Moving to
Brookfield.

All Brookfield data Compare Brookfield

41,273people live here $129,548median household income▲ 60% above US $1,886median rent per month▲ 33% above US $443,900median home value▲ 33% above US

What it's like to live in Brookfield

Brookfield is a small city in Wisconsin with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Brookfield deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and cold, harsh winters.

The good

Low unemployment
Higher-than-average incomes
Low crime rates
Short commutes
Highly educated workforce
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Air quality concerns
Cold, harsh winters
Snowy winters — 40" per year

How Brookfield compares

Median household income

Brookfield$129,548

Wisconsin avg$77,485

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Brookfield$1,886

Wisconsin avg$1,087

US$1,413

Median home value

Brookfield$443,900

Wisconsin avg$266,500

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Brookfield

Based on Brookfield's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,772

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $75,440 a year
35% of Brookfield renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$88,780

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $44,390
Homes cost 3.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 33% above US

$1,886/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,886 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $443,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $443,900 · 35% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 30% below US

3.0% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.0%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 81% below US

63 violent crimes per 100k

Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.

Property crime 796/100k · Brookfield Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 20% below US

21 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.7 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 22% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

72%

Work from home

22%

Carpool

4.5%

Other

1.1%

Walk

0.5%

Public transit

0.3%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 15°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 79% above US

64% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

8 public schools inside the boundary

There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Ice Age National Scenic Trail (96 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Brookfield's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,886/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (22% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

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