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State relocation profile · Federal data

Wisconsin

Cost of living, fair-market rent, wages, safety, schools and childcare for Wisconsin - every figure straight from federal data.

94.1
Cost index (US=100)
$1,097
2BR rent / mo
$71,762
Median salary
54.3
Life Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Wisconsin scores 54.3/100 (D) on the composite Life Score, with its strongest marks in rent and cost of living.

54.3
Life Score · D
94.1
Cost of living (US=100)
$71,762
Median annual salary (BLS)
$1,097
2BR fair-market rent / mo (HUD)

Weakest dimension: environment (22/100). State-level figures are a benchmark, individual metros can diverge sharply, so weigh each dimension against your own priorities.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and five other federal agencies, Wisconsin has a cost-of-living index of 94.1 (100 = national average), a median 2-bedroom rent of $1,097/mo, and a median salary of $71,762. Its composite Life Score is 54.3/100 (D), with its strongest marks in rent and cost of living.

How Wisconsin ranks nationally

Where Wisconsin's composite Life Score falls among all 51 US states scored.

Life Score distribution - Wisconsin marked 0 US states at 0–10 0 0 US states at 10–20 10 0 US states at 20–30 20 5 US states at 30–40 5 30 16 US states at 40–50 16 40 24 US states at 50–60 24 50 6 US states at 60–70 6 60 0 US states at 70–80 70 0 US states at 80–90 80 0 US states at 90–100 90 Life Score →
Top 29% by Life Score Higher Life Score than 71% of all 51 US states.

Wisconsin has life score of 54.3. Distribution: 0 US states at 0-10; 0 US states at 10-20; 0 US states at 20-30; 5 US states at 30-40; 16 US states at 40-50; 24 US states at 50-60; 6 US states at 60-70; 0 US states at 70-80; 0 US states at 80-90; 0 US states at 90-100.

Evaluating Wisconsin as a relocation target starts with the statewide BEA Regional Price Parity of 94.1 - where 100 is the national average, so every point above or below translates to percent-level cost of living difference. Housing costs in Wisconsin index at 79.3, goods at 94.3, and services at 89.9. HUD Fair Market Rents averaged across Wisconsin counties put a 2-bedroom at $1,097/month, the figure HUD uses to cap Section 8 voucher payments, so it reflects real submarket rents rather than listings bias.

On the income side, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a statewide median salary of $71,762 with a mean of $75,092 across 2,910,210 tracked jobs. For safety context, FBI UCR data shows a violent crime rate of 280 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1157 per 100K. These state-level reads let you benchmark Wisconsin against both your origin state and national medians before zooming into specific metros.

Family and education costs often decide a move. Department of Labor data for Wisconsin shows center-based infant care running $11,256/year, preschool at $10,203/year, and toddler care at $10,203/year. Wisconsin contains 13 metropolitan statistical areas in our dataset - Appleton, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac and more - each with its own rent, wage and crime profile that can diverge sharply from the statewide average. The composite Life Score of 54.3/100 (D) folds all seven federal sources into one number for quick comparison.

Key Metrics

Cost of Living (RPP)
94.1
100 = national avg
Avg 2BR Rent (FMR)
$1,097
per month
Median Salary
$71,762
annual
Violent Crime Rate
280
per 100K

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for Wisconsin (DOL data).

Infant (Center)
$11,256
per year
Toddler (Center)
$10,203
per year
Preschool (Center)
$10,203
per year

Life Score Breakdown

Wisconsin's composite Life Score is 54.3/100 (D), computed across 7 dimensions.

Strongest dimension: Rent (66/100)

Wisconsin - Life Score dimensions

Percentile vs all US states (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)

/100

What this shows Wisconsin's strongest dimensions are rent and cost of living; its weakest is environment at 22/100. Each dimension is a federal-data percentile; the composite folds all seven into one comparable figure.

Source BEA · HUD · BLS · FBI · NCES · DOL · EPA As of Federal data, latest available vintage
Cost
62/100
Above average
Wages
56/100
Above average
Rent
66/100
Strong
Crime
52/100
Average
Schools
60/100
Above average
Childcare
48/100
Average
Environment
22/100
Weak

Metros in Wisconsin

Explore detailed relocation data for 13 metropolitan areas in Wisconsin.

Appleton, WI Eau Claire, WI Fond du Lac, WI Green Bay, WI Janesville-Beloit, WI Kenosha, WI La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Madison, WI Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI Sheboygan, WI Wausau, WI

Relocation Guides

In-depth guides to help with your relocation research.

Cheapest Places With Good Schools

Find metros that balance affordability with school quality.

Cost vs. Quality of Life

How cost of living correlates with livability across US metros.

Best Cities for Remote Workers

Top metros for remote workers optimizing for cost, safety, and lifestyle.

Relocating within or to Wisconsin?

State figures are the benchmark, drill into a metro before you commit.

  • Wisconsin has 13 metro areas with rent, wage and crime profiles that diverge from the statewide average, start with Appleton. View Appleton
  • Put two places on the same scorecard across cost, rent, wages, safety and schools before you decide. Compare metros
  • See how every US metro ranks on the composite LiveAbility Score, then re-weight it to your priorities. Rankings

Cost, rent and wages are state-level reads; safety, schools and childcare use state data where metro-level isn't published. Always verify the latest figures at the official source before you move.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of living in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 94.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 79.3, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom fair market rent is $1,097/month.
What is the median salary in Wisconsin?
The median salary in Wisconsin is $71,762 annually (mean: $75,092). Total employment across the state is 2,910,210.
How safe is Wisconsin?
The violent crime rate in Wisconsin is 280 per 100,000 population. The property crime rate is 1157 per 100K.
How much does childcare cost in Wisconsin?
Infant center-based childcare in Wisconsin averages $11,256 per year. Preschool averages $10,203/year. Toddler care averages $10,203/year. These are state-level averages from the Department of Labor.
How many metro areas are in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has 13 metropolitan statistical areas tracked by PlainRelocate, including Appleton, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac and 10 more.
Is Wisconsin a good state to relocate to?
Wisconsin has a Life Score of 54.3/100 (D), based on 7 dimensions: cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment. This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US states; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Data Sources

  • Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
  • Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
  • Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
  • Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)
  • Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
  • Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL)
  • Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

This information is for research purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainRelocate is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.