Fond du Lac Home Prices: $301K, Up 4.9% — 3 ZIPs Analyzed (2026)
$300,818. That’s the typical home value in Fond du Lac as of February 2026, up 4.9% from a year earlier. Wisconsin’s smaller markets keep climbing while the population edges down.
Quick answer: The average home price in Fond du Lac, WI is $300,818 as of February 2026, up 4.9% year over year according to Zillow.
Current Home Prices in Fond du Lac
The typical Fond du Lac home is worth $300,818. A year ago that number was closer to $286,677. The gap is $14,141 — money you would have paid extra if you bought today instead of last spring.
Across the three Fond du Lac ZIP codes Zillow tracks, values range from $225,716 at the low end to $344,528 at the high end. That’s a $118,812 spread, or roughly 53% between the cheapest and priciest neighborhoods.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Median home value | $300,818 |
| Year-over-year change | +4.9% |
| Cheapest ZIP | $225,716 |
| Most expensive ZIP | $344,528 |
| Range across ZIPs | $118,812 |
| ZIPs analyzed | 3 |
| Data as of | February 2026 |
You should read this in context. The 4.9% gain landed during a year when many larger metros saw flat or falling prices. Wisconsin’s smaller cities have held firm, and Fond du Lac is part of that pattern.
The price floor here is also notable. At $225,716, the cheapest ZIP sits below what a starter home costs in most of the country. Buyers priced out of Madison or Milwaukee suburbs can find a different math here.
Fond du Lac Home Prices by Neighborhood
Three ZIP codes carry the Fond du Lac housing market. They split cleanly into one affordable area and two pricier ones.
| ZIP Code | Typical Home Value | vs. City Median |
|---|---|---|
| 54935 | $225,716 | -25.0% |
| 54937 | $332,211 | +10.4% |
| 54979 | $344,528 | +14.5% |
Most Expensive
54979 leads at $344,528, about 14.5% above the city median and the priciest ZIP in the data.
54937 is close behind at $332,211, roughly 10.4% over the median.
There is no third “expensive” tier — Fond du Lac has just three ZIPs in the dataset, and the gap between the top two is only $12,317.
Most Affordable
54935 is the cheapest entry at $225,716, a quarter below the citywide median. It’s also the only ZIP with rent data, with typical rents around $1,063 a month — useful for buyers comparing payments against renting.
The other two ZIPs aren’t far behind in affordability terms compared to bigger Wisconsin metros, but within Fond du Lac, 54935 is the clear value play.
Rent vs Buy in Fond du Lac
Rent data is thin here — only ZIP 54935 reports a typical rent in the source data. That figure is $1,063 a month.
Compare that to owning. Buy the median Fond du Lac home for $300,818, put 20% down ($60,164), and finance $240,654 at a 7% rate over 30 years. Principal and interest alone run about $1,601 a month. Add property taxes (Wisconsin runs roughly 1.6% of value in many areas, or about $400 a month here) and insurance and you are closer to $2,200 a month all-in.
| Cost | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Typical rent (ZIP 54935) | $1,063 |
| Mortgage P&I (median home, 20% down, 7%) | ~$1,601 |
| Plus est. taxes & insurance | ~$2,200 total |
The math favors renters today by roughly $1,100 a month. That gap closes if rates fall or you put more down, but on current terms, renting in 54935 frees up cash. Buying makes more sense if you plan to stay long enough to ride out 4-5% annual appreciation and build equity, which is what the past year of price gains rewarded.
Population Growth and Migration
Fond du Lac is slowly losing residents. The city had 44,674 people in 2020 and 44,469 in 2024 — a net loss of 205, or 0.5% over four years.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 44,674 |
| 2021 | 44,560 |
| 2022 | 44,394 |
| 2023 | 44,381 |
| 2024 | 44,469 |
The trend bottomed in 2023 and ticked back up in 2024. Whether that’s a one-year bounce or a turnaround is too early to call.
Compare to other Wisconsin cities:
| City | Population (2024) | 4-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | 285,300 | +3.8% |
| Eau Claire | 72,331 | +4.1% |
| Waukesha | 71,461 | +0.5% |
| Oshkosh | 67,242 | +0.5% |
| Janesville | 66,428 | +1.2% |
| Fond du Lac | 44,469 | -0.5% |
Fond du Lac is the only city in this group losing people. That matters for housing demand — prices are still rising 4.9% despite the population dip, which means buyer demand and limited inventory are doing the work, not net migration.
