Jefferson County · Wisconsin · Midwest · 23k residents
Watertown, WI: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Watertown: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Wisconsin median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,085/wk. Wisconsin's corporate income tax rate is 7.9%. Commercial electricity averages 12.6¢/kWh.
Compare Watertown side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,085/wk
Corporate income tax
7.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher
18.2%
Commercial electricity
12.6¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Watertown's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
20/100
Cooling
Ranks Watertown's jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $222,100 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $180 |
| Property tax rate | 1.61% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $850/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,093/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.17% |
| Sales tax | 5.7% |
| Corporate income tax | 7.9% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,085/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.2% |
| Commercial electricity | 12.6¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 27.8/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $122,660 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $95,530 |
| Wage: General manager | $118,730 |
| Wage: Customer service | $46,970 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $35,000 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $58,610 |
| Wage: Electrician | $76,540 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $34,480 |
| Cost of living index | 84 |
| Groceries index | 96 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $58/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,150/mo |
| Median household income | $70,107 |
| Unemployment rate | 3% |
| Population | 23k |
| Crime index | 38/100 |
| School rating | 6.7/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 76/100 |
| Avg. commute | 22 min |
| Sunny days / year | 190 days |
| July high | 81°F |
| January low | 11°F |
| Annual snowfall | 37 in |
| Home price YoY | +6.6% |
| Home price MoM | +0.2% |
| Rent YoY | — |
| Rent MoM | +0.7% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -0.6% |
| Building permits YoY | — |
| Ocean coast | 775 mi |
| Big lake | 44 mi |
| Mountains | 403 mi |
| Major airport | 32 mi |
| Ski resort | 129 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Oconomowoc, WI · 19k
- Hartford, WI · 16k
- Beaver Dam, WI · 17k
- Pewaukee, WI · 16k
- Whitewater, WI · 16k
Similar size
- Middleton, WI · 22k
- Pleasant Prairie, WI · 22k
- Howard, WI · 21k
- Germantown, WI · 21k
- South Milwaukee, WI · 20k
Real listings in Watertown
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Watertown a good place to run a business?
- Wisconsin's corporate income tax rate is 7.9%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,085/wk; commercial electricity averages 12.6¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Watertown, WI?
- Watertown indexes at 84 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,093/mo and a acs median home value of $222,100.
- How much does a house cost in Watertown?
- The acs median home value in Watertown is $222,100 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Watertown?
- A two-bedroom in Watertown rents for about $1,093/mo.