CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

43.17° N · 87.97° W · GEOID 5510375

Brown Deer

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin · part of the Milwaukee, WI metro

WisconsinBrown Deer, WIBrown DeerBrown Deer

The short answer

Brown Deer is home to 12,564 people. Median household income is $93,974 a year and median rent is $1,183 a month, 15.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $239,300, about 2.5x annual median household income.

What sets Brown Deer apart is how far household money goes. Money left after rent is $82,300, against $63,400 in its closest peers. Also notable: Household income growth is 8% a year, against 3.6% a year in its closest peers.

79OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Brown Deer scores better than 79% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 105th of 158 in Wisconsin.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%89
Economy 20%55
Safety 20%22
Amenities 15%69
Education 10%66
Commute 10%67
Growth 5%87
Median gross rent
$1,183
13% below the median place
Median household income
$93,974
17% above the median place
Median home value
$239,300
25% below the median place
Unemployment
5.0%
3% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Brown Deer

  • How it is changingHousehold income rose 8% a year while rent rose 4% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay gained on rent more than in 92% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Brown Deer

Milwaukee County loses about 8.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in26,367
Moved out32,276
Net−5,909

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Waukesha County, WI4,6257,631−3,006
Racine County, WI1,4011,966−565
Cook County, IL1,3871,073+314
Ozaukee County, WI8661,489−623
Washington County, WI8231,300−477
Dane County, WI918935−17

Within Wisconsin, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within WisconsinOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$59K
Leavers$74K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Milwaukee County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.1% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.8% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Milwaukee County report $59,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $74,200, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$47,300 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,183 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,747 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $239,300.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 22.5% work from home; 3.5% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Sylvania, OH matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-8.2
below the median place (median -0.6)
Moved here in the past year1
4.1%
28% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$59,462
16% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBrown DeerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.1%28% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.8%8% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-8.2below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$59,46216% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$74,2166% above
02

What it costs to live here

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 98 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

Brown Deer15.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$47,320
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.1%
26% below the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
33% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$82,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Brown Deer, $1,183 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Brown Deer, but easier on the budget

Places that match Brown Deer on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Sylvania, OH8612.8% vs 15.1%$8,300Compare
Morrisville, PA8512.6% vs 15.1%$4,300Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Brown Deer.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Brown Deer? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
2.0%
122% above the median place
Median year built1
1969
0% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$4,826
48% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureBrown DeerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,18313% below
Rent to income115.1%26% below
Property tax rate12.0%122% above
Home price to income12.5x33% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure96.94% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,26322% below
Property tax paid (median)1$4,82648% above
Median home value1$239,30025% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.8%82% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure56.1%9% above
Homeownership165.2%2% below
Renters paying 30%+146.7%8% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7477% below
Vacant homes16.4%10% below
Median year built119690% below
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 22.5%, 80% above the median place.

Works from home1
22.5%
80% above the median place
Poverty rate1
6.9%
36% below the median place
Mean commute1
22 min
10% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$47,108 +18%
Median household income$93,974 +17%
Unemployment5.0% +3%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBrown DeerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$93,97417% above
Income per person1$47,10818% above
Unemployment15.0%3% above
Average annual pay5County figure$72,1139% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.3%16% above
Jobs5County figure467,199210% above
Poverty rate16.9%36% below
Mean commute122 min10% below
Works from home122.5%80% above
Commutes by transit1County figure3.5%306% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 2.1, 14% below the median place.

