Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sheboygan gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $265K for a typical one, or 3.6 years of the Sheboygan metro’s $73K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 306th of 357 in Wisconsin. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 26 places on the National Register. 38% of working residents work locally in Sheboygan, against 8.2% in Wisconsin’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include John Michael Kohler House and Downtown Churches Historic District. Only 59 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Sheboygan beats most towns.
Its 23 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Wisconsin towns with a listing.
Census counts: 4,262 in 1860, 49,929 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1852 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Sheboygan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sheboygan, 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 Sheboygan.
Sheboygan is healthier than towns with similar incomes, is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s and has fewer 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
20 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. Sheboygan’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. Kohler-Andrae State Park, at 213 acres with 2.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kohler-Andrae State Park | 2.3 mi | 213 |
| 2. Deland Park | 0.8 mi | 21 |
| 3. Evergreen Park | 0.7 mi | 94 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Sheboygan Area School District. Two of its 30 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Mann MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 617 | C |
| North HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,482 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sheboygan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 27.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 87% of Wisconsin’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Sheboygan is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Sheboygan | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.9 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Home values rose 47% in five years, to about $265K, against 31% across Wisconsin.
61% of Sheboygan households own their home. The typical Sheboygan home is worth about $265,000, up 4.2% in a year, 22% below the Wisconsin typical home. 36% of Sheboygan renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Sheboygan | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 74% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 39% | 48% |
| Median rent | $924 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Plymouth Wwtp weather station, 12 miles away, records that about 7 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 77% of Wisconsin places with climate records. January nights average 14.8°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 99% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 78.7°.
Sheboygan has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. About 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Sheboygan | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 79°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 15°F | 11°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Sheboygan’s working residents works in town. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Sheboygan. The top destinations are Kohler (8%), Plymouth (5%) and Sheboygan Falls (5%).
| Sheboygan | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,581 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sheboygan’s, it is healthier than 61%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Sheboygan beats the Wisconsin average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Sheboygan | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sheboygan | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.7% | 8.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 15.2% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sheboygan. Close and well known come first.
39 mi LakeLake Winnebago
25 mi MuseumUSS Cobia
in town Theme parkBlue Harbor Resort
in town MuseumJohn Michael Kohler Arts Center
28 mi Park & preserveKettle Moraine State Forest
18 mi MuseumWade House Historic SiteLake Winnebago: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · USS Cobia: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Blue Harbor Resort: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · John Michael Kohler Arts Center: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Kettle Moraine State Forest: self, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wade House Historic Site: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Sheboygan
About 4 of every 100 Sheboygan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
10.1% of the town is conserved land, across 23 parks and preserves.
23 places in Sheboygan on the National Register of Historic Places.
38 notable people were born in Sheboygan.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census, while the Sheboygan metropolitan area had 118,034 residents. The city is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Sheboygan River, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Milwaukee and 64 miles (103 kilometers) south of Green Bay.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Sheboygan.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheboygan | #306 | C+ | B+ | C | C− | C+ |
| Sheboygan | #265 | B− | C | — | C− | B+ |
| Wilson | #325 | C | C | — | C− | B− |
| Kohler | — | — | C− | C+ | A+ | A |
Kohler has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sheboygan and Wilson report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sheboygan with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sheboygan grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #306 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades C+ for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
38 notable people were born here, including Jackie Mason and Edward Elmer Smith.
