Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Glendale grades C overall, ranked 313th of 357 in Wisconsin, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns and 12% of its land is conserved. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 91% of U.S. towns, with 36 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Glendale’s property crime rate is 38.9 per 1,000 residents, above both Wisconsin’s towns (6.3) and U.S. towns (9.9). Only 21 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on cost of living. Glendale is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Glendale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Glendale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Glendale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,537 in 1960, 13,357 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1872 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Glendale. Close and well known come first.
6 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
6 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
6 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
6 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
7 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a year
7 mi GardenMitchell Park Horticultural ConservatoryFiserv 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 · Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory: Sulfur (Talk / contribs), CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Glendale, 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 Glendale.
Glendale draws workers from Milwaukee and beyond and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin; it also reports property crime at 4 times the Wisconsin rate.
4.4 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The trail density in Glendale is 0.8 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Lincoln Park, at 192 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kletzsch Park | 2.6 mi | 140 |
| 2. Lincoln Park | 0.6 mi | 192 |
| 3. Richard E. Maslowski Glendale Community Park | 0.5 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Nicolet Union High School School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Nicolet High, with 1,043 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkway ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 490 | B |
| Nicolet HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,043 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
14,328 jobs are based in Glendale, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 25.7% of workers work from home, against 13.1% across Wisconsin.
26% of workers work from home in Glendale. Since 2013, Glendale has lost 1,455 jobs, to 14,328 in 2023. Glendale’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Glendale | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Property crime runs at 38.9 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Wisconsin rate, most of it theft.
Glendale reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
9.7% of Glendale adults smoke cigarettes. Among 357 Wisconsin towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Glendale. 31% of Glendale adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Glendale | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Glendale | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.9% | 9.9% |
| Fewer smokers | 9.7% | 13.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Mt Mary College 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 80% of Wisconsin places with climate records.
Glendale has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 15°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
223 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 223 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Glendale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
58.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 43.7% across Wisconsin.
The typical Glendale home is worth about $350,000, up 5.3% in a year, close to the Wisconsin typical home.
| Glendale | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,432 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 74% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14 within 15 miles of the center of Glendale
About 4 of every 100 Glendale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
11.8% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
2 places in Glendale on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Glendale is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 13,357 at the 2020 census. A suburb north of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Glendale.
Milwaukee next door grades lower for schools (D− to Glendale’s B−) and higher for cost of living (C+ to D).
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glendale | #313 | C | D | D | B− | A− |
| Milwaukee | #357 | D− | C+ | D− | D− | D |
| River Hills | — | — | D | — | A | A+ |
| Fox Point | #7 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Whitefish Bay | #9 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A+ |
River Hills has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. River Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Glendale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Glendale grades C overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #313 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety 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.
Glendale has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 2 notable people were born here, including Parker Keckeisen and Ryan Clancy.
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