Should I Move To
Janesville, Wisconsin comes in at about 65,669 residents. Cost of living comes out affordable — 11% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $993/mo, and the median household income is about $68,610. Overall, 51/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C-, putting it at #460 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 89 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's affordable territory. With median rent at $993/mo and median household income at $68,610, housing takes about 17% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $186,600.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect cold-winter weather — summers near 80°F, winters around 15°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 37 inches annually. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere. Air quality reads good (AQI 43).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Janesville is a tougher sell for families. It earns 48/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (82/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
Janesville is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 50/100 (grade D) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (82/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
On the remote workers profile, Janesville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 57/100 (grade C) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (82/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
Janesville is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 54/100 (grade C-) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (82/100); weakest on climate (14/100).
Janesville, Wisconsin pulls a 51/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade C-), currently ranked #460 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Janesville's cost-of-living index is 89 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 11% below the national average. Median rent runs about $993/mo.
Cold-winter — summer averages around 80°F, winter averages around 15°F, with about 37 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 54/100. Some neighborhoods are walkable; others aren't. A car is useful, but not required everywhere.
Janesville has about 65,669 residents, 26% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 40.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Janesville head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Janesville stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
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 Janesville with other Wisconsin cities scored on UrbRank.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.