Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI

Micro Area Profile

105,657 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI micropolitan area.

74out of 100
Area Score
Top 2% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
OpportunityTop 1% of 835 metro and micro areas measured88
SchoolsTop 43% of 695 metro and micro areas measured56
GrowthTop 40% of 834 metro and micro areas measured56
Housing affordabilityTop 21% of 835 metro and micro areas measured79
Climate594th of 835 metro and micro areas measured60
Physical resilienceTop 5% of 835 metro and micro areas measured90
Access515th of 835 metro and micro areas measured72
Economic stabilityTop 5% of 835 metro and micro areas measured91
The quick read

Whitewater-Elkhorn ranks in the top 1% of metro and micro areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.0% and median household income of $80,520.

In the public schools here, 41% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.2 students for every teacher.

Residential permitting has slowed: 489 units authorized over the past twelve months, 26% below the prior year. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
105,657
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$80,520
Top 17% nationally
Density
190/sq mi
555.4 sq mi of land
Median age
41.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Wisconsin
Nearest major airport
MSN
52 mi · Dane County Rgnl/Truax Fld
Median home value
$302,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.0%, lower than in 92% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment grew 2.6% over the past year, to 60,208 employed residents.

32% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 75% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$1,9902024 ACS 5-Year$80,520Top 17%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,1662024 ACS 5-Year$45,175Top 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year7.8%Top 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.7 min2024 ACS 5-Year25.9 minBottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year32.4%Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year76.7%45th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202660,208Top 38%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+4.4%Top 8%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+2.6%Top 6%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202662,07661st percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year82.9%Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year0.2%36th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.1%Bottom 30%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.0%Top 8%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year11.2%70th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/073.82.2
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.0% in July 2026. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

41% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 41% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.2 students for every full-time teacher across 37 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
40
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.2
across 37 of them
Math proficiency
41.1%
Top 50% in Wisconsin
Reading proficiency
41.0%
Top 50% in Wisconsin
The 12 largest of 40 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Badger HighLake Geneva-Genoa City UHS School District1,24015.733%41%
Elkhorn Area HighElkhorn Area School District95315.132%46%
Elkhorn Area MiddleElkhorn Area School District65915.343%42%
Whitewater HighWhitewater Unified School District60614.127%32%
Lake Geneva MiddleLake Geneva J1 School District55113.439%43%
Central - Denison ElementaryLake Geneva J1 School District52212.172%47%
Delavan-Darien HighDelavan-Darien School District51113.812%17%
Jackson ElementaryElkhorn Area School District48516.257%53%
Phoenix MiddleDelavan-Darien School District47411.829%31%
East Troy HighEast Troy Community School District44812.432%37%
Big Foot HighBig Foot UHS School District43715.132%37%
Tibbets ElementaryElkhorn Area School District43116.077%57%

37.9% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Wisconsin’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $4,036 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.33% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,206, close to the $1,150 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,206 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $48,200 a year, about 60% of the median household income here of $80,520.

The typical renter household here spends 27% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,150 a month.

A median home at $302,700 costs 3.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $100,861, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
27.0%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.0×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,206
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,150
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$302,700
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Whitewater-Elkhorn’s median household income of $80,520, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year3.0Bottom 34%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year70.6%55th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±1152024 ACS 5-Year54,12462nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$919Bottom 47%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,517Bottom 43%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,206Bottom 38%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$342024 ACS 5-Year$1,150Bottom 27%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$7,6432024 ACS 5-Year$302,70076th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$852024 ACS 5-Year$4,03690th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$2,7642024 ACS 5-Year$100,861Top 14%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year1.33%80th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year27.0%Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±4422024 ACS 5-Year8,39990th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year15.5%93rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.9%16th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±4722024 ACS 5-Year11,03776th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

56/ 100
Top 40% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 106,029 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 489 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 19% are in buildings of five or more homes.

At 4.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
489
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.6
Top 27% nationally
Year over year
−26%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
18.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024106k105k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 16°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 31.9 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station KENOSHA RGNL AP, 31.1 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND3.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals31.9"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals16°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals49°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

90 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 44% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 95% of measured US metro and micro areas.

HailElevated
TornadoModerate
Strong windModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, heat wave, inland flooding, landslide, winter weather, earthquake, ice storm, drought, wildfire, hurricane, avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Dane County Rgnl/Truax Fld at 52 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year88.7%Top 49%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle52 miBottom 35%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Top 43%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year6.0%Top 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Dane County Rgnl/Truax FldMSN52 mi9,006 ft
Chicago O'Hare IntlORD58 mi11,245 ft
Wittman RgnlOSH91 mi8,002 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
74
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.