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This Wisconsin city is among the best for home buyers in 2026

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Wisconsin
Published August 23, 2026 5:03 PM CDT
Published August 23, 2026 5:03 PM CDT
article

State capitol rises behind lake shore buildings, Madison, WisconsinState capitol rises behind lake shore buildings, Madison, Wisconsin.  (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Madison, Wisconsin placed no. 7 out of 300 cities WalletHub ranked for their real estate markets.
    • A few other Wisconsin cities ranked among the list as well.
    • WalletHub compared cities of varying sizes across different indicators ranging from economic environment to affordability.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (FOX 6) - The financial website, WalletHub, conducted a study ranking various cities for their real estate market, comparing different metrics to see how the cities stacked up for homebuyers. In the ranking, Madison, Wisconsin made the top 10, while a handful of other Wisconsin cities also ranked on the list. 

Madison, Wisconsin makes the top 10

Local perspective:

Madison, Wisconsin was ranked the 7th best place to buy a home out of 300 U.S. cities. The city was given a 66.97 out of 100 score overall, and placed number 4 for real estate market and 86 for affordability and economic environment.

Ranking other Wisconsin cities 

By the numbers:

The next highest ranking Wisconsin city on WalletHub's list was Green Bay. Green Bay was ranked at 36, with an overall score of 60.46 and a real estate market score of 50 and an affordability and economic environment score of 52.

Next on the list was Kenosha, ranking at 98 with an overall score of 56.23, a real estate market score of 105, and an affordability and economic environment score of 144.

Following Kenosha, as the final Wisconsin city on the list, came Milwaukee, which ranked at 187 with an overall score of 51.53, a real estate score of 167, and an affordability and economic environment score of 243.

The top ranked cities overall 

Big picture view:

The top ten cities on WalletHub's list:

  1. Frisco, Texas with a total score of 70.72
  2. McKinney, Texas with a total score of 69.83
  3. Murfreesboro, Tennessee with a score of 68.97
  4. Durham, North Carolina with a score of 68.34
  5. Denton, Texas with a score of 68.08
  6. Cary, North Carolina with a score of 67.6
  7. Madison, Wisconsin with a score of 66.97
  8. Allen, Texas with a score of 65.3
  9. Charlotte, North Carolina with a score of 64.62
  10. Irvine, California with a score of 64.28
Source: WalletHub

You can check out WalletHub's website to see the full ranking of 300 cities.

WalletHub made their ranking based on a weighted scale of 17 different metrics. Some of those metrics included: median home-price appreciation, ratio of rent price to sale price, vacancy right, population growth rate, job growth rate, median credit score, among others. The full methodology for this study can also be seen on WalletHub.

The Source: This story was reported using data from WalletHub's study on the best real estate markets in the United States for 2026. It was written from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

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