City in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Data-backed housing guide by Kinan Sawar, MD — REALTOR® at Shorewest, REALTORS®. Figures as of 2026-07-03.
| Typical home value | $292,464 |
|---|---|
| 1-year change | -0.4% |
| 5-year change | +19.0% |
| Typical rent | $1,787 per month |
| Gross rent yield | +7.3% |
The typical home in St. Francis, Wisconsin is worth about $292,464 as of 2026-07-03, down 0.4% over the past year and up 19.0% over five years. Source: Zillow Home Value Index, compiled by Sawar Homes.
St. Francis is the split-screen market of Milwaukee County's south shore. Home values edged down 0.4% over the past year, to a typical $292,464. Rents went the other way, rising 3.6% to a typical $1,787 per month. Prices flat, rents up — that combination produced a gross rent yield of 7.33%, the kind of number that usually gets investor attention before owner-occupant attention.
The rent figure deserves a second look. At $1,787, typical rent in St. Francis runs $411 a month higher than in Cudahy, even though the two cities' typical home values differ by only $161 ($292,464 versus $292,625). Same price of admission, very different rental income profile.
Growth has been measured rather than fast: 19% over five years, against a backdrop where several nearby markets compounded faster. St. Francis ranks 16th of 19 Milwaukee County municipalities by typical value.
The typical St. Francis home is priced about $101,800 below the Milwaukee County median of $394,258 — roughly a 26% discount to the county's midpoint — and about 36% below the seven-county region median of $455,834. Its price neighbors are Cudahy ($292,625), Brown Deer ($295,131), West Allis ($278,519), and South Milwaukee ($310,121).
The trajectory is the cautious part of the story. A 0.4% one-year decline is small — well within the range of normal market noise — but it contrasts with gains posted by peer markets. The five-year gain of 19% shows the market has appreciated, just at a slower compounding rate than its neighbors. One year of data is not a trend, and neither direction is guaranteed to continue.
The income math is the strong part. Typical rent of $1,787 against a $292,464 typical value yields 7.33% gross. Rents also grew 3.6% year over year. Gross yield ignores taxes, insurance, vacancy, and upkeep, so net returns will be lower — but as a screening ratio, 7.33% is notably higher than what the same-priced home in Cudahy produces (5.64%).
| Homes sold (arms-length, single-family) | 130 |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $291,250 |
| Middle 50% of sales | $228,500 to $328,375 |
| Government-backed financing (FHA/VA/USDA) | 3.1% |
| Seller-financed | 0.8% |
Over the 12 months ending June 2026, 130 single-family homes sold in St. Francis, Wisconsin in arms-length transactions, at a median price of $291,250. Half of those sales fell between $228,500 and $328,375. Source: Wisconsin Department of Revenue real estate transfer returns, compiled by Sawar Homes — every recorded sale, including for-sale-by-owner and builder-direct transactions that never appear in the MLS.
Zillow’s typical-home-value estimate for St. Francis is $292,464, while homes that actually changed hands had a median price of $291,250 — a difference of -0.4%. These measure different things, and neither is wrong: the index estimates the value of every home whether or not it sold, while the sale figure reflects only the homes that changed hands, which usually skew toward the more affordable end of the market.
Buyers get an unusual setup here: a market where the price did not rise over the past year. That can mean less competitive pressure on offers than in neighboring cities posting 4-5% annual gains. The entry point — $292,464 typical — is effectively identical to Cudahy and about $103,000 under the county median. Buyers weighing a future move should note the slower five-year appreciation (19%) when modeling what the home might resell for; no appreciation rate is promised.
Sellers face the flip side: comps from a year ago are still roughly accurate, so there is no rising-market cushion for aggressive pricing. The strongest card a St. Francis seller holds is the rental math — a property that rents near $1,787 on a sub-$300,000 price is a legitimate pitch to investor buyers as well as owner-occupants, effectively widening the buyer pool. Accurate pricing against current actives and recent solds matters more here than in appreciating neighbors.
St. Francis packs into a few square miles of Milwaukee's south lakefront between Bay View and Cudahy, where the wooded grounds of St. Francis de Sales Seminary and Seminary Woods buffer the Lake Michigan bluff. The Lake Parkway (WIS 794) begins at the city's edge for a straight run toward downtown Milwaukee, and Milton Vretenar Memorial Park serves as the city's main outdoor gathering space.
Dates and details change year to year — check each event’s organizers for current schedules.
Typical values declined 0.4% over the past year, to $292,464. Over five years, values are still up 19%. A single year of data does not establish a trend, and future direction is not guaranteed.
The typical home value is $292,464 as of April 30, 2026 — about $101,800 below the Milwaukee County median of $394,258, ranking 16th of 19 municipalities in the county.
The data shows a gross rent yield of 7.33% — typical rent of $1,787 per month against a $292,464 typical value — with rents up 3.6% year over year. Gross yield excludes taxes, insurance, vacancy, and maintenance, and past figures do not guarantee future returns.
They are nearly identical: $292,464 in St. Francis versus $292,625 in Cudahy — a $161 difference. Typical rents differ far more: $1,787 in St. Francis versus $1,376 in Cudahy.
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Kinan Sawar, MD — REALTOR® at Shorewest, REALTORS®, serving Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties). Email: [email protected] · Phone: (618) 713-2964.
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Home values and rents are Zillow ZHVI/ZORI estimates for the named area, as of 2026-07-03; incomes and population are U.S. Census (SAIPE, Population Estimates); migration is IRS Statistics of Income. Area-level statistical estimates for information only — not an appraisal, and not financial, legal, or tax advice.