Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Middleton grades A overall, 63rd among Wisconsin's 357 graded towns. It has 18 miles of trail. It is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 90% of Wisconsin towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $614K for a typical one and 6.9 times the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. 62% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Middleton, above both the Wisconsin town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 20 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on walkability. Middleton has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Dr. Newman C. Rowley House and East End Historic District.
Where Middleton beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Middleton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.9% | 9.9% |
17,442 counted in 2010 and 21,827 in 2020; an estimated 23,115 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.7% since 2020, after 25.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Middleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 285 in 1870, 21,827 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 4 maps from 1907 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Middleton. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
6 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
in town MuseumNational Mustard Museum
25 mi Park & preserveIce Age Trail
6 mi Zoo & aquariumHenry Vilas Zoo
40 mi Canyon & gorgeDells of the Wisconsin RiverCamp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · National Mustard Museum: Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0 · Ice Age Trail: MDuchek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Henry Vilas Zoo: Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0 · Dells of the Wisconsin River: atramos, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Middleton, 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 Middleton.
Middleton draws workers from Madison and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Wisconsin.
At 6.9 years of the Madison metro’s $89K median household income, the typical home (about $614K) costs more against local pay than in 93% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $7,397, against $3,792 across Wisconsin, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Home values are up 2.3% over the year to September 2026. Middleton’s rent at the middle of the market stands at $1,437 a month. A home in Middleton typically sold within 42 days of listing.
| Middleton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,437 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $614K.
Its public schools are run by the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District. Of its 7 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The largest public high school is Middleton High, with 2,303 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kromrey MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 1,230 | A |
| Middleton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,303 | A |
| Elm Lawn ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 313 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Pheasant Branch Conservancy, at 323 acres with 1.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The trail density for Middleton comes to 1.9 miles per square mile. 26 parks and preserves cover 780 acres in the town.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pheasant Branch Conservancy | 1.6 mi | 323 |
| 2. Metropolitan Park | 1.4 mi | 129 |
| 3. Ed Tallard Park | 1.1 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is tooth loss: 4.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide.
Among adults in Middleton, 27% have high blood pressure and 8.6% smoke cigarettes. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress locally.
| Middleton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Middleton | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.9% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.5% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
19,658 jobs are based in Middleton, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
For half of commuters, work is under 6 miles away. In Middleton, 20% of workers work remotely from home. Also worth knowing: jobs in Middleton grew by 4,015 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 19,658. Its average commute is 19 minutes.
| Middleton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Federal aid has come to Middleton households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2018. On expected storm and flood damage, Middleton sits below 76% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 48% come from inland flooding and 26% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 82.3°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 85% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 10.7°.
The peak summer temperature in Middleton is 82°F. About 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Middleton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 11°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 52% of Wisconsin’s graded towns.
For Middleton, the level of property crime is 8.8 per 1,000 residents. In Middleton, the level of violent crime is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Middleton | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.8 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4 within 15 miles of the center of Middleton
About 5 of every 100 Middleton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
15.4% of the town is conserved land, across 26 parks and preserves.
3 places in Middleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Middleton.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 21,827 at the 2020 census. A suburb northwest of Madison, it is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City."
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Middleton.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleton | #63 | A | D | B | A | A |
| Middleton | #90 | A− | D | — | A | A+ |
| Madison | #289 | C+ | D | C | C | A |
| Westport | #74 | A | C | — | A | A |
| Springfield | #33 | A | C | — | A | A |
Middleton, Westport and Springfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Middleton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Middleton grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #63 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health, B 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.
6 notable people were born here, including Pauline Kruger Hamilton and Aaron Hohlbein.
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