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Survey: 71% of Janesville respondents rate city as good or excellent place to live; NCS results guide priorities
Summary
The City of Janesville presented results from the 2025 National Community Survey showing 71% of respondents rate Janesville as an excellent or good place to live and areas of opportunity in affordable housing and inclusivity; the city will publish full results online.
City staff presented the results of the 2025 National Community Survey (NCS) to the Janesville Common Council on July 26, reporting statistically valid responses and highlighting strengths and areas for future focus.
What was measured: Assistant to the City Manager Nick Faust described the NCS as a standardized survey instrument endorsed by the International City/County Management Association and administered to a statistically selected sample of households (3,000 households sampled; 429 completed surveys yielded a ±4.7% margin of error after weighting). The survey asked residents to rate quality of life, city services, safety, utilities, parks, housing availability, and other civic measures. Responses were tabulated as percent positive (typically “excellent” or “good”).
Key results highlighted: - Overall: 71% rated Janesville an excellent or good place to live; 83% said they are very or somewhat likely to remain in Janesville. - Governance and services: Customer service by municipal employees scored 74% positive; overall direction of the community and quality of services scored in the 60s. - Economy and jobs: 54% rated Janesville as an excellent or good place to work; 48% rated overall economic health excellent or good. - Transportation and mobility: 67% rated the overall transportation system excellent or good; Janesville scored higher than national peers for ease of public-transport travel. - Utilities and environment: High marks for garbage collection (88%), sewer (83%) and drinking water (71%); parks and recreation scored strongly (80–81%). - Safety: 64% rated overall safety in Janesville excellent or good; 93% said they feel safe in their neighborhood during the day. - Areas of opportunity: Only 19% rated availability of affordable, quality housing as excellent or good; 27% rated availability of affordable quality childcare/preschool as excellent or good; inclusivity and attracting people from diverse backgrounds were identified as areas to improve.
Local custom questions: The city asked two custom questions. About 60% of respondents said redevelopment of the former GM/JATCO site is essential or very important, and 95% said the Janesville Fire Department’s services have kept pace with community growth.
What the city will do with the results: Staff said the data are now live at janesvillewi.gov/surveyresults where the community can view the static report and interactive Tableau dashboards; staff will incorporate the findings into strategic planning and future budget and policy decisions.
Provenance: See transcript excerpts below for Nick Faust’s presentation and council questions.
