CensusEasy
COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Waukesha County

Wisconsin · 406,978 residents · 550 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Milwaukee metro area
Compare
The short version

With 406,978 people, Waukesha County is a county in Wisconsin. Households here earn about 41% more than in Wisconsin as a whole. 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. At a median age of 43.6, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 75% of homes are owner-occupied. The poverty rate is 5.0%, under the national 12.8%.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 43.6
US median: 38.8
More educated
45% 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
406,978
+13%since 2000
from 360,767 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
43.6
+14%since 2000
from 38.1 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
550 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
294K326K358K390K422K19902000201020202024Waukesha County
2024412K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.2%(21,063)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.9%(24,159)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.5%(26,588)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.4%(26,054)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244.8%(19,360)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3410.3%(41,794)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.5%(50,973)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413%(53,040)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6415.7%(63,983)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7411.4%(46,387)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.7%(23,211)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.5%(10,366)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$88,985
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $62,839 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$47,806
+64%since 2000
from $29,164 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
57.9%
+8.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
5.0%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 2.7% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade17.1%
US avg: 10%
Information10.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services8.5%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration6.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.6%
US avg: 5.5%
Transportation & warehousing3.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.4%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$293,500
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $169,000 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,078
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $726 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
75.2%
−1.2 ptssince 2000
from 76.4% in 2000
24.8% rent
Persons per household
2.49 people
−1%since 2009
from 2.52 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.3
−4%since 2009
from 3.4 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-Hispanic94.2%(339,905)
Black0.7%(2,570)
Hispanic / Latino2.6%(9,503)
Asian1.5%(5,340)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic85.5%(347,922)
Black1.6%(6,648)
Hispanic / Latino5.4%(21,835)
Asian3.8%(15,616)
Other2.4%(9,796)
Segregation Score
29
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
Mexican3.3%(13,394)
Puerto Rican0.7%(2,765)
South American0.3%(1,230)
Cuban0.2%(668)
Venezuelan0.1%(284)
Ecuadorian0.1%(276)
Spaniard0.1%(255)
Argentine0.1%(205)
Colombian0.1%(203)
Guatemalan0%(187)
Dominican0%(146)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0%(129)
Panamanian0%(110)
Chilean0%(82)
Honduran0%(64)
Bolivian0%(40)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.7%(6,670)
Chinese0.7%(2,677)
Hmong0.3%(1,245)
Korean0.2%(987)
Vietnamese0.2%(764)
Filipino0.2%(748)
Pakistani0.2%(608)
Japanese0.1%(324)
Nepalese0%(194)
Laotian0%(157)
Thai0%(92)
Taiwanese0%(48)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(42)
Cambodian0%(29)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(57)
Samoan0%(25)
Ancestry
German43.6%(175,518)
Irish13.3%(53,380)
Polish12.7%(51,052)
English6.6%(26,680)
Italian5.6%(22,570)
Norwegian4.6%(18,699)
French3%(12,104)
American2.6%(10,547)
Swedish2.2%(8,880)
Dutch1.6%(6,495)
Scottish1.2%(4,726)
Czech1.2%(4,681)
+ 44 more ancestry groups with data
Hungarian0.9%(3,755)
Swiss0.9%(3,617)
Danish0.9%(3,429)
Welsh0.8%(3,065)
Austrian0.7%(2,986)
French Canadian0.7%(2,781)
Russian0.7%(2,701)
Greek0.6%(2,553)
Croatian0.6%(2,333)
Finnish0.6%(2,274)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(1,919)
British0.5%(1,837)
Belgian0.4%(1,559)
Slovak0.4%(1,530)
Serbian0.4%(1,423)
Slovene0.3%(1,217)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,041)
Ukrainian0.2%(874)
Armenian0.1%(461)
Canadian0.1%(426)
Romanian0.1%(378)
West Indian0.1%(373)
Brazilian0.1%(338)
Lebanese0.1%(315)
Portuguese0.1%(262)
Latvian0.1%(226)
Iranian0%(179)
Turkish0%(168)
Bulgarian0%(124)
Jamaican0%(124)
Ghanaian0%(117)
Arab0%(105)
Syrian0%(75)
Nigerian0%(59)
Haitian0%(48)
Egyptian0%(27)
Israeli0%(27)
Jordanian0%(18)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
44.8%
+10.7 ptssince 2000
from 34.1% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
96.2%
+4.3 ptssince 2000
from 92.0% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
15.1%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 10.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.8 min
+71%since 2000
from 13.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
83.2%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 86.2% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
3.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.0%
−2.3 ptssince 2011
from 5.3% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
67.9%
−2.7 ptssince 2011
from 70.7% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.6%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
47.5%
+5.4 ptssince 2009
from 42.2% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.2%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
50.8%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
5.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
3.3%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 4.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
94.4%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
88.8%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.3%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 4.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
71.1%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
15.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
19.1%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
8.4%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.9%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
84.5%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
26.2%
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)12%(2,599)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)18.3%(3,969)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era34.7%(7,502)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War11.8%(2,544)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II4%(860)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 21,631 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

Places similar to Waukesha County

St. Charles County
Pop 426,499
Hillsborough County
Pop 433,415
Dakota County
Pop 457,710
Mercer County
Pop 399,289
Places similar to Waukesha County
Head to head

Compare Waukesha County to nearby counties

WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Milwaukee County
Income$64,435−28%
Home value$230,700−21%
Population924,216+122%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Jefferson County
Income$83,750−6%
Home value$274,100−7%
Population86,505−79%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Washington County
Income$96,359+8%
Home value$344,800+17%
Population139,238−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUKESHA COUNTY VS
Walworth County
Income$80,520−10%
Home value$302,700+3%
Population106,127−75%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?

Waukesha County, Wisconsin has about 406,978 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Waukesha County, Wisconsin earns about $88,985 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 $293,500, and the typical rent is about $1,078 a month.

How educated are people in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?

About 44.8% 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 5.0% 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 102,263 residents, a change of about 34 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

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

How we source and harmonize this data →