What it's like to live in Brown Deer
Brown Deer is a small city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above 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. Brown Deer deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold, harsh winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 40" per year
How Brown Deer compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Brown Deer
Based on Brown Deer's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,366
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,320 a year
- 44% of Brown Deer renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$47,860
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,930
- Homes cost 2.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 16% below US
$1,183/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,183 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $239,300. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $239,300 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Milwaukee County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Milwaukee County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 13% below US
288 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2804/100k · Brown Deer Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 14% below US
22 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.4 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 23% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 80°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 17°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 13% above US
41% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 41% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below 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 (97 miles away).
Bottom line
Brown Deer's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($1,183/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, remote workers (23% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Brown Deer
All Wisconsin guides →Moving to Whitefish Bay →
6 mi away · pop. 14,665
Rent $1,335/mo · Income $157,109
Compare with Brown Deer →Moving to Shorewood →
7 mi away · pop. 13,627
Rent $1,347/mo · Income $86,726
Compare with Brown Deer →Not sure Brown Deer is the one?
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