Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Oconomowoc grades A overall, ranked 62nd of 357 in Wisconsin. It reports less crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns. Its schools rank ahead of 88% of Wisconsin towns and the median household earns $106K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $550K, 7 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. 48% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Oconomowoc, above both the Wisconsin town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Oconomowoc has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oconomowoc Depot and Clarence Peck Residence.
Where Oconomowoc beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Meadow View Elementary | PK–4 | 548 |
| Summit Elementary | PK–4 | 504 |
| Park Lawn Elementary | PK–4 | 383 |
Census counts: 699 in 1860, 18,203 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1872 and 2 maps from 1984 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Oconomowoc is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oconomowoc, 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 Oconomowoc.
Oconomowoc pairs an A for schools with high home prices 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.
At 7 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $550K) costs more against local pay than in 94% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. 56.6% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 43.7% across Wisconsin.
Typical home values rose 6.3% in the year to September 2026. Oconomowoc’s median rent is $1,301 a month.
| Oconomowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,301 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $550K.
Its public schools are run by the Oconomowoc Area School District. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Hill IntermediateLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 750 | A− |
| Oconomowoc HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,591 | B+ |
| Summit ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 504 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 13 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Oconomowoc is 4.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Oconomowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
7.3 miles of trail in 24 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Nature Hill Preserve, 52 acres with 1.8 miles of trail.
| Oconomowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nature Hill Preserve | 1.8 mi | 52 |
| 2. Chapman Park | 0.8 mi | 16 |
| 3. Timber Woods Park | 0.5 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Oconomowoc beats the Wisconsin average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 21% of Oconomowoc adults binge drink.
| Oconomowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 24% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Oconomowoc | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 12.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Oconomowoc Wwtp weather station 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. July afternoons average 82.1°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 80% of Wisconsin places with climate records; January nights average 11.8°.
Oconomowoc has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
| Oconomowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Oconomowoc for work: only 15% work in town. 18% of workers work from home in Oconomowoc. Since 2013, Oconomowoc has added 1,358 jobs, to 11,493 in 2023.
| Oconomowoc | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 18% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $106,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.7% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oconomowoc.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Oconomowoc
About 4 of every 100 Oconomowoc residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
15,759 counted in 2010 and 18,203 in 2020; an estimated 20,119 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 10.7% since 2020, after 15.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in Oconomowoc on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Oconomowoc.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Oconomowoc ( ə-KON-ə-mə-wok) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,203 at the 2020 census. The city is next to the Village of Lac La Belle and near the village of Oconomowoc Lake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Oconomowoc.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oconomowoc | #62 | A | D | A | A | A− |
| Oconomowoc | #145 | B+ | D | — | A | A− |
| Summit | #77 | A | C− | A− | A | A |
| Oconomowoc Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Okauchee Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Concord | — | — | B− | — | A− | B+ |
Concord has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Oconomowoc and Concord report no FBI crime data of their own. Oconomowoc Lake and Okauchee Lake aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Oconomowoc with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Oconomowoc grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #62 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A− for health, A 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.
15 notable people were born here, including Jane Wiedlin and Darrell Foss.
