Living in Janesville, WI
Small city in Wisconsin
Janesville is a small city in Wisconsin, home to about 66,000 people, with 597,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Janesville a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $297k and rents for $1,600 a month
- Mild summers: highs around 82°F
- Strong healthcare: 3 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Safe: violent crime is 0.6× the US rate (FBI 2019)
👎 Cons
- Fewer graduates: 27% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Higher taxes: about $1,734 state income tax per resident, 1.75% property tax
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Janesville ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Janesville: common questions
What is the cost of living in Janesville?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $297k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 94, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Janesville?
Wisconsin collects about $1,734 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.75% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Janesville safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.6× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Janesville?
Janesville has long, snowy winters: winter days average around 31°F and summer days around 82°F, with roughly 37″ of snow a year.
Does Janesville get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 4 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.06 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Janesville?
The nearest major airport is MKE, about 60 mi away.
How Janesville scores
Each bar compares Janesville with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Janesville
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 23 aspects.
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Wisconsin.
Is Janesville right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.