Household size1
2.1
14% below the median place
No health insurance1
4.0%
38% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
40.6%
27% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher93.9% +2%
Median age40.5 +4%
Homes with broadband93.5% +1%
Born abroad7.3% −18%
All 9 people measures
MeasureBrown DeerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population112,5643468th largest
Population change since 202062.9%152% above
Median age140.54% above
Bachelor's or higher140.6%27% above
High school or higher193.9%2% above
Household size12.114% below
Born abroad17.3%18% below
No health insurance14.0%38% below
Homes with broadband193.5%1% above
05

Life in Brown Deer

OpenStreetMap shows 3.2 libraries per 10,000 residents, more than in 96% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, 10 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Brown Deer School listed 1993

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents15.9 +57%
Playgrounds per 10k17.5 +86%
Grocery stores per 10k5.6 2.6×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k7.2 −36%
Libraries per 10k3.2 3.7×
Named paths and bike trails1 km −70%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi8.0 37.9×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Ice Age Trail 90 miles
  • Pullman National Historical Park 104 miles
  • Indiana Dunes National Park 114 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.9 +10%
Shops26.8 −12%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.5 −15%
Doctors' offices and clinics20.0 −1%
Child care centers5.6 2.4×

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools13
2
78% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site10
89.7
191% above the median place
Public school students13
1,613
67% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureBrown DeerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13278% below
Public school students131,61367% below
Students per teacher1313.810% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.910% above
Shops per 10k8County figure26.812% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.515% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure20.01% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure5.6143% above
Parks per 10k915.957% above
Playgrounds per 10k917.586% above
Grocery stores per 10k95.6163% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k97.236% below
Libraries per 10k93.2266% above
Named paths and bike trails90.670% below
Transit stops per sq mi98.0above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1089.7191% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles100below (median 2)
National Register listings11192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 288, 50% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
288
50% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
2,780
129% above the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Heat wave risk15
99.0
10% above the median place
Tornado risk15
99.0
22% above the median place
January average low14
15°F
42% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureBrown DeerAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure81°F6% below
January average low14County figure15°F42% below
Average temperature14County figure48°F13% below
Annual precipitation14County figure34.5 in21% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure98.46% above
Hurricane risk15County figure18.873% below
Tornado risk15County figure99.022% above
Wildfire risk15County figure29.552% below
Heat wave risk15County figure99.010% above
Median air quality index16County figure430% above
Good air days16County figure62.5%9% below
08

Brown Deer in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 15% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 15% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Brown Deer does better than 89% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 41%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,183/mo (2024)$1,510/mo$1,240 to $1,840/mo+4.1%
Median household income$93,974 (2024)$121,000$102,500 to $143,500+4.3%
Median home value$239,300 (2024)$341,000$248,000 to $470,000+6.1%
Population12,821 (2025)12,97012,440 to 13,520+0.2%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Brown Deer

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Shiloh, IL$1,187$99,573Compare
Monfort Heights, OH$1,065$88,457Compare
Taylor Mill, KY$1,139$88,546Compare
St. Peters, MO$1,321$91,637Compare
St. Peters, MOTaylor Mill, KYMonfort Heights, OHShiloh, ILBrown Deer, WIBrown DeerShilohMonfort HeightsSt. PetersBrown DeerShilohTaylor MillSt. Peters

Places built like Brown Deer

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Brown Deer performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Brown Deer, WI15.1%8.0%/yr2.9%
Grand Blanc, MI16.2%1.7%/yr-2.7%Compare
Traverse City, MI16.1%5.4%/yr1.1%Compare
Fairview Park, OH15.8%5.3%/yr-3.3%Compare
Stoughton, WI17.5%3.4%/yr0.7%Compare
Clawson, MI17.0%5.5%/yr-0.8%Compare
Greendale, WI15.9%5.7%/yr-2.9%Compare

Common questions

Is Brown Deer a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 79 out of 100, better than 79% of the places we rate and 105th of 158 in Wisconsin. Household income rose 8% a year while rent rose 4% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay gained on rent more than in 92% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 78 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Brown Deer expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $239,300.

What salary do you need to live in Brown Deer?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $47,320 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Brown Deer safe?

There were 288 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Brown Deer?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Shiloh, IL, Monfort Heights, OH, Taylor Mill, KY and St. Peters, MO.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Brown Deer with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Brown Deer itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/brown-deer-wisconsin

Citytistics. “Brown Deer, Wisconsin.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/brown-deer-wisconsin/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.