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COUNTY

Milwaukee County

Wisconsin · 924,216 residents (2025 est.) · 241 sq mi
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Part of the Milwaukee metro area
The short version

Milwaukee County is home to 926,331 people in Wisconsin. Owners hold 50% of the housing stock. Density works out to 3,836 people per square mile. This skews young, with a median age of 35.5. The typical home is worth $230,700, having more than doubled since 2000. That trails the Wisconsin median by roughly 17%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 35.5
US median: 38.9
Average education
35% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 26%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
926,331
−1%since 2000
from 940,164 in 2000
924,216 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
3,836 / sq mi
−3%since 2009
from 3,950 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
35.5
+5%since 2000
from 33.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
241 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
923K933K943K953K963K19902000201020202024Milwaukee County
2024926K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.4%(59,461)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(60,112)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.8%(62,860)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.7%(62,253)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.7%(62,040)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3416.1%(149,312)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.4%(124,358)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.1%(103,166)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.5%(106,188)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749%(83,758)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.9%(36,110)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(16,713)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$64,435
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,100 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$38,385
+93%since 2000
from $19,939 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
43.4%
+18.4 ptssince 2009
from 25.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
17.2%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 15.3% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.475
+5%since 2010
from 0.451 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade15.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.5%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services6.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration4.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade4.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$230,700
+26%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $100,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,101
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $555 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
49.9%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 52.6% in 2000
50.1% rent
Vacancy rate
8.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.31 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.47 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.5%
−10.8 ptssince 2009
from 33.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.8%
−2.8 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.6
−4%since 2009
from 3.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
42
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic62.1%(583,481)
Black24.3%(228,471)
Hispanic / Latino8.8%(82,406)
Asian2.5%(23,879)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic48.1%(445,132)
Black25.4%(235,244)
Hispanic / Latino17%(157,150)
Asian4.8%(44,897)
Other4.7%(43,908)
Diversity Score
84
+15%since 2009
from 73 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
56
−5%since 2020
from 58 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican11%(102,180)
Puerto Rican4%(36,677)
Central American0.7%(6,827)
South American0.5%(4,777)
Nicaraguan0.2%(2,222)
Dominican0.2%(1,683)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,458)
Colombian0.1%(1,213)
Salvadoran0.1%(1,204)
Cuban0.1%(1,195)
Peruvian0.1%(1,047)
Honduran0.1%(974)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.1%(908)
Venezuelan0.1%(815)
Costa Rican0.1%(616)
Bolivian0.1%(507)
Chilean0%(361)
Argentine0%(353)
Panamanian0%(342)
Ecuadorian0%(328)
Uruguayan0%(73)
Asian origin
Hmong1.6%(14,582)
Asian Indian0.8%(7,491)
Burmese0.6%(5,537)
Chinese0.4%(4,027)
Filipino0.3%(2,653)
Vietnamese0.2%(1,763)
Laotian0.2%(1,676)
Korean0.2%(1,528)
Malaysian0.1%(1,261)
Pakistani0.1%(854)
Thai0.1%(578)
Nepalese0.1%(493)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Japanese0.1%(482)
Taiwanese0%(244)
Indonesian0%(206)
Kazakh0%(111)
Cambodian0%(39)
Uzbek0%(24)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(227)
Guamanian0%(107)
Samoan0%(59)
Tongan0%(39)
Ancestry
German22.1%(204,651)
Polish8.6%(79,904)
Irish7.6%(70,714)
English3.9%(36,397)
Italian3.6%(32,988)
Norwegian2%(18,913)
American1.8%(16,501)
French1.6%(15,058)
Subsaharan African1.2%(10,686)
Swedish1.1%(10,144)
Dutch0.9%(8,038)
Arab0.8%(7,495)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish0.7%(6,686)
Czech0.6%(5,871)
Russian0.6%(5,186)
Danish0.4%(3,910)
Greek0.4%(3,692)
French Canadian0.4%(3,582)
Hungarian0.3%(3,220)
Austrian0.3%(3,141)
Croatian0.3%(2,952)
Serbian0.3%(2,910)
Finnish0.3%(2,644)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(2,548)
Slovak0.3%(2,540)
West Indian0.3%(2,494)
Swiss0.3%(2,378)
Welsh0.3%(2,346)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,977)
Palestinian0.2%(1,972)
Nigerian0.2%(1,929)
Belgian0.2%(1,876)
Slovene0.2%(1,845)
Jamaican0.2%(1,725)
Somali0.2%(1,594)
British0.2%(1,560)
Lithuanian0.2%(1,476)
Romanian0.1%(1,054)
Canadian0.1%(990)
Egyptian0.1%(943)
Armenian0.1%(713)
Turkish0.1%(706)
Iraqi0.1%(608)
Iranian0.1%(584)
Latvian0.1%(570)
Lebanese0.1%(560)
Portuguese0.1%(550)
Moroccan0.1%(539)
Jordanian0.1%(515)
Ethiopian0%(452)
Ghanaian0%(392)
Bulgarian0%(254)
Syrian0%(240)
Brazilian0%(230)
Haitian0%(195)
Kenyan0%(163)
Macedonian0%(149)
Australian0%(134)
Israeli0%(118)
Guyanese0%(52)
Barbadian0%(17)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
34.7%
+11.1 ptssince 2000
from 23.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.5%
+9.3 ptssince 2000
from 80.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
12.6%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 7.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.2 min
+66%since 2000
from 13.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
68.9%
−7.7 ptssince 2009
from 76.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.5%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
3.4%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.4%
+11.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.0%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
12.5%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−5.2 ptssince 2011
from 10.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
65.1%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 67.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.3%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 75.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
40.7%
+7.0 ptssince 2009
from 33.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
Female
51.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 51.8% in 2009
Foreign born
9.9%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 8.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.3%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.9%
+0.5 ptssince 2012
from 12.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.2%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 12.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
89.6%
+15.9 ptssince 2017
from 73.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.6%
+5.8 ptssince 2020
from 88.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.0%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 84.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
81.4%
−2.2 ptssince 2016
from 83.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
12.0%
+1.8 ptssince 2016
from 10.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married48.6%(173,411)
Married39.8%(142,150)
Widowed2.3%(8,079)
Divorced9.3%(33,278)
Women 15+
Never married44.6%(172,665)
Married36.8%(142,422)
Widowed7%(27,097)
Divorced11.6%(44,796)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.2%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 12.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
53.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 55.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 9.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.3%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 15.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
28.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 27.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.5%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
61.7%
−2.0 ptssince 2020
from 63.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 39.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)22%(6,730)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.4%(5,330)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.2%(10,475)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.1%(1,575)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.5%(446)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 30,639 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Head to head

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Frequently asked

How many people live in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin has about 926,331 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?

The typical household in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin earns about $64,435 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Milwaukee County, Wisconsin expensive?

In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, the median home is worth about $230,700, and the typical rent is about $1,101 a month.

How educated are people in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?

About 34.7% of adults age 25 and over in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?

About 17.2% of people in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin live below the federal poverty line.

Has Milwaukee County, Wisconsin grown since 1990?

Yes, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 32,944 residents, a change of about -3 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →