What it's like to live in Greenville
Greenville is a small city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, county unemployment below the national average, 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. Greenville deals with cold, harsh winters, snowy winters, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
The not so good
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 49" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Greenville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Greenville
Based on Greenville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,428
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $48,560 a year
- 46% of Greenville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$71,480
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $35,740
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 14% below US
$1,214/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,214 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $357,400. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $357,400 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
2.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Outagamie County is 2.9%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Outagamie County (county-wide)
Safety
47 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Greenville doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Outagamie County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 334/100k · Policed by Outagamie County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 24% below US
20 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 19.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 13°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 20% above US
43% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 43% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. 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 (54 miles away).
Bottom line
Greenville's strongest points are rent below the national average and county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are cold, harsh winters and snowy winters. A year of median rent ($1,214/mo) equals 12% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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