Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 39,227, settled in 1846.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sun Prairie grades B+ overall, 149th of 357 graded towns in Wisconsin. Natural-hazard risk is low. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $91K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $442K for a typical one and 5 times the Madison metro’s $89K median household income. Only 77 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on walkability. Sun Prairie has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Dr. Charles G. Crosse House and Adam and Mary Smith House.
Where Sun Prairie beats most towns.
29,364 counted in 2010 and 35,967 in 2020; an estimated 39,227 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9% since 2020, after 22.5% 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 Sun Prairie is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 626 in 1870, 35,967 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 5 maps from 1890 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sun Prairie. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
11 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
30 mi Park & preserveIce Age Trail
21 mi State parkAztalan State Park
8 mi GardenOlbrich Botanical Gardens
29 mi State parkDevil's Lake State ParkCamp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Ice Age Trail: MDuchek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Chief-O at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Devil's Lake State Park: CrispAir at en.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sun Prairie, 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 Sun Prairie.
Sun Prairie has less tooth loss than most of Wisconsin, 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.
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is tooth loss: 6.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide.
25% of adults have high blood pressure in Sun Prairie, below both the Wisconsin town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 7.9% of Sun Prairie adults have diabetes. Sun Prairie beats the Wisconsin average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Sun Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Sun Prairie | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.3% | 6.5% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 73.6% | 77.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Sun Prairie Area School District. Three of its 19 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 699 | B+ |
| Sun Prairie East HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,340 | A− |
| Eastside ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 408 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
7.1 miles of trail in 46 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Sheehan Park, 142 acres with 2.4 miles of trail.
| Sun Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 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. Sheehan Park | 2.4 mi | 142 |
| 2. Liberty Community Park | 0.4 mi | 14 |
| 3. North-East Greenspace | — | 68 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sun Prairie.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 9,393 in 2013 to 13,319.
Most working residents leave Sun Prairie for work: only 15% work in town. 20% of workers work from home in Sun Prairie, against 12% in Wisconsin’s towns and 11% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Sun Prairie has added 3,926 jobs, to 13,319 in 2023.
| Sun Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $6,458, against $3,792 across Wisconsin, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
61% of households own their home in Sun Prairie. The typical Sun Prairie home is worth about $442,000, up 3.6% in a year, 31% above the Wisconsin typical home. Sun Prairie’s median rent is $1,419 a month.
| Sun Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,419 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Madison Dane Rgnl Ap weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 9 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 77% 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 10.4°.
Sun Prairie has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Sun Prairie is 10°F. About 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Sun Prairie | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 10°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 19.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 70% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 566 to 483 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4 within 15 miles of the center of Sun Prairie
About 6 of every 100 Sun Prairie residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
Where Sun Prairie’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Sun Prairie on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Sun Prairie.
5 towns share a border with Sun Prairie.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Prairie | #149 | B+ | C− | B− | B | A |
| Sun Prairie | — | — | C | — | B | A |
| Windsor | #119 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Bristol | #96 | A− | C− | — | B | A |
| Burke | #49 | A | C+ | — | B+ | A |
| Madison | #289 | C+ | D | C | C | A |
Sun Prairie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Sun Prairie, Windsor, Bristol and Burke report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sun Prairie with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sun Prairie grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #149 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
5 notable people were born here, including Will Butcher and Ida O'Keeffe.
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