Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 14,489 residents, this town was settled in 1874.
Health is its strong suit: residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. With an A+ overall, Whitefish Bay sits 9th of 357 in Wisconsin. Set against the rest, it does better than 98% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is cost of living (C−): the typical home is worth about $654K, 8.4 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income. The town has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Herman Uihlein House and MILWAUKEE (steam screw) Shipwreck. Just over four in five adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in the town, above both Wisconsin’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 22 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on incomes. This Wisconsin town is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Whitefish Bay beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Whitefish Bay | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 9.9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Richards Elementary | PK–5 | 680 |
| Cumberland Elementary | PK–5 | 624 |
| St. Monica School | PK–8 | 406 |
Census counts: 512 in 1900, 14,954 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Whitefish Bay is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whitefish Bay. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Stadium & arenaFiserv Forum
5 mi MuseumMilwaukee Art Museum350K visitors a year
5 mi Stadium & arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
5 mi MuseumNature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
6 mi MuseumHarley-Davidson Museum300K visitors a year
6 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 Whitefish Bay, 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 Whitefish Bay.
Whitefish Bay is the healthiest town in Wisconsin and has schools in the top 5% of Wisconsin, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Wisconsin.
At 8.4 years of the Milwaukee metro’s $78K median household income, the typical home (about $654K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Wisconsin towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Shorewood is next at $556K.
The typical home value in Whitefish Bay is about $654,000, up 5.9% in a year, 94% above the Wisconsin typical home. The town’s rent at the middle of the market comes in at $1,335 a month. The share of households in Whitefish Bay who are owner-occupiers: 83%.
| Whitefish Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,335 a month | $1,076 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #4 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 $654K.
The largest public high school is Whitefish Bay High, with 945 students. The public schools here belong to the Whitefish Bay School District. Below: Three of its 7 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richards ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 680 | A+ |
| Whitefish Bay HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 945 | A |
| Whitefish Bay MiddleTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 612 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
It is the healthiest of the 357 Wisconsin towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Wisconsin is tooth loss: 3.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide.
Only one of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare has a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Whitefish Bay. 7% of adults smoke cigarettes in the town. No town among the 357 in Wisconsin we compare has a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Whitefish Bay.
| Whitefish Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Whitefish Bay | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 12.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 residents.
Whitefish Bay’s violent crime rate stands at 0.1 per 1,000 residents. Its property offense rate comes in at 7.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Whitefish Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.3 per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
26.7% of workers work from home, against 13.1% across Wisconsin.
The top destinations are Milwaukee (39%), Wauwatosa (7%) and Glendale (5%). 3.7% of Whitefish Bay residents live below the poverty line. Only 7 of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Whitefish Bay. In Whitefish Bay, the average trip to work is 21 minutes.
| Whitefish Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $157,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 27% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Mt Mary College weather station, 7 miles away, 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.
In Whitefish Bay, the July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Walkers can cover 0.9 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The concentration of trails for Whitefish Bay comes to 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Whitefish Bay | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Klode Park | 0.4 mi | 11 |
| 2. Cahill Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
| 3. Big Bay Park | 0.1 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Households in Whitefish Bay have drawn federal disaster aid in 8 declared disasters, most recently in 2026. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. The town has had 6 paid flood insurance claims since 2010. FEMA puts 45% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 41% to inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
14 within 15 miles of the center of Whitefish Bay
About 4 of every 100 Whitefish Bay residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Where Whitefish Bay’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
12 places in Whitefish Bay on the National Register of Historic Places.
Village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Whitefish Bay is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,954 at the 2020 census. A suburb north of Milwaukee along the shore of Lake Michigan, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Whitefish Bay.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitefish Bay | #9 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Glendale | #313 | C | D | D | B− | A− |
| Shorewood | #106 | A− | D | B | A | A+ |
| Milwaukee | #357 | D− | C+ | D− | D− | D |
| Fox Point | #7 | A+ | D | A− | A+ | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Whitefish Bay grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #9 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety 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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