Best Places53017, WI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 53017, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
53017 ranks 1,502nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 53017
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
53017's strengths and weaknesses
Where 53017 ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
Where 53017 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,101 a month, better than only 25% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 53017
A household needs to earn about $135,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 53017 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $144,636, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 53017's effective rate of 1.01%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 53017
53017 runs older than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 53017.
Who works in 53017, and how
Work in 53017 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 53017
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 53017.
What the weather is like in 53017, month by month
53017 sees roughly 96 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 80 degrees. January highs sit near 28, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 21° | 16° |
| April | 54° | 44° | 35° |
| July | 80° | 71° | 61° |
| October | 59° | 50° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 53017
General Mitchell International sits about 25 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.9 million passengers in 2025, with 66 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 53017
Schools across 53017 average a B, better than 70% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Lake ElementaryA+ · 73% proficient
- Merton PrimaryA · 68% proficient
- Woodside ElementaryA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Merton IntermediateA · 66% proficient
- Templeton MiddleA · 64% proficient
- Kennedy MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Arrowhead HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Hamilton HighB+ · 51% proficient
- Germantown HighB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 53017 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
53017 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 53017 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 53017
Is 53017 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 53017 ranks 1,502nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, civic engagement, and health care access, and lowest on walkability and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 53017 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $502,638. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $144,636 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 53017 safe?
Yes, 53017 is safer than 81% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $236 per resident a year.
Compare 53017 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 53017. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 53017 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
53017 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 53017: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 53017: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 53017: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 53017: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
53017 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.