Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shorewood does the important things well, at a cost. Its standout strength is health — residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Overall, Shorewood earns an A−: better than just over four fifths of U.S. towns, and 106th of 357 in Wisconsin. What counts against it is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $556K, 7.1 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. This Wisconsin town has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Benjamin Church House and APPOMATTOX (Shipwreck). 76% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in the town, above both the Wisconsin town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 5 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher January low than Shorewood. The town is among the most walkable places in the country.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places · NOAA normals, 1991–2020.
Where Shorewood beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Shorewood | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 7.7% | 13.6% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Bluff Elementary | PK–6 | 531 |
| Atwater Elementary | PK–6 | 474 |
| St. Robert School | PK–8 | 283 |
10.5% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Shorewood is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 6%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 707 in 1910, 13,859 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1843 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shorewood. Close and well known come first.
4 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
4 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
4 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
4 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
4 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a year
5 mi City parkMitchell Park Horticultural ConservatoryFiserv 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 · 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 · Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory: Sulfur (Talk / contribs), CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shorewood, 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 Shorewood.
Shorewood has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Wisconsin 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.
Estabrook Park, at 61 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Count the trails in 7 parks and preserves and they come to 3.3 miles. Parks and preserves in Shorewood: 7, covering 106 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Estabrook Park | 1.5 mi | 61 |
| 2. Atwater Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
| 3. Hubbard Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $556K.
The largest public high school is Shorewood High, with 589 students. The Shorewood School District runs its public schools. Three of the 6 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bluff ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 531 | A+ |
| Shorewood HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 589 | A |
| Atwater ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 474 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
At 7.1 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $556K) costs more against local pay than in 94% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,688, against $3,792 across Wisconsin, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
In Shorewood, the median rent is $1,347 a month. The typical Shorewood home is worth about $556,000, up 4.4% in a year, 65% above the Wisconsin typical home. Homes sold in Shorewood spent a median 44 days on the market.
| Shorewood | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,347 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is smoking: 7.7% of its 11,092 adults smoke cigarettes, against 13.6% statewide.
Among 357 Wisconsin towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Shorewood. 7.7% of Shorewood adults smoke cigarettes.
| Shorewood | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Shorewood | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer smokers | 7.7% | 13.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
23.5% of workers work from home, against 13.1% across Wisconsin.
Jobs based in Shorewood grew to 2,582 in 2023, 134 more than in 2013. Just 5% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Among residents in the town, 14% live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Milwaukee (45%), Wauwatosa (7%) and Glendale (4%).
| Shorewood | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 24% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 6.3% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Milwaukee Mitchell Ap weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 192 days, the highest of 2,050 Wisconsin places with climate records. The Milwaukee Mitchell Ap weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 9 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 81% of Wisconsin places with climate records.
The July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 14.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 54% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 6 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
Shorewood’s rate of reported violence stands at 0.4 per 1,000 residents. The rate of thefts and burglaries for Shorewood comes to 12.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Shorewood | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.5 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Paid flood insurance claims in Shorewood since 1978: 8. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2026. FEMA puts 50% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 35% to inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
15 within 15 miles of the center of Shorewood
About 10 of every 100 Shorewood residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Shorewood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 places in Shorewood on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Shorewood.
Village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Shorewood is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 13,859 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Shorewood.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorewood | #106 | A− | D | B | A | A+ |
| Milwaukee | #357 | D− | C+ | D− | D− | D |
| Whitefish Bay | #9 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Shorewood grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #106 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Jim Abrahams and Mary Luba.
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