Kenosha, WI — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Wisconsin·Kenosha

Kenosha County · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin · population 99,578

First-time buyers
Kenosha, WI
Image: Wikipedia · Kenosha, Wisconsin
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
72
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Kenosha stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 6.3% in the last year.

Median home $279,785
1-year +6.3%
5-yr CAGR +6.4%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$280k$123k$179k$235k$291k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,693/mo$1,158$1,479$1,799202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent136137100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.8
Buy

At a 13.8 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Kenosha on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.8 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
79 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
71 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
43 · w16%
Rent YoY
65 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
80 · w10%
Long thesis

Kenosha has held up across the cycle: home values at $279,785 with +6.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Kenosha's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Kenosha

Kenosha is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, with an estimated population of 99,578. It anchors the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. The median home value in Kenosha is $279,785 as of 2026-04, up 6.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Kenosha average $1,693 per month, up 3.0% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 72 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Trend still working: prices up 6.3% in the last 12 months — buyers are still chasing inventory.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.4% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Kenosha (Wikipedia)

Kenosha is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, it is the fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with 99,986 residents at the 2020 census. The Kenosha metropolitan statistical area, consisting solely of Kenosha County, has roughly 169,000 residents. Kenosha is a satellite city located roughly 32 miles (51 km) south of Milwaukee and 50 miles (80 km) north of Chicago via Interstate 94 and has significant cultural and economic connections to both cities.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

NicknameK-Town
MottoChart a Better Course

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Kenosha County right now.

NWS active alerts (WI)Wisconsin Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Kenosha County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Kenosha

25 tracked · ranked by median home value
1River Crossing$487,075+5.8%
2White Caps$408,278+5.5%
3Isetts$362,791+6.2%
4Parkside$353,176+7.0%
5Central Business District$327,307+7.7%
6Allendale$321,799+8.2%
7Stocker$308,357+8.6%
8Prairie Lake$305,702+1.7%
9Southport$305,030+3.2%
10Poerio$298,758+8.2%
11Forest Park$292,195+6.4%
12Lance$286,053+6.7%
13Sunnyside$277,489+5.9%
14Villa Capri$276,082+6.2%
15Red Arrow$274,000+8.3%
16Grant$261,091+7.9%
17McKinley$239,645+4.3%
18St. Joe's$237,617+2.3%
19Harbor Side$235,732+5.1%
20Wilson$231,892+5.4%
21Roosevelt$224,060+5.7%
22Bain Park$208,251+5.5%
23Lincoln Park$208,113+10.4%
24Columbus$198,731+14.9%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Kenosha

Waukesha, WI73 · RisingOshkosh, WI72 · RisingGreenfield, WI71 · RisingWest Bend, WI76 · Rising

Run the numbers for Kenosha

ToolCan I afford Kenosha?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Kenosha rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Kenosha to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolKenosha cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
27° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
81° / 60°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
188
~52% of year
Annual precip
33″ rain
47″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Kenosha listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
73%
Humid climate
Median household income
$72,500
Wisconsin state median
Top industries (state-level)
ManufacturingHealthcareDairy/Food

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Kenosha

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