Living in Lannon, Wisconsin: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.1% below the U.S. average in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Lannon to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Lannon itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town2 public schools. No public high school in town: the nearest is Hamilton High, about 2 miles away.
A hospital close byCommunity Memorial Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMilwaukee is about 12 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Lannon meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Lannon runs into the built-up area around Milwaukee (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

Boom town. The population is up 45% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Up 23%Waukesha County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $83,889U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 85%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,289 a yearWisconsin: $3,792
Homes built before 1940: 14%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 27%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 3%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 96.9U.S. average = 100 (the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 23% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area, not Lannon alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 2,0572020: 1,419
Median age: 42.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 44%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Manufacturing (20%); schools, health care and social services (19%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 19 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 19%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 1%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls, WI, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Lannon, run by Hamilton School District and Menomonee Falls School District. The nearest public high school is Hamilton High, about 2 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Wisconsin's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 98%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 11°F
July average high: 83°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 13 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 153 a year
Rain and melted snow: 34.4 inches a year
Snow: 54 inches a year
Elevation: 889 feet

Weather stations: Richfield 3 SSW (5 miles away) and Germantown (6 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Waukesha, WICity of 71,00011

Milwaukee, WIMetro of 1.6 million12

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Waukesha, Milwaukee.

Waukesha County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

Read about Lannon's history on Wikipedia.

Know Lannon?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Sussex, WI12,800 people, 4 miles
Lisbon, WI11,200 people, 5 miles
Butler, WI1,800 people, 5 miles
Richfield, WI11,800 people, 7 miles
Pewaukee Village, WI8,200 people, 7 miles
Pewaukee City, WI16,400 people, 8 miles

Smaller places

North Lake, WI (unincorporated)348 people, 11 miles
Chenequa, WI521 people, 11 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.