Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 12,779, settled in 1843. Public schools that outperform most of Wisconsin.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sussex grades A− overall, ranked 87th of 357 in Wisconsin. The median household earns $119K. Its schools rank ahead of 93% of Wisconsin towns and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 86% of the country. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $515K for a typical one and 6.6 times the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. 51% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sussex, against 32% in Wisconsin’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Sussex Village Park, at 71 acres. Sussex's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Sussex beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Sussex is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 131 in 1880, 11,487 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sussex. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
18 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
17 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
17 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
17 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a year
29 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music TheatreFiserv 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 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sussex, 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 Sussex.
Sussex has schools in the top 5% of Wisconsin and has colder winter nights 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.
Its A ranks #18 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $515K.
Its public schools are run by the Hamilton School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Avenue ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 457 | A+ |
| Woodside ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 456 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
At 6.6 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $515K) costs more against local pay than in 91% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 5.8% in the year to September 2026. Sussex’s median rent is $1,369 a month.
| Sussex | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,369 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Wisconsin is tooth loss: 6.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide. Against the 5,876 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sussex’s, it is healthier than 71%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
22% of Sussex adults binge drink. Sussex beats the Wisconsin average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of Sussex adults report frequent mental distress.
| Sussex | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 26% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Sussex | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 12.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 22.4% | 19% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 11.9°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 88% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.6°.
Sussex has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Sussex is 12°F. About 54 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Sussex | 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 Sussex for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Sussex has added 1,490 jobs, to 7,016 in 2023. 17% of workers work from home in Sussex.
| Sussex | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $119,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 17% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6% | 8.4% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Sussex | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Armory Park | 0.3 mi | 37 |
| 2. Sussex Village Park | 0.2 mi | 71 |
| 3. Madeline Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
10 within 15 miles of the center of Sussex
About 4 of every 100 Sussex residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Sussex is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, about 19 miles (31 km) northwest of Milwaukee and 9 miles (14 km) north of Waukesha. The village is 7.24 square miles (19 km2) at an elevation of 930 feet. The population was 11,487 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Sussex.
Sussex and Lisbon report no FBI crime data of their own. Lisbon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sussex with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Sussex grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #87 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health and A 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−.
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