What it's like to live in Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant is a small city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and household incomes running above the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mount Pleasant deals with cold winters, snowy winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
The not so good
- Cold winters
- Snowy winters — 41" per year
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Mount Pleasant compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mount Pleasant
Based on Mount Pleasant's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,254
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $45,080 a year
- 30% of Mount Pleasant renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$58,480
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $29,240
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 20% below US
$1,127/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,127 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $292,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $292,400 · 30% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 21% below US
3.4% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 71% below US
95 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1230/100k · Mount Pleasant Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 20% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 13% 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 19°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
38% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 38% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
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 13:1, 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 Pullman National Historical Park (72 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Mount Pleasant's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and snowy winters. A year of median rent ($1,127/mo) equals 15% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers, and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
See all the data for Mount Pleasant →·All Wisconsin cities →
Other places near Mount Pleasant
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