Fond du Lac Housing Market Trends
Prices have moved in one direction for the past year: up. Every month in the trend data shows a higher median than the month before.
| Month | Median Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | $286,677 | — |
| Apr 2025 | $288,007 | +0.5% |
| May 2025 | $289,850 | +0.6% |
| Jun 2025 | $291,595 | +0.6% |
| Jul 2025 | $292,808 | +0.4% |
| Aug 2025 | $293,109 | +0.1% |
| Sep 2025 | $293,390 | +0.1% |
| Oct 2025 | $293,835 | +0.2% |
| Nov 2025 | $294,988 | +0.4% |
| Dec 2025 | $296,896 | +0.6% |
| Jan 2026 | $298,805 | +0.6% |
| Feb 2026 | $300,818 | +0.7% |
The pace cooled mid-summer. August and September gains were under 0.1% — basically flat. Then the climb resumed in late fall and accelerated into winter.
The most recent three months (December through February) added $3,922 to the median, the strongest quarter in the dataset. That’s a 1.3% three-month gain, which would annualize above the 4.9% trailing rate if it kept up.
Is Fond du Lac a Good Place to Buy in 2026?
The answer depends on what you’re solving for.
If you want price stability with steady appreciation, the data backs Fond du Lac. Twelve straight months of gains, no population-driven panic, and a $225,716 entry point in 54935 give buyers options most metros don’t offer.
If you want short-term value, rent. The $1,063 typical rent in 54935 versus a $2,200 all-in mortgage payment is a clear gap. You’d need rent inflation or fast appreciation to flip that math.
If you want a growth story, look elsewhere in Wisconsin. Madison and Eau Claire are adding people. Fond du Lac isn’t. Long-term price gains tend to follow population, so a flat or shrinking city is a slower compounder.
For now, the market reads as mildly seller-friendly: prices rising, supply tight enough to keep gains coming despite negative net migration. Buyers who plan to hold 7+ years and want low entry costs have a case.
Fond du Lac Housing Market Outlook for 2026-2027
The 12-month chart shows momentum building, not fading. The last three months added more value than any other three-month stretch in the data.
If the current pace continues, Fond du Lac homes would sit somewhere between $304,000 and $307,000 by mid-2026. That’s not a forecast — it’s just what the trend line points to if nothing breaks.
What could break it: mortgage rates moving sharply in either direction, a regional employment shift, or further population loss accelerating. The September 2025 plateau showed the market can pause. Whether the recent acceleration holds or stalls again is the call to watch.
For now, the 3-month trend suggests prices are climbing faster, not slowing.
Similar Markets in WI
If Fond du Lac doesn’t fit, these Wisconsin cities sit in the same data set:
- Oshkosh — closest neighbor and a slightly larger market with growth instead of population loss.
- Appleton — another Fox Valley option for buyers wanting more inventory and amenities.
- Madison — the state capital, much bigger and pricier but adding people fast.
- Green Bay — comparable mid-size Wisconsin market for cross-shopping.
- Milwaukee — the state’s biggest housing market if you want urban density and broader job options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average home price in Fond du Lac?
The average home price in Fond du Lac is $300,818 as of February 2026. That’s the Zillow Home Value Index for the typical home across all three tracked ZIP codes.
Are home prices going up or down in Fond du Lac?
Up. Prices rose 4.9% year over year, from roughly $286,677 in March 2025 to $300,818 in February 2026. Every month in the past year showed a gain over the prior month.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Fond du Lac?
Renting is cheaper today. Typical rent in ZIP 54935 is $1,063 a month, while owning the median $300,818 home with 20% down at 7% runs roughly $2,200 a month all-in. The gap is about $1,100 a month before factoring in equity buildup.
What is the most affordable neighborhood in Fond du Lac?
ZIP 54935 is the cheapest, with a typical home value of $225,716 — about 25% below the citywide median. It’s also the only ZIP with reported rent data, useful for buyers running rent-versus-buy comparisons.
Methodology
Home values are based on the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), a smoothed measure of typical home values in the 35th to 65th percentile range. Rent estimates use the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI). Population figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (2020-2024 vintage). All datasets are publicly available. Housing data updated 2026-02-28.