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Cost of living, pay and housing

42.61° N · 88.62° W · GEOID 5519500

Delavan Lake

Walworth County, Wisconsin · part of the Whitewater, WI metro

Limited data population under 5,000

WisconsinDelavan Lake, WIDelavan LakeDelavan Lake

The short answer

Delavan Lake is home to 2,757 people. Median household income is $83,550 a year and median rent is $913 a month, 13.1% 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 $355,500, about 4.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$913
33% below the median place
Median household income
$83,550
4% above the median place
Median home value
$355,500
11% above the median place
Unemployment
2.9%
41% below 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 Delavan Lake

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 4.3% a year while rent rose -3.9%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 157 Wisconsin places.
  • 58% of homes stand vacant, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 105 Wisconsin places.
  • The median rent takes only 13.1% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 92% of places its size.
  • The median resident is 49.8 years old, older than in 91% of places its size.
  • 89% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 88% of places its size.
01

Moving to Delavan Lake

Walworth County gains about 1.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,857
Moved out4,708
Net+149

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Wisconsin, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within WisconsinOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$98K
Leavers$74K

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

Who moves here
7.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.4% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Walworth County report $97,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $74,000, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$36,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $913 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,813 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $355,500.
Getting to work
28 minutes each way on average; 13.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Forestbrook, SC matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in5
$97,694
38% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
7.0%
22% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people5
1.7
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureDelavan LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure7.0%22% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.4%23% above
Net movers per 1,000 people5County figure1.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in5County figure$97,69438% above
Income of households moving out5County figure$74,0365% above
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 58.0%, above the median place (median 7.1%).

Delavan Lake13.1%
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
$36,520
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.1%
36% below the median place
Home price to income
4.3x
12% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
13%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$73,000
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Delavan Lake, $913 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Delavan Lake, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Canfield, OH9.7% vs 13.1%n/aCompare
Chesterland, OH9.3% vs 13.1%n/aCompare
Rainsville, AL8.4% vs 13.1%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Delavan Lake.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Delavan Lake? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
58.0%
above the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
88.6%
33% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
38.6%
24% below the median place
All 14 cost and housing measures
MeasureDelavan LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$91333% below
Rent to income113.1%36% below
Property tax rate11.2%35% above
Home price to income14.3x12% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,30020% below
Property tax paid (median)1$4,37934% above
Median home value1$355,50011% above
Home prices, 1-year change3County figure5.8%81% above
Home prices, 5-year change3County figure58.7%14% above
Homeownership188.6%33% above
Renters paying 30%+138.6%24% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8133% below
Vacant homes158.0%above (median 7.1%)
Median year built119800% above
03

Work and pay

Poverty rate is 6.7%, 38% below the median place.

Poverty rate1
6.7%
38% below the median place
Income per person1
$51,458
28% above the median place
Mean commute1
28 min
12% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureDelavan LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$83,5504% above
Income per person1$51,45828% above
Unemployment1County figure2.9%41% below
Average annual pay4County figure$53,63919% below
Pay growth, 1 year4County figure5.3%43% above
Jobs4County figure45,77270% below
Poverty rate16.7%38% below
Mean commute128 min12% above
Works from home113.8%11% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.2%74% below
04

Who lives here

Median age is 49.8, 28% above the median place.

Median age1
49.8
28% above the median place
High school or higher1
85.0%
8% below the median place
Household size1
2.3
9% below the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureDelavan LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,7576646th largest
Median age149.828% above
Bachelor's or higher134.7%8% above
High school or higher185.0%8% below
Household size12.39% below
Born abroad1County figure6.2%29% below
No health insurance1County figure5.7%11% below
Homes with broadband192.5%0% above
05

Life in Delavan Lake

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Jones, Fred B., Estate listed 1974

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents7.3 −29%
Playgrounds per 10k7.3 −23%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k7.3 −35%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars28.7 +38%
Shops34.5 +14%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.8 +41%
Doctors' offices and clinics14.0 −31%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

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

Restaurants and bars per 10k6
28.7
38% above the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k6
14.0
31% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k6
1.8
22% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureDelavan LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure44389% above
Public school students9County figure14,224190% above
Students per teacher9County figure13.512% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k6County figure28.738% above
Shops per 10k6County figure34.514% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k6County figure5.841% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k6County figure14.031% below
Child care centers per 10k6County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k77.329% below
Playgrounds per 10k77.323% below
Grocery stores per 10k70.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k77.335% below
Libraries per 10k70.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails70.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi70.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings8192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 13°F, 50% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Delavan Lake. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low10
13°F
50% below the median place
Hurricane risk11
12.6
82% below the median place
Average temperature10
47°F
14% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureDelavan LakeAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure83°F5% below
January average low10County figure13°F50% below
Average temperature10County figure47°F14% below
Annual precipitation10County figure37.0 in16% below
Natural hazard risk11County figure74.819% below
Hurricane risk11County figure12.682% below
Tornado risk11County figure88.28% above
Wildfire risk11County figure25.359% below
Heat wave risk11County figure74.018% below
Median air quality index12County figure422% below
Good air days12County figure79.4%16% above
08

Delavan Lake in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 13% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 13% 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$913/mo (2024)$1,120/mo$920 to $1,370/mo+3.5%
Median household income$83,550 (2024)$105,000$89,000 to $124,500+3.9%
Median home value$355,500 (2024)$524,000$380,000 to $722,000+6.7%

The median home would be worth 5.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.3 now.

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

09

Places like Delavan Lake

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

PlaceRentIncome
Forestbrook, SC$814$81,286Compare
Milford, OH$940$78,057Compare
Clear Lake, IA$808$79,415Compare
Munroe Falls, OH$848$81,214Compare
Munroe Falls, OHClear Lake, IAMilford, OHForestbrook, SCDelavan Lake, WIDelavan LakeForestbrookMilfordClear LakeMunroe FallsDelavan LakeForestbrookMilfordClear Lake

Common questions

Is Delavan Lake a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 4.3% a year while rent rose -3.9%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 157 Wisconsin places. 58% of homes stand vacant, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 105 Wisconsin places. On cost, space and class size it scores 81 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Delavan Lake expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.1% 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 $355,500.

What salary do you need to live in Delavan Lake?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $36,520 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Delavan Lake?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Forestbrook, SC, Milford, OH, Clear Lake, IA and Munroe Falls, OH.

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. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  4. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  5. 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.
  6. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  7. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 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
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  12. 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 Delavan Lake with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Delavan Lake itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/delavan-lake-wisconsin

Citytistics. “Delavan Lake, Wisconsin.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/delavan-lake-wisconsin/

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