Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,354, settled in 1856. 78% more library visits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Trash day: look up yoursElm Grove is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, ranked 13th of 357 in Wisconsin. The median household earns $158K, its schools rank ahead of 94% of Wisconsin towns, and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $688K, 8.8 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Elm Grove, above both Wisconsin’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (29%). On civic life, just 24 of Wisconsin’s 869 towns do better. Visitation Convent Complex is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Elm Grove beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Tonawanda Elementary | PK–5 | 533 |
| St. Mary Visitation School | PK–8 | 348 |
| Pilgrim Park Middle | 6–8 | 898 |
| Widest gap | Elm Grove | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.3% | 12.1% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Elm Grove is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 12%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,994 in 1960, 6,513 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elm Grove. Close and well known come first.
9 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
10 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
9 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
3 mi Zoo & aquariumMilwaukee County Zoo
8 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
9 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a yearFiserv 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 · Milwaukee County Zoo: Awkwafaba, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elm Grove, 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 Elm Grove.
Elm Grove has schools in the top 5% of Wisconsin and trades workers with Milwaukee and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Wisconsin.
At 8.8 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $689K) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,245, against $3,792 across Wisconsin, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Elm Grove is $1,900 a month. Typical home values rose 5.8% in the year to September 2026. 89% of households own their home in Elm Grove.
| Elm Grove | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,900 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 89% | 74% | 73% |
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 $689K.
Its public schools are run by the Elmbrook School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilgrim Park MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 898 | A |
| Tonawanda ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 533 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is food insecurity: 5.3% of its 4,825 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.1% statewide. Against the 2,288 U.S. towns with household incomes like Elm Grove’s, it is healthier than 59%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
11% of Elm Grove adults report frequent mental distress. Only 8 of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Elm Grove. 12% of Elm Grove adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Elm Grove | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Elm Grove | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.3% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 4.8% | 9.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Elm Grove’s violent crime rate is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Elm Grove | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 41 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elm Grove.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Mt Mary College weather station records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 80% of Wisconsin places with climate records. January nights average 13.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 96% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.7°.
Elm Grove has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
| Elm Grove | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 13°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Elm Grove has about as many jobs (3,238) as working residents, but only 131 people both live and work here. 27% of workers work from home, against 13.1% across Wisconsin.
Most working residents leave Elm Grove for work: only 4% work in town. Among 362 Wisconsin towns, just 4 have a higher median household income than Elm Grove. The top destinations are Milwaukee (25%), Wauwatosa (14%) and Brookfield (11%).
| Elm Grove | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $158,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Elm Grove Village Park, at 90 acres.
| Elm Grove | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elm Grove Village Park | 0.2 mi | 90 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
16 within 15 miles of the center of Elm Grove
About 6 of every 100 Elm Grove residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
4 notable people were born in Elm Grove.
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Elm Grove is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,524 at the 2020 census. Elm Grove was named as America's best suburb by Business Insider in October 2014.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Elm Grove.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elm Grove | #13 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
| Brookfield | #40 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Elm Grove grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #13 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health, A 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 John P. Gregg and Adda F. Howie.
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