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Most Affordable Counties in Wisconsin

Ranked by the share of Wisconsin occupations whose take-home pay covers a one-bedroom rental, food, home energy and gasoline.

Most affordable counties in Wisconsin
#CountyJobs covering basicsJobs listed1-bedroom rentMedian household incomeRent / income
1Milwaukee County, WI100%24$1,060/mo$64,43519.7%
2Waukesha County, WI100%24$1,060/mo$106,07612.0%
3Washington County, WI100%24$1,060/mo$96,35913.2%
4Ozaukee County, WI100%24$1,060/mo$96,99613.1%
5St. Croix County, WI97%64$1,427/mo$103,04616.6%
6Pierce County, WI97%64$1,427/mo$92,10918.6%

Most affordable counties in Wisconsin

We ranked 6 Wisconsin counties that have at least 20 occupations published on this site. The ranking measures how many of those occupations pay enough, at the local median wage, to cover a one-bedroom rental, food, home energy and gasoline after federal, Social Security, Medicare and state taxes. Milwaukee County, WI leads: 100% of its 24 occupations clear that bar, with a HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,060 a month.

Ties are broken by the lower one-bedroom rent, then by population. Where the Census Bureau publishes it, the table also shows median household income (American Community Survey 2020-2024) and what a year of one-bedroom rent equals as a share of it. Open a county to see every occupation and its take-home pay.