Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Whitewater is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, ranked 268th of 357 in Wisconsin, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 55% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 75% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $339K, 4.2 years of the Whitewater area’s $81K median household income. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Whitewater, against 6.3% in Wisconsin’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 59 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score higher on walkability. Whitewater is home to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Where Whitewater beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Whitewater is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,731 in 1860, 14,889 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1846 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whitewater, 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 Whitewater.
Whitewater is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Wisconsin’s.
42.1% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.8% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 31.8% of households own their home, against 67.8% across Wisconsin.
11% of Whitewater residents are under 18. Of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare, none has a lower median age than Whitewater. 10% of Whitewater residents are 65 or older.
| Whitewater | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 22.1 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 11% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 10% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 32% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 21.8, men 22.5.
| Whitewater | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.7% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.5% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 48.8% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.5% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.1% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.7% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.2% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Its public schools are run by the Whitewater Unified School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Whitewater High, with 606 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 394 | C+ |
| Whitewater HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 606 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
5.5 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Trippe Lake Park, at 49 acres.
| Whitewater | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. William Carter Mall | 0.4 mi | 5 |
| 2. Trippe Lake Park | — | 49 |
| 3. Starin Park | 0.1 mi | 35 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 2026, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Whitewater.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Whitewater weather station records that about 9 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 79% of Wisconsin places with climate records. January nights average 12.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 90% of Wisconsin places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.6°.
Whitewater has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Whitewater is 12°F. About 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Whitewater | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 11°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 82°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Whitewater has about as many jobs (5,861) as working residents, but only 1,268 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Whitewater’s working residents works in town. Whitewater’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Jobs based in Whitewater fell to 5,861 in 2023, 677 fewer than in 2013.
| Whitewater | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 8.2% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $88,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,406 U.S. towns with household incomes like Whitewater’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of adults have high blood pressure in Whitewater. Only 2 of the 357 Wisconsin towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Whitewater. 22% of adults report frequent mental distress in Whitewater.
| Whitewater | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 30% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Whitewater | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.6% | 8.6% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 15.8% | 26.6% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.8% | 6.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 18.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 64% of Wisconsin’s graded towns.
Among 182 Wisconsin towns, just 8 have a higher violent crime rate than Whitewater.
| Whitewater | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 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
Of the 362 Wisconsin towns we compare, none has a lower share of households owning their home than Whitewater. The typical Whitewater home is worth about $339,000, up 4.2% in a year, close to the Wisconsin typical home.
| Whitewater | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 32% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,041 a month | $1,080 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whitewater. Close and well known come first.
38 mi Stadium & arenaCamp Randall Stadium
17 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
17 mi State parkAztalan State Park
37 mi Stadium & arenaKohl Center
38 mi Zoo & aquariumMilwaukee County Zoo
13 mi MuseumOld World WisconsinCamp Randall Stadium: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kohl Center: Pbrown111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Milwaukee County Zoo: Awkwafaba, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old World Wisconsin: Bridget Bannon, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Whitewater
College town 42 of every 100 Whitewater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
6 places in Whitewater on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Whitewater.
City in Walworth and Jefferson Counties, Wisconsin
Whitewater is a city in Walworth and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,889 at the 2020 census. Whitewater is located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest and is home to the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Whitewater.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater | #268 | B− | B− | B− | C | B |
| Cold Spring | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Whitewater | — | — | C+ | — | C | B− |
Whitewater has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Whitewater reports no FBI crime data of its own. Cold Spring isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Whitewater with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Whitewater grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #268 of 357 in Wisconsin. It grades B for health, B− for safety and C for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
7 notable people were born here, including Franklin Hiram King and Elaine Roe.
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