Should I Move To
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin comes in at about 44,527 residents. Cost of living comes out very affordable — 16% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $868/mo, and the median household income is about $58,675. Overall, 56/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C, putting it at #288 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 84 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very affordable territory. With median rent at $868/mo and median household income at $58,675, housing takes about 18% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $148,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect cold-winter weather — summers near 80°F, winters around 20°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 35 inches annually. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential. AQI runs about 41 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Fond du Lac is a tougher sell for families. The profile-weighted score is 53/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is education (15/100).
On the retirees profile, Fond du Lac sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 62/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is education (15/100).
On the remote workers profile, Fond du Lac sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 69/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is education (15/100).
On the young professionals profile, Fond du Lac sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 56/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is affordability (93/100); the soft spot is education (15/100).
Our overall score for Fond du Lac is 56/100 — a C, sitting at #288 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Fond du Lac sits at 84 — very affordable, 16% below the national average. Median renter pays around $868 a month.
Fond du Lac runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 80°F, winter's near 20°F; 35 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 74/100. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential.
Roughly 44,527 people live here, with 21% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 38.
Drop Fond du Lac into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Fond du Lac with other Wisconsin cities scored on UrbRank.
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