Best PlacesNorth Leeds, WI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Leeds, 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.
North Leeds ranks 10,580th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in North Leeds
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.
North Leeds' strengths and weaknesses
Where North Leeds ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 96% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than 88% of towns
- Household income$101,111 median, better than 85% of towns
- Low vacancyBetter than 85% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than 81% of towns
Where North Leeds ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 6% of towns
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of towns
- Low property taxBetter than only 21% of towns
- Short commute32.3 minutes each way, better than only 23% of towns
- BikingBetter than only 23% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in North Leeds
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Leeds home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $101,111, 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 North Leeds' effective rate of 1.17%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Leeds
North Leeds's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Leeds.
Who works in North Leeds, and how
Work in North Leeds centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in North Leeds
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across North Leeds.
What the weather is like in North Leeds, month by month
North Leeds sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 30, with lows near 14. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 22° | 14° |
| April | 60° | 46° | 34° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 62° |
| October | 64° | 51° | 41° |
Flying in and out of North Leeds
The nearest airport, Dane County Regional/Truax Field, is about 13 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 75 miles away.
The best schools in and around North Leeds
Schools across North Leeds average a B−, better than 59% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Poynette ElementaryB · 47% proficient
- Eagle Point ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- De Forest MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
- Poynette MiddleB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Poynette HighC+ · 35% proficient
- De Forest HighC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Leeds school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Leeds 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 North Leeds against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in North Leeds
Is North Leeds a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Leeds ranks 10,580th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, heat safety, and high incomes, and lowest on internet speeds and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Leeds expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $342,000. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $101,111 median income, cost of living beats 81% of towns.
Is North Leeds safe?
Yes, North Leeds is safer than 78% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $223 per resident a year.
Compare North Leeds with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Leeds. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Leeds 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.
North Leeds detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Leeds: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Leeds: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Leeds: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Leeds: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Leeds 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.