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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Milwaukee County

Wisconsin · 939,489 residents · 241 sq mi
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The short version

Milwaukee County is a county of 939,489 people in Wisconsin. Owners hold 48% of the housing stock. This skews young, with a median age of 35.3. The typical home is worth $164,200, having risen by half since 2000. Households here earn about 17% less than in Wisconsin as a whole. The poverty rate is 18.3%, above the 12.8% national rate.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 35.3
US median: 38.8
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
939,489
Unchangedsince 2000
from 940,164 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.3
+5%since 2000
from 33.7 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
241 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
923K933K943K953K963K19902000201020202024Milwaukee County
2024926K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56.3%(58,874)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.4%(60,142)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.8%(63,818)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.8%(64,275)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.4%(69,980)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3415.8%(148,438)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.9%(121,162)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5411.2%(105,609)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6412%(112,638)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.6%(80,963)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.8%(35,966)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.9%(17,624)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$52,260
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,100 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,159
+51%since 2000
from $19,939 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
33.9%
+8.9 ptssince 2009
from 25.0% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
18.3%
+3.1 ptssince 2000
from 15.3% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade15%
US avg: 10%
Information10.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services6.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance5.3%
US avg: 5.5%
Public administration4.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade4.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.3%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$164,200
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $100,500 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$889
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $555 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
47.9%
−4.7 ptssince 2000
from 52.6% in 2000
52.1% rent
Persons per household
2.42 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.47 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.1
−15%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.
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic48.6%(456,520)
Black25.6%(240,416)
Hispanic / Latino16.3%(153,017)
Asian4.9%(45,989)
Other3.9%(37,088)
Segregation Score
58
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
Mexican10.4%(98,671)
Puerto Rican3.7%(35,297)
Central American0.4%(3,901)
South American0.3%(3,038)
Cuban0.2%(1,803)
Colombian0.1%(1,331)
Dominican0.1%(1,256)
Salvadoran0.1%(1,080)
Guatemalan0.1%(1,002)
Spaniard0.1%(827)
Nicaraguan0.1%(649)
Honduran0.1%(524)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(495)
Panamanian0%(381)
Venezuelan0%(347)
Bolivian0%(279)
Ecuadorian0%(267)
Argentine0%(124)
Chilean0%(120)
Uruguayan0%(31)
Asian origin
Hmong1.3%(12,586)
Asian Indian0.8%(7,719)
Burmese0.5%(4,842)
Chinese0.5%(4,467)
Filipino0.2%(1,843)
Laotian0.2%(1,824)
Pakistani0.2%(1,768)
Korean0.2%(1,587)
Vietnamese0.2%(1,517)
Thai0.1%(667)
Japanese0%(418)
Malaysian0%(321)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0%(207)
Indonesian0%(180)
Taiwanese0%(179)
Cambodian0%(151)
Mongolian0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(105)
Samoan0%(82)
Tongan0%(48)
Fijian0%(10)
Ancestry
German23.4%(222,227)
Polish9.7%(92,505)
Irish7.9%(75,130)
Italian3.7%(34,994)
English3.3%(31,144)
Norwegian2.4%(23,192)
French1.9%(18,040)
American1.6%(14,916)
Swedish1.2%(11,172)
Dutch0.9%(8,759)
Russian0.8%(7,185)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Czech0.7%(7,109)
Scottish0.6%(5,929)
French Canadian0.5%(4,576)
Danish0.4%(3,966)
Austrian0.4%(3,887)
Hungarian0.4%(3,833)
Croatian0.4%(3,813)
Greek0.4%(3,647)
Serbian0.4%(3,431)
Finnish0.3%(2,998)
British0.3%(2,979)
Slovak0.3%(2,836)
Swiss0.3%(2,696)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(2,604)
Welsh0.3%(2,565)
Slovene0.3%(2,410)
West Indian0.2%(2,318)
Belgian0.2%(2,221)
Lithuanian0.2%(2,081)
Palestinian0.2%(1,864)
Arab0.2%(1,826)
Nigerian0.2%(1,694)
Jamaican0.2%(1,655)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,654)
Armenian0.1%(1,034)
Canadian0.1%(815)
Jordanian0.1%(805)
Latvian0.1%(769)
Romanian0.1%(744)
Egyptian0.1%(571)
Moroccan0.1%(561)
Somali0.1%(546)
Iranian0%(430)
Iraqi0%(352)
Haitian0%(337)
Syrian0%(330)
Turkish0%(310)
Lebanese0%(308)
Portuguese0%(307)
Kenyan0%(306)
Ghanaian0%(216)
Ethiopian0%(212)
Australian0%(211)
Israeli0%(190)
Brazilian0%(173)
Bulgarian0%(147)
Guyanese0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
31.3%
+7.7 ptssince 2000
from 23.6% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
88.7%
+8.5 ptssince 2000
from 80.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.3%
+3.4 ptssince 2000
from 7.9% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.5 min
+69%since 2000
from 13.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
75.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 76.6% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
13.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.1%
−4.9 ptssince 2011
from 10.0% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
64.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2011
from 67.0% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.9%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
36.7%
+3.0 ptssince 2009
from 33.7% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
Female
51.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.8% in 2009
Foreign born
9.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 8.3% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
7.2%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 12.5% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
88.8%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
84.7%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
7.2%
−5.3 ptssince 2013
from 12.5% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
55.4%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
9.9%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
15.7%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
27.0%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.7%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
63.7%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
39.4%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.9%(6,603)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)15.6%(5,759)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era33.6%(12,439)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War9.6%(3,533)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II4.1%(1,506)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 36,970 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

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Head to head

Compare Milwaukee County to nearby counties

MILWAUKEE COUNTY VS
Racine County
Income$78,096+49%
Home value$251,400+53%
Population198,919−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILWAUKEE COUNTY VS
Kenosha County
Income$81,239+55%
Home value$265,500+62%
Population168,448−82%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILWAUKEE COUNTY VS
Waukesha County
Income$106,076+103%
Home value$398,200+143%
Population417,210−55%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILWAUKEE COUNTY VS
Washington County
Income$96,359+84%
Home value$344,800+110%
Population139,238−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin has about 939,489 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin earns about $52,260 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 $164,200, and the typical rent is about $889 a month.

How educated are people in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?

About 31.3% 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 18.3% 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 19,786 residents, a change of about -2 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 →