Municipal building for, 2006
North Prairie’s story
146 years in pictures
Census counts: 263 in 1920, 2,202 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
- 1880North Prairie is settled
North PrairieWI
A town of 2,193, settled in 1880. Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Trash day: TuesdayPopulation
2,193
2025 Census estimate · −0.4% since 2020
Typical home
$498K
+8.3% in a year
Household income
$153K
median
Median age
41.2
years
Jobs based here
671
A commuter town
Is North Prairie a good place to live?
North Prairie’s best subject grades are an A+ for incomes and an A for schools and health; its weakest is a D for walkability. North Prairie’s median household income is $153,000, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at $87,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. On incomes, just 7 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns do better. North Prairie's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns. North Prairie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes North Prairie stand out
Where North Prairie beats most towns.
Mukwonago School District
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie View Elementary | PK–6 | 417 |
SchoolsA
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
14 better17 too close to call1 worse
| Widest gap | North Prairie | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.8% | 12.1% |
HealthA
Healthier than 89% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
Natural hazardsA−
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave North Prairie for work
Where North Prairie’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
671jobs based in North Prairie
3%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How North Prairie grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far North Prairie is from typical.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →SchoolsAOpen →HealthWaukesha Memorial Hospital 9.4 miles awayAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6 of 20; 0.6% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 21% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →Cost of livingC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC+Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life4.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.2; 44% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to North Prairie: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Prairie, and how to reach them.
PowerWe Energies20.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPrairie Village Water TrustNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTuesdayTrash dayTown site
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 North Prairie ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5315353153 99%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 North Prairie.
SchoolsA
North Prairie’s schools rank ahead of 90% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Mukwonago School District. Its one school is below.
90%of WI districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 417 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
HealthA
On CDC estimates, North Prairie is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns
North Prairie beats the Wisconsin average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 22% of North Prairie adults binge drink, against 20% in Wisconsin’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in North Prairie.
89%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| North Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 26% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
14 better17 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | North Prairie | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.8% | 12.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.6% |
Waukesha Memorial Hospital
9.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C+
Homes in North Prairie are worth about $498K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical North Prairie home is worth about $498,000, up 8.3% in a year, 48% above the Wisconsin typical home. 92% of North Prairie households own their home.
$498KZillow home value
| North Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,304 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
North Prairie$498K
Wisconsin$337K
+8.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
North Prairie faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities.
21risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Most of North Prairie’s workers commute out: the town has 0.7 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave North Prairie for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in North Prairie grew to 671 in 2023, 57 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Waukesha (14%), Milwaukee (10%) and Brookfield (5%).
3%work in town
| North Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 15% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In North Prairie3%
Waukesha14%
Milwaukee10%
Brookfield5%
Mukwonago5%
15 mi
median commute distance
671
jobs based in North Prairie
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
North Prairie has snowy winters and pleasant summers
North Prairie has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 12° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
51″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–31°
Spring35–56°
Summer58–80°
Fall40–60°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 3
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Nearby attractions
All 55 attractions →Fiserv Forum and 32 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Prairie. Close and well known come first.
26 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
26 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
14 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
26 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
25 mi State parkAztalan State Park
25 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 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena: Shadowlink1014, Public domain · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Harley-Davidson Museum: Dori, CC BY-SA 3.0 us
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about North Prairie
17pages on North Prairie
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of North Prairie
Carroll UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Waukesha9.8 mi$38,890 tuitionNashotah HouseUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Nashotah9.8 miWaukesha County Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pewaukee11.6 mi$4,872 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 North Prairie residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About North Prairie
Village in Wisconsin, United States
North Prairie is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located in the Town of Genesee, near the town's southwestern corner. The population was 2,202 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 948 ft
- ZIP code
- 53153
North Prairie’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with North Prairie.
GeneseeMukwonagoOttawaNorth Prairie
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Prairie | — | — | C+ | — | A | A |
| Genesee | #166 | B+ | C | — | B | A− |
| Mukwonago | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ottawa | #60 | A | C+ | — | A | A− |
North Prairie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. North Prairie, Genesee and Ottawa report no FBI crime data of their own. Mukwonago isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare North Prairie with a neighbor →
Questions about North Prairie
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is North Prairie, WI a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
Is North Prairie, WI expensive?
That is 6.4 years of the area's median household income ($78,218 across the Milwaukee-Waukesha, 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 C+.