Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wauwatosa grades B overall, ranked 197th of 357 in Wisconsin. The median household earns $101K. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 94% of the country. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $420K for a typical one and 5.4 times the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 22 places on the National Register. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Wauwatosa, above both the Wisconsin town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 14 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on walkability. Its National Register listings include Schoonmaker Reef and Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House.
Where Wauwatosa beats most towns.
Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House| Widest gap | Wauwatosa | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.9% | 12.1% |
Dr. Fisk Holbrook Day House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,842 in 1900, 48,387 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1844 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
22 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Wauwatosa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wauwatosa. Close and well known come first.
6 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
7 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
6 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
6 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
6 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a year
2 mi Zoo & aquariumMilwaukee County ZooFiserv 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 · Milwaukee County Zoo: Awkwafaba, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wauwatosa, 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 Wauwatosa.
Wauwatosa draws workers from Milwaukee and beyond, is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Wisconsin.
The biggest place to walk is Menomonee River Parkway, 355 acres with 7.5 miles of trail. Count the trails in 22 parks and preserves and they come to 27 miles.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Menomonee River Parkway | 7.5 mi | 355 |
| 2. County Grounds Park | 2.7 mi | 68 |
| 3. Forestry Education and Awareness Center | 1.8 mi | 63 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Wauwatosa School District runs its public schools. Of its 25 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. 6 public schools serve Wauwatosa, with 2,093 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longfellow MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 782 | B+ |
| East HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,043 | A |
| Wauwatosa STEMTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 127 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
58,831 jobs are based in Wauwatosa, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 22.4% of workers work from home, against 13.1% across Wisconsin.
Among residents in Wauwatosa, 5.8% live below the poverty line. Most people who work leave Wauwatosa to do it: just 17% work in town. The mean commuting time for Wauwatosa comes to 20 minutes. Since 2013, Wauwatosa has added 4,268 jobs, to 58,831 in 2023.
| Wauwatosa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For adults in Wauwatosa, the share who have high blood pressure is 30%. Only 7 of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Wauwatosa.
| Wauwatosa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Wauwatosa | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.9% | 12.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.3% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Wauwatosa’s risk rating from FEMA stands at 19 of 100. Flood insurance has paid out on 117 claims in the town since 1983. 47% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from cold waves, followed by inland flooding at 36%. Federal aid has come to Wauwatosa households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 31.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 91% of Wisconsin’s graded towns. Property crime runs at 23 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Wisconsin rate, most of it theft.
Wauwatosa’s property offense rate comes in at 23 per 1,000 residents. In Wauwatosa, the violent offense rate is 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Wauwatosa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The median property tax bill is $5,922, against $3,792 across Wisconsin, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Home values are up 4.4% over the year to September 2026. Wauwatosa’s rent at the middle of the market is $1,438 a month. In Wauwatosa, 61% of households live in a home they own.
| Wauwatosa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,438 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 43% | 39% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Mt Mary College weather station records that 40 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 80% of Wisconsin places with climate records. January nights average 14.1°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 98% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 81.7°.
For Wauwatosa, the midsummer high is 82°F.
| Wauwatosa | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
17 within 15 miles of the center of Wauwatosa
About 6 of every 100 Wauwatosa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Wisconsin.
10.8% of the town is conserved land, across 22 parks and preserves.
22 places in Wauwatosa on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Wauwatosa.
City in Wisconsin, United States
Wauwatosa ( WAW-wə-TOH-sə; colloquially Tosa) is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 48,387 at the 2020 census. Wauwatosa is a suburb located immediately west of Milwaukee and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It is named after the Potawatomi Chief Wauwataesie and the Potawatomi word for firefly.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Wauwatosa.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauwatosa | #197 | B | D | C | B | A |
| Milwaukee | #357 | D− | C+ | D− | D− | D |
| Brookfield | #40 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wauwatosa grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #197 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A for health, C for safety and B 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.
17 notable people were born here, including Joel Whitburn and Matthew Busche.
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