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Whitewater.

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15,807people live here $54,969median household income▼ 32% below US $1,041median rent per month▼ 26% below US $229,400median home value▼ 31% below US

What it's like to live in Whitewater

Whitewater is a small city in Wisconsin with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment 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. Whitewater deals with household incomes below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, cold, harsh winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.

The good

Rent below the national average
Affordable home prices
Low unemployment in the county
Short commutes
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Below-average household incomes
High poverty rate
Cold, harsh winters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options

How Whitewater compares

Median household income

Whitewater$54,969

Wisconsin avg$77,485

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Whitewater$1,041

Wisconsin avg$1,087

US$1,413

Median home value

Whitewater$229,400

Wisconsin avg$266,500

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Whitewater

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

To rent

$2,082

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $41,640 a year
49% of Whitewater renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$45,880

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $22,940
Homes cost 4.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 26% below US

$1,041/mo median rent

Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,041 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $229,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.

Median home value $229,400 · 49% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

2.9% county unemployment

Unemployment in Walworth 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.

Walworth County (county-wide)

Safety▲ 19% above US

392 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 740/100k · Whitewater Police Department · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 35% below US

17 min average commute

Commutes run short here, averaging 17 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

65%

Walk

13%

Carpool

10%

Work from home

9.1%

Other

1.7%

Public transit

0.6%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 80°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 & workforceNear US average

35% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 35% 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

6 public schools inside the boundary

There are 6 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 Ice Age National Scenic Trail (90 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Whitewater's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a poverty rate above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,041/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.

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