Best PlacesSouth Menomonie, Menomonie, WI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Menomonie, Menomonie, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Menomonie, Menomonie ranks 3,814th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and transit ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Menomonie, Menomonie
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.
South Menomonie, Menomonie's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Menomonie, Menomonie ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.9 minutes each way, better than 80% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where South Menomonie, Menomonie ranks low
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Household income$47,768 median, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Menomonie, Menomonie
A household needs to earn about $62,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Menomonie, Menomonie home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $47,768, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 South Menomonie, Menomonie's effective rate of 1.39%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Menomonie, Menomonie
South Menomonie, Menomonie runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Menomonie, Menomonie.
Who works in South Menomonie, Menomonie, and how
Work in South Menomonie, Menomonie centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 20%
Life in South Menomonie, Menomonie
South Menomonie, Menomonie has more parkland per resident than 93% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of South Menomonie, Menomonie and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Menomonie, Menomonie, month by month
South Menomonie, Menomonie sees roughly 87 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 10. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 17° | 10° |
| April | 56° | 44° | 34° |
| July | 82° | 71° | 61° |
| October | 58° | 48° | 40° |
Flying in and out of South Menomonie, Menomonie
The nearest airport, Chippewa Valley Regional, is about 22 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 63 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Menomonie, Menomonie
Schools across South Menomonie, Menomonie average a B−, better than 64% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Oaklawn ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- River Heights ElementaryC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- Menomonie MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Menomonie HighB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Menomonie, Menomonie school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Menomonie, Menomonie 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 South Menomonie, Menomonie against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Menomonie, Menomonie
Is South Menomonie, Menomonie a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Menomonie, Menomonie ranks 3,814th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, heat safety, and fast internet, and lowest on transit and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Menomonie, Menomonie expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $218,217. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $47,768 median income, cost of living beats 15% of neighborhoods.
Is South Menomonie, Menomonie safe?
Yes, South Menomonie, Menomonie is safer than 70% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $356 per resident a year.
Compare South Menomonie, Menomonie with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Menomonie, Menomonie. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Menomonie, Menomonie 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.
South Menomonie, Menomonie detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Menomonie, Menomonie: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Menomonie, Menomonie: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Menomonie, Menomonie: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Menomonie, Menomonie: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Menomonie, Menomonie 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.