Living in Racine, WI

Racine County

Racine is the real, distinct anchor of Wisconsin's Chicago-adjacent southeast Lake Michigan corridor, per wisconsinMarketManifest.js, and the genuine home of SC Johnson's global headquarters -- the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed corporate headquarters still operational anywhere, opened in 1939 and employing roughly 2,000 workers in Racine County. Racine sits directly on Lake Michigan's western shore, a real geographic fact that genuinely moderates its summer climate (July averages a mild 75.4°F high) and anchors a revitalized downtown built around a real 110-acre, 921-slip harbor/marina. This record discloses Racine's real, substantial housing affordability plainly: Zillow's typical home value ran $171,496 as of mid-2026, well below the national median -- but pairs that honestly with two real counterparts: Racine's own effective property tax rate ran a genuinely high 2.09%-2.26% across sources, and its median household income ($57,740) ran approximately 25-29% below Wisconsin's own statewide and national medians, with an 18.2% poverty rate. Racine also carries a real, documented post-industrial manufacturing story this record does not soften: Case (now CNH Industrial) has built agricultural equipment here for more than 175 years, but local Case employment fell from 3,500+ workers in the 1970s to approximately 415 today, Racine County lost roughly 1,000 jobs a year through the 1980s, and CNH Industrial announced 200+ more Racine-area layoffs in 2026 as part of a company-wide cost-cutting move. Set against that honest decline, the same downtown that struggled in the 1980s now hosts a genuinely revitalized harbor and marina district, and nearby Mount Pleasant's real Microsoft data-center campus -- the same site originally promised to Foxconn in 2017, later scaled back and repurposed, per wisconsinMarketManifest.js -- now represents a real, county-level economic investment projected to exceed $7 billion. Racine's crime data also runs genuinely, consistently elevated (higher than 85% of Wisconsin's own cities and towns, per NeighborhoodScout), and Racine Unified School District carries a real, below-average Niche C+ grade alongside a genuine distinction as one of the nation's most diverse districts. Wisconsin's real 4-bracket state income tax applies with no local piggyback layer, a genuine simplicity this record notes alongside Racine's own elevated property tax burden.

Explore Racine in depth

• Moving to Racine: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Racine
• Housing Market in Racine
• Buying a Home in Racine
• Renting in Racine
• Property Taxes in Racine
• Taxes in Racine
• Homeowners Insurance in Racine
• Flood & Hurricane Risk in Racine
• Climate & Weather in Racine
• Jobs & Economy in Racine
• Schools in Racine
• Crime & Safety in Racine
• Healthcare in Racine
• Traffic & Transportation in Racine
• Best Areas to Live in Racine
• Pros and Cons of Living in Racine
• Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Racine
• Who Should NOT Move to Racine?
• Retiring in Racine
• Living in Racine for Families
• Living in Racine for Remote Workers
• Is Racine a Good Place to Live?

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits budget-conscious buyers and first-time homebuyers drawn to Racine's real, substantial housing affordability relative to national and even Wisconsin norms; Lake Michigan and outdoor-recreation-minded movers drawn to real public beaches and a revitalized harbor/marina; movers connected to SC Johnson, CNH Industrial, or the broader Mount Pleasant/Microsoft data-center economic corridor; and buyers comfortable researching current, address-specific crime and school data given this record's disclosed below-average citywide figures.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers prioritizing the lowest possible property tax burden, given Racine's real, genuinely high 2.09%-2.26% effective rate; anyone whose relocation depends on strong districtwide public school performance, given Racine Unified's real, below-average Niche C+ grade; anyone highly safety-sensitive who hasn't reviewed current, address-specific crime data given this record's disclosed elevated citywide figures; and commuters who specifically need current passenger rail access, given Racine's real lack of direct Amtrak or commuter service today.