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COUNTY

Waukesha County

Wisconsin · 417,210 residents (2025 est.) · 549.725 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#65Lowest poverty rateof 3,1445.2%#116Most educatedof 3,14448.9%#119Highest median household incomeof 3,143$106,076
The short version

Waukesha County is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $106,076. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $398,200. Poverty is rare here, at 5.2% of residents. It ranks in the top 1% of US counties for household income.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 29%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
411,762
+14%since 2000
from 360,767 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
749 / sq mi
+9%since 2009
from 689 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
43.5
+14%since 2000
from 38.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:417,210 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
294K326K358K390K422K1990201020202024Waukesha County
2024412K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(20,564)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(23,909)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(25,084)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.2%(25,468)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.3%(21,677)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.5%(43,205)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.1%(53,970)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.7%(52,109)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.9%(61,438)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.1%(49,690)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.8%(23,877)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.6%(10,771)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$106,076
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $62,839 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$58,126
+99%since 2000
from $29,164 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
65.6%
+16.0 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
5.2%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 2.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.438
+5%since 2010
from 0.417 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade17.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.4%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services8.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade6.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance3.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$398,200
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $169,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,356
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $726 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
76.0%
−0.5 ptssince 2000
from 76.4% in 2000
24.0% rent
Vacancy rate
3.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
17.6%
−8.6 ptssince 2009
from 26.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
43.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 41.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.8
+9%since 2009
from 3.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
43
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Waukesha County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic94.2%(339,905)
Black0.7%(2,570)
Hispanic / Latino2.6%(9,503)
Asian1.5%(5,340)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic85%(350,148)
Black1.5%(6,303)
Hispanic / Latino5.7%(23,650)
Asian3.9%(15,980)
Other3.8%(15,681)
Diversity Score
34
+72%since 2009
from 20 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
21
−25%since 2020
from 29 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
Mexican3.6%(15,024)
South American0.7%(2,773)
Puerto Rican0.6%(2,663)
Central American0.3%(1,325)
Colombian0.2%(731)
Cuban0.2%(704)
Argentine0.2%(679)
Venezuelan0.1%(527)
Peruvian0.1%(376)
Guatemalan0.1%(347)
Ecuadorian0.1%(293)
Spaniard0.1%(289)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.1%(241)
Nicaraguan0.1%(233)
Salvadoran0.1%(216)
Panamanian0%(144)
Dominican0%(101)
Uruguayan0%(85)
Chilean0%(39)
Bolivian0%(18)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.9%(7,823)
Chinese0.6%(2,513)
Hmong0.3%(1,064)
Filipino0.2%(929)
Pakistani0.2%(872)
Korean0.2%(784)
Vietnamese0.2%(727)
Laotian0%(195)
Japanese0%(181)
Burmese0%(150)
Thai0%(123)
Taiwanese0%(103)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Kazakh0%(62)
Uzbek0%(17)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(69)
Ancestry
German41.7%(171,605)
Irish12.3%(50,482)
Polish11.6%(47,569)
English7.1%(29,117)
Italian5.6%(22,905)
American4.3%(17,663)
Norwegian3.7%(15,368)
French2.7%(11,107)
Swedish1.8%(7,563)
Dutch1.5%(6,095)
Scottish1.3%(5,498)
Czech1.2%(4,983)
+ 45 more ancestry groups with data
Swiss0.8%(3,301)
Danish0.8%(3,173)
Hungarian0.8%(3,111)
Russian0.6%(2,609)
Austrian0.6%(2,571)
Greek0.6%(2,514)
Welsh0.5%(2,223)
Croatian0.5%(2,195)
French Canadian0.5%(2,188)
Finnish0.5%(2,010)
Slovak0.5%(1,959)
Belgian0.4%(1,625)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(1,443)
Serbian0.3%(1,309)
Arab0.3%(1,302)
Slovene0.3%(1,174)
Lithuanian0.2%(935)
British0.2%(842)
Ukrainian0.2%(660)
Lebanese0.1%(563)
Canadian0.1%(484)
Turkish0.1%(351)
West Indian0.1%(342)
Portuguese0.1%(320)
Armenian0.1%(318)
Latvian0.1%(267)
Romanian0.1%(264)
Ethiopian0.1%(247)
Nigerian0%(197)
Iranian0%(171)
Jamaican0%(171)
Australian0%(170)
Syrian0%(161)
Bulgarian0%(155)
Israeli0%(118)
Macedonian0%(111)
Haitian0%(105)
Jordanian0%(78)
Iraqi0%(69)
Egyptian0%(56)
Brazilian0%(49)
Ghanaian0%(23)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest Polish population · Largest English population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
48.9%
+14.8 ptssince 2000
from 34.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
97.2%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 92.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.8%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 10.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.6 min
+62%since 2000
from 13.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.1%
−10.1 ptssince 2009
from 86.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.1%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.6% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
16.8%
+13.0 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.0%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
2.3%
−3.0 ptssince 2011
from 5.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.6%
−4.0 ptssince 2011
from 70.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
10.7%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
51.0%
−17.3 ptssince 2009
from 68.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
50.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
5.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.5%
−43.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2012
from 8.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.1%
−92.1 ptssince 2013
from 95.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.0%
+6.5 ptssince 2017
from 87.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
92.3%
−0.5 ptssince 2016
from 92.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 2.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married29.1%(49,058)
Married60.5%(101,941)
Widowed2.5%(4,132)
Divorced8%(13,481)
Women 15+
Never married23.9%(41,449)
Married56.6%(98,323)
Widowed8.6%(14,862)
Divorced10.9%(18,959)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

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Pop 426,499
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Head to head

Compare Waukesha County to nearby counties

WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Milwaukee County
Income$64,435−39%
Home value$230,700−42%
Population924,216+122%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Jefferson County
Income$83,750−21%
Home value$274,100−31%
Population86,505−79%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Washington County
Income$96,359−9%
Home value$344,800−13%
Population139,238−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Walworth County
Income$80,520−24%
Home value$302,700−24%
Population106,127−75%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?

Waukesha County, Wisconsin has about 411,762 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Waukesha County, Wisconsin earns about $106,076 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Waukesha County, Wisconsin expensive?

In Waukesha County, Wisconsin, the median home is worth about $398,200, and the typical rent is about $1,356 a month.

How educated are people in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?

About 48.9% of adults age 25 and over in Waukesha County, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?

About 5.2% of people in Waukesha County, Wisconsin live below the federal poverty line.

Has Waukesha County, Wisconsin grown since 1990?

Yes, Waukesha County, Wisconsin has grown since 1990. The population has added about 107,047 residents, a change of about 35 percent over that period.

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

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