity: 5.6% of its 5,784 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.1% statewide.
Only 4 of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Delafield. Delafield beats the Wisconsin average on 23 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. Only 6 of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Delafield.
| Delafield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Delafield | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.6% | 12.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.7% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Delafield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Oconomowoc Wwtp weather station, 6 miles away, records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 79% of Wisconsin places with climate records. January nights average 11.8°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 88% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.8°.
Delafield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
| Delafield | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes rose from 66 to 94 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. At 15.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 56% of Wisconsin’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Delafield. Close and well known come first.
24 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
25 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
24 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
23 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
24 mi State parkAztalan State Park
24 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of WisconsinFiserv 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 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin: The original uploader was Sulfur at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
5 within 15 miles of the center of Delafield
About 8 of every 100 Delafield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Delafield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Delafield on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Delafield.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Delafield is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Bark River. The population was 7,185 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The city of Delafield is a separate municipality from the Town of Delafield, both of which are situated in township 7 North Range 18 East.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Delafield.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delafield · Delafield | #114 | A− | D | B | A | A |
| Nashotah | — | — | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Summit | #77 | A | C− | A− | A | A |
| Hartland | #17 | A+ | C− | A | A+ | A− |
| Merton | #94 | A− | D | — | A+ | A |
| Okauchee Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oconomowoc | #145 | B+ | D | — | A | A− |
| Chenequa | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nashotah has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Nashotah, Merton and Oconomowoc report no FBI crime data of their own. Okauchee Lake and Chenequa aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Delafield and Delafield are one community, graded once. Compare Delafield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Delafield grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #114 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health, B for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Alex Rigsby and Alonzo Cushing.
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