Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Kaukauna earns an A, 30th among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. Its public schools beat 77% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation, the median household earns $80K, and natural-hazard risk is low. Its lowest mark, a B, is in health. Its National Register listings include Charles A. Grignon House and Kaukauna Locks Historic District. 15% of residents are 65 or older in Kaukauna, below both Wisconsin’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). The biggest place to walk is 1000 Islands Environmental Center, 184 acres with 2.2 miles of trail.
Where Kaukauna beats most towns.
Charles A. Grignon House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dr H B Tanner Elementary | PK–1 | 466 |
| Quinney Elementary | 2–4 | 359 |
| Haen Elementary | 1–4 | 323 |
Its founding year, 1793, comes before those of 98% of the Wisconsin towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 834 in 1880, 17,089 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1837 and 4 maps from 1955 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Kaukauna is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kaukauna, 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 Kaukauna.
Kaukauna pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Wisconsin norm, pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
| Kaukauna | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 1000 Islands Environmental Center | 2.2 mi | 184 |
| 2. Kaukauna Locks | 0.3 mi | 32 |
| 3. Kelso Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $314K.
Its public schools are run by the Kaukauna Area School District. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| River View SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 1,160 | B+ |
| Kaukauna HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,210 | C |
| New Directions Learning CommunityTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 270 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 2015, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kaukauna.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 10.4°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 77% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.4°.
Kaukauna has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Kaukauna is 10°F. About 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Kaukauna | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 10°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 81°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Kaukauna beats the Wisconsin average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 22% of adults binge drink in Kaukauna.
| Kaukauna | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Kaukauna | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More binge drinkers | 22.3% | 19% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Kaukauna for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Kaukauna has added 1,164 jobs, to 7,487 in 2023. Kaukauna’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Kaukauna | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 8.3% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Wisconsin average. Kaukauna has grown 8.3% since 2020, to 18,517 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Kaukauna | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.6 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.6, men 36.3.
| Kaukauna | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.4% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.2% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.2% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Kaukauna grades A overall with a typical home of about $314K, below the Wisconsin typical value; only 24 of the 118 Wisconsin towns graded A− or better can say that.
The typical Kaukauna home is worth about $314,000, up 4.4% in a year, 7% below the Wisconsin typical home.
| Kaukauna | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 71% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,083 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kaukauna. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaLambeau Field
19 mi LakeLake Winnebago
19 mi Stadium & arenaResch Center
18 mi MuseumNational Railroad Museum
33 mi MuseumUSS Cobia
22 mi Theme parkBay Beach Amusement ParkLambeau Field: JL1Row, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Winnebago: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Resch Center: User Royalbroil on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · National Railroad Museum: Dual Freq, CC BY 3.0 · USS Cobia: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Bay Beach Amusement Park: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Kaukauna
About 5 of every 100 Kaukauna residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
15,462 counted in 2010 and 17,089 in 2020; an estimated 18,517 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.3% since 2020, after 10.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
18 places in Kaukauna on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Kaukauna.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Kaukauna () is a city located in Outagamie and Calumet counties, Wisconsin, United States. It is situated on the Fox River, approximately 100 miles (160 km) north of Milwaukee. The population was 17,089 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Appleton, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Kaukauna.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaukauna | #30 | A | B+ | B+ | A− | B |
| Buchanan | #107 | A− | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Vandenbroek | — | — | B | — | A− | B+ |
| Kaukauna | — | — | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| Little Chute | #21 | A+ | B+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Combined Locks | #8 | A+ | B+ | — | A | A− |
| Harrison | #73 | A | C | — | A− | A |
Vandenbroek and Kaukauna have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Buchanan, Vandenbroek, Kaukauna, Little Chute, Combined Locks and Harrison report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Kaukauna with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Kaukauna grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #30 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools.
Not for the area. That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($85,825 across the Appleton, WI metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
6 notable people were born here, including Annastasia Batikis and Arnold C. Otto.
