Merton Baptist Church, 1933
Merton’s story
179 years in pictures
Census counts: 6,025 in 1980, 8,277 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
- 1847Merton is settled
Village of MertonWI
A town of 3,676, settled in 1847. Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Trash day: look up yoursPopulation
3,676
2025 Census estimate · +6.6% since 2020
Median home value
$576K
Census ACS
Household income
$174K
median
Median age
39.0
years
Jobs based here
383
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#71 of 357 in WI
Is Merton a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Merton grades A overall, 71st of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. The median household earns $174K. Its public schools beat 96% of Wisconsin towns on state tests and graduation and it is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $576K for a typical one and 7.4 times the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. Merton’s median household income is $174,000, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at $87,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Only 3 of the 340 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher median rent than Merton. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 72% of U.S. towns.
What makes Merton stand out
Where Merton beats most towns.
Merton Community School District
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Merton Primary | PK–4 | 526 |
| Merton Intermediate | 5–8 | 368 |
SchoolsA+
#4 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we grade for schools
NCES · EDFacts.
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
20 better11 too close to call1 worse
| Widest gap | Merton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 12.1% |
HealthA
Beats WI on 20 of 32 CDC measures, trails it on 1
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Natural hazardsB+
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Merton for work
Where Merton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
383jobs based in Merton
2%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Merton grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Merton is from typical.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →SchoolsA+Open →HealthCommunity Memorial Hospital 9.1 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.2 of 20; 2.9% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 30% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 1% conserved landC+Open →HistoryC+Open →Civic life4.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateCold winters, 82° summer afternoons, 40″ of snow–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.0; 63% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Merton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Merton, and how to reach them.
PowerWe Energies20.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpBy addressTown’s hauler · day by addressTown site
SchoolsArrowhead Union High School DistrictMerton Community School District2 districts serve Merton; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereVillage of Merton ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP codes53029, 5308953029 80% · 53089 20%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Merton.
Merton has schools in the top 5% of Wisconsin and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Wisconsin.
SchoolsA+
Merton earns an A+ for schools
Its A+ ranks #4 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $576K.
Its public schools are run by the Merton Community School District. Its two schools are below.
96%of WI districts it outscoresA+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merton PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 526 | A+ |
| Merton IntermediateTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 368 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
HealthA
Fewer of Merton’s adults get no exercise outside work than in the typical Wisconsin or U.S. town
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is food insecurity: 5.9% of its 2,437 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.1% statewide. Against the 1,559 U.S. towns with household incomes like Merton’s, it is healthier than 59%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
17% of adults get no exercise outside work in Merton. Only 1 of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Merton. 9.4% of adults smoke cigarettes in Merton.
95%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Merton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
20 better11 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Merton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 12.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 8% |
| More binge drinkers | 23.9% | 19% |
Community Memorial Hospital
9.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
98th
percentile among WI towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Most working residents commute out of Merton
Merton has 383 jobs for its 1,572 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 22.4% of workers work from home, against 13.1% across Wisconsin.
Most working residents leave Merton for work: only 2% work in town. 22% of Merton workers work from home. Jobs based in Merton grew to 383 in 2023, 73 more than in 2013.
2%work in town
| Merton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 8.4% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Merton2%
Milwaukee11%
Brookfield8%
Waukesha7%
Pewaukee5%
13 mi
median commute distance
383
jobs based in Merton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Merton
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Merton, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
The Oconomowoc Wwtp weather station, 10 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 11.5°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 86% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.5°.
Merton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Merton’s January low is 12°F.
40″snow a winter
| Merton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–30°
Spring35–55°
Summer58–80°
Fall39–59°
Oct 12
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC+
Merton has set aside 1.4% of its land for conservation
0.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Merton is 0.1 miles per square mile.
1.4%conserved
| Merton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
1.4%
conserved · 31 of 2,168 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Merton Fireman's Park | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C−
The median home in Merton sells for about $458K
At 7.4 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 96% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
$458Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
48
days on market
100%
sale-to-list price
6
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 55 attractions →Fiserv Forum and 29 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Merton. Close and well known come first.
21 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
22 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
21 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
29 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
21 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
21 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Fiserv 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 · 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
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Merton
18pages on Merton
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
8 within 15 miles of the center of Merton
Waukesha County Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pewaukee5.7 mi$4,872 in-state tuitionNashotah HouseUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Nashotah7 miCarroll UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Waukesha10.5 mi$38,890 tuition
About 5 of every 100 Merton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
About Merton
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Merton is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States; before Wisconsin statehood, it was called Warren. The population was 8,277 at the 2020 census. The town surrounds the villages of Chenequa and Merton. The unincorporated communities of Camp Whitcomb, Monches, and North Lake are in the town and the unincorporated community of Stone Bank is partially in the town. The pioneer Swedish-American settlement of New Upsala was also at one time located within Merton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 28 sq mi
- Elevation
- 925 ft
- ZIP code
- 53056
- Area code
- 262
Merton’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Merton.
How the neighbors grade
Merton, Lisbon and Merton report no FBI crime data of their own. Lisbon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Merton with a neighbor →
Questions about Merton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Merton, WI a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Merton grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #71 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Merton, WI expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $576,000, 71% above the Wisconsin typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.