COUNTY · 1990 CENSUS

Milwaukee County

Wisconsin · 959,275 residents · 241 sq mi

Time machine

VIEWING

COMPARE TO

The short version

Milwaukee County is home to 959,275 people in Wisconsin. Owners hold 52% of the housing stock. The typical home is worth $64,700. Households earn $27,867 at the median, near the US median. About 19% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The population has held roughly steady since 2000.

At a glance

Lower income

below the US median

US median: $30,130

Mid-age

median age 32.4

US median: 33.0

Average education

19% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

More affordable

home values down 15%, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

959,275

+2%vs 2000

vs 940,164 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

32.4

−4%vs 2000

vs 33.7 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

241 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

2024926K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 57.8%(75,200)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 97.5%(71,471)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 146.7%(64,322)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 196.6%(62,953)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 247.8%(74,791)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3418.6%(178,370)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4414.2%(136,248)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 548.8%(84,884)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 648.4%(80,534)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 747.6%(72,580)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 844.6%(43,772)

US avg: 4%

85 and over1.5%(14,150)

US avg: 1.2%

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE

Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$27,867

−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $38,100 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$13,383

−33%vs 2000

vs $19,939 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

15.9%

+0.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 15.3% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$64,700

−15%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $100,500 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$434

+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $555 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

52.1%

−0.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 52.6% in 2000

47.9% rent

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%

1990

White, non-Hispanic75%(719,648)

Black20.4%(195,551)

Hispanic / Latino4.4%(41,893)

Asian1.5%(14,853)

Other3%(29,223)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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)

Paraguayan0%(44)

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)

Bangladeshi0%(115)

Kazakh0%(111)

Sri Lankan0%(41)

Cambodian0%(39)

Uzbek0%(24)

Pacific Islander origin

Native Hawaiian0%(303)

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)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(85)

Guyanese0%(52)

Barbadian0%(17)

RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Mexican population · Largest Polish population · Largest Irish population · Largest Puerto Rican population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

19.3%

−4.3 ptsvs 2000

vs 23.6% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

76.3%

−4.0 ptsvs 2000

vs 80.2% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

6.2%

−1.7 ptsvs 2000

vs 7.9% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

18.3 min

+37%vs 2000

vs 13.3 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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

Drill deeper