Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Menasha is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, ranked 266th of 357 in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is safety: it reports less crime per resident than 60% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 65% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $315K, 4.2 years of the Oshkosh metro’s $75K median household income. Its National Register listings include Menasha Dam and Upper Main Street Historic District. 14% of residents are 65 or older in Menasha, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, at 80 acres with 2.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Menasha beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,436 in 1860, 18,268 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 5 maps from 1911 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Menasha is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Menasha, 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 Menasha.
Menasha is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Wisconsin (mostly inland flooding).
4.2 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves.
| Menasha | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heckrodt Wetland Reserve | 2.6 mi | 80 |
| 2. Jefferson Park | 0.5 mi | 43 |
| 3. Smith Park | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Menasha Joint School District. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maplewood MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 676 | C |
| Menasha HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,020 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Menasha has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Menasha is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Menasha for work: only 7% work in town. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Menasha. The top destinations are Appleton (17%), Neenah (9%) and Grand Chute (9%).
| Menasha | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 14.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 53% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 204 to 108 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Menasha’s property crime rate is 4.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Menasha | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 9,877 U.S. towns with household incomes like Menasha’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income. All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its C+, from Neenah (B) to Harrison (A).
Menasha beats the Wisconsin average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 21% of Menasha adults binge drink.
| Menasha | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Menasha | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.9% | 8.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.4% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 14% of residents (19% statewide). 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 33% across Wisconsin.
| Menasha | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.6 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.6, men 36.6.
| Menasha | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.2% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.6% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.4% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.7% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.9% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.8% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Typical home values rose 4.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Menasha | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $903 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Wisconsin towns, with expected losses of about $338 per resident a year; that rating is what its B− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Menasha.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Menasha. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaLambeau Field
14 mi LakeLake Winnebago
27 mi Stadium & arenaResch Center
27 mi MuseumNational Railroad Museum
39 mi MuseumUSS Cobia
17 mi MuseumEAA Aviation MuseumLambeau 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 · EAA Aviation Museum: self, CC BY-SA 2.5
3 within 15 miles of the center of Menasha
About 7 of every 100 Menasha residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
8 places in Menasha on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Menasha.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Menasha () is a city in Winnebago and Calumet counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 census, of which 15,144 were in Winnebago County and 2,209 were in Calumet County. The city's name comes from the Menominee language, in which it is known as Menāēhsaeh, meaning "little island". At the time of European contact, a Ho-Chunk village known as "Menashay" stood on what is now Doty Island, led by Chief Hootschope (Four Legs). It is part of the Fox Cities region of Wisconsin. Doty Island is located partially in Menasha, which it shares with Neenah. The Menominee people inhabited the Fox River Valley for over 10,000 years. In the Treaty of the Cedars (1836), t…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Menasha.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B−; Appleton (B+) is closest. Harrison next door grades higher for schools (A− to Menasha’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C to B).
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menasha | #266 | B− | B | B | C+ | C+ |
| Fox Crossing | #120 | A− | C+ | A− | A− | B |
| Harrison · Harrison | #73 | A | C | — | A− | A |
| Appleton | #168 | B+ | B+ | C+ | C | B+ |
| Neenah | #141 | A− | B− | B− | A− | B |
Harrison reports no FBI crime data of its own. Harrison and Harrison are one community, graded once. Compare Menasha with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Menasha grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #266 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C+ for health, B for safety and C+ 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 B.
11 notable people were born here, including Eric Hinske and John Dollard.
