Metro area · Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, WI metro area
Fond du Lac, WI is a metropolitan area of 1 county in Wisconsin, home to 104,669 residents. Fond du Lac, WI metro area has a quality-of-life score of 85 out of 100 (very high), ranking #136 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Wisconsin it ranks #14 of 26. It ranks best on severe housing problems (low), income inequality (Gini index) (low) and uninsured residents (under 65) (low). It ranks worst on adult obesity (high), suicide rate (high) and effective property tax rate (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #136 of 925 metro and micro areas
- Wisconsin
- #14 of 26 in WI
- Population
- 104,669 (2025)
- Land area
- 720 mi²
- Density
- 145.5 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 22540
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety62#352/924
- Economy85#144/925
- Housing78#202/925
- Health64#332/925
- Healthcare86#129/923
- Environment74#236/917
- Education52#444/925
- Infrastructure83#161/925
- Community83#157/925
- Leisure & amenities58#390/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Fond du Lac, WI metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Severe housing problems · low8.6%98/100Wisconsin 12.4%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.406
- Uninsured residents (under 65) · low5.0%
- Flu vaccinations · high53.0%93/100Wisconsin 50.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Mammography screening · high56.0%92/100Wisconsin 53.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Lack of reliable transportation · low6.9%92/100Wisconsin 7.2%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Adult obesity · high43.8%6/100Wisconsin 39.2%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Suicide rate · high28.9 /100k7/100Wisconsin 16.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Effective property tax rate · high1.35%
- New business applications · low8.7 /1k
- Grocery stores · low1.0 /10k17/100Wisconsin 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
- Public transit commuters · low0.1%
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Suicide rateWorsening
14.4 /100k (2021) → 28.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+101%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
- Firearm deathsWorsening
9.3 /100k (2021) → 18.3 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+97%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
- New business applicationsImproving
5.4 /1k (2020) → 8.7 /1k (2025)
+60%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
19.2 /100k (2021) → 9.0 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−53%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
21.0% (Dec 2021) → 30.8% (Aug 2026)
+9.9 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.5% (2015-2019) → 90.7% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
What changed in five years
How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.
Metro and micro areas like Fond du Lac, WI metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Fond du Lac, WI metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.
Who lives here
Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
Local businesses
Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Fond du Lac, WI
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
Other metro and micro areas in Wisconsin
Areas based in Wisconsin, best score first.
- Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI73
- Madison, WI98
- Green Bay, WI94
- Appleton, WI98
- Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI75
- Eau Claire, WI94
- Oshkosh-Neenah, WI95
- La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN95
- Kenosha, WI77
- Janesville-Beloit, WI72
- Wausau, WI95
- Sheboygan, WI92
- Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI83
- Beaver Dam, WI77
- Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI89
- Manitowoc, WI84
- Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI87
- Stevens Point-Plover, WI97
- Baraboo, WI91
- Marinette, WI-MI66
- Platteville, WI74
- Sparta, WI71
- Rice Lake, WI81
- Menomonie, WI91
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI89Alike on Inequality, Unemployment, Rent / income
- Sheboygan, WI92Alike on Avg temperature, Uninsured, Inequality
- Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI87Alike on Mammography, Property tax, Avg temperature
- Green Bay, WI94Alike on January low, No transport, Food insecurity
- Manitowoc, WI84Alike on Flu vaccination, Inequality, Unemployment
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
- Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08