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METRO AREA

Milwaukee Metro

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · 4 counties · 1,575,010 residents (2025 est.) · 1,455 sq mi
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The short version

Milwaukee is home to 1,568,938 people. That puts it in the top 4% of US metro areas for household income. 8% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. There are 1,078 people per square mile. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $294,138. 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.8
US median: 38.9
More educated
39% 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
1,568,938
+5%since 2000
from 1,500,741 in 2000
1,575,010 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,078 / sq mi
+5%since 2000
from 1,032 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
38.8
+10%since 2000
from 35.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,455 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.4M1.5M1.5M1.5M1.6M19902000201020202024Milwaukee
20241.6M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(91,331)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.2%(96,993)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.6%(102,779)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(102,351)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.1%(96,084)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.8%(215,857)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.2%(207,581)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.8%(184,395)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.9%(203,176)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.3%(161,423)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.7%(74,000)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(32,968)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$80,098
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,881 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$45,732
+97%since 2000
from $23,158 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
51.9%
+18.1 ptssince 2009
from 33.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.3%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 10.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.459
+5%since 2010
from 0.437 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services7.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration5.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade5.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance4.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$294,138
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $125,259 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,176
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $606 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
60.6%
−0.9 ptssince 2000
from 61.5% in 2000
39.4% rent
Vacancy rate
6.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 6.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.35 people
−5%since 2009
from 2.49 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
20.6%
−10.1 ptssince 2009
from 30.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 45.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.7
+1%since 2009
from 3.6 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
43
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic74.4%(1,116,150)
Black15.5%(232,247)
Hispanic / Latino6.3%(94,511)
Asian2%(30,765)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic63.9%(1,002,518)
Black15.6%(244,705)
Hispanic / Latino12.1%(189,444)
Asian4.1%(64,902)
Other4.3%(67,369)
Diversity Score
62
+20%since 2009
from 52 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
Mexican7.8%(121,993)
Puerto Rican2.6%(40,714)
Central American0.5%(8,412)
South American0.5%(8,302)
Nicaraguan0.2%(2,487)
Colombian0.1%(2,195)
Cuban0.1%(2,097)
Guatemalan0.1%(1,955)
Dominican0.1%(1,876)
Peruvian0.1%(1,627)
Spaniard0.1%(1,555)
Venezuelan0.1%(1,439)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Salvadoran0.1%(1,426)
Honduran0.1%(1,270)
Argentine0.1%(1,161)
Costa Rican0.1%(764)
Ecuadorian0%(634)
Bolivian0%(583)
Panamanian0%(499)
Chilean0%(400)
Uruguayan0%(158)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.1%(16,627)
Hmong1%(16,260)
Chinese0.5%(7,086)
Burmese0.4%(5,766)
Filipino0.3%(4,130)
Vietnamese0.2%(2,688)
Korean0.2%(2,511)
Laotian0.1%(1,889)
Pakistani0.1%(1,839)
Malaysian0.1%(1,261)
Thai0.1%(777)
Japanese0%(750)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0%(604)
Taiwanese0%(388)
Indonesian0%(225)
Kazakh0%(173)
Uzbek0%(41)
Cambodian0%(39)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(248)
Samoan0%(143)
Guamanian0%(107)
Tongan0%(51)
Fijian0%(22)
Ancestry
German31%(486,592)
Polish9.5%(149,231)
Irish9.4%(147,463)
English5.2%(82,336)
Italian4.2%(66,622)
American2.7%(42,840)
Norwegian2.7%(41,841)
French2%(31,961)
Swedish1.4%(21,879)
Dutch1.1%(17,359)
Scottish1%(15,039)
Czech0.8%(12,713)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Subsaharan African0.8%(12,574)
Russian0.7%(10,830)
Arab0.6%(9,090)
Danish0.5%(8,280)
Hungarian0.5%(7,831)
Greek0.5%(7,356)
Swiss0.5%(7,272)
French Canadian0.4%(6,887)
Austrian0.4%(6,673)
Finnish0.4%(6,454)
Croatian0.4%(5,945)
Welsh0.4%(5,721)
Slovak0.3%(5,276)
Serbian0.3%(4,724)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(4,564)
Belgian0.3%(4,303)
Slovene0.2%(3,554)
Lithuanian0.2%(3,245)
West Indian0.2%(3,068)
British0.2%(3,018)
Ukrainian0.2%(3,006)
Palestinian0.1%(2,197)
Nigerian0.2%(2,147)
Jamaican0.1%(2,076)
Romanian0.1%(1,737)
Canadian0.1%(1,623)
Somali0.2%(1,594)
Armenian0.1%(1,307)
Lebanese0.1%(1,272)
Turkish0.1%(1,073)
Latvian0.1%(1,041)
Portuguese0.1%(1,013)
Egyptian0.1%(1,011)
Ethiopian0.1%(910)
Iranian0.1%(868)
Iraqi0.1%(677)
Jordanian0%(617)
Moroccan0.1%(539)
Bulgarian0%(502)
Syrian0%(468)
Australian0%(418)
Ghanaian0%(415)
Brazilian0%(313)
Haitian0%(300)
Macedonian0%(292)
Israeli0%(249)
Kenyan0%(163)
Guyanese0%(52)
Barbadian0%(17)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
39.4%
+12.6 ptssince 2000
from 26.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.6%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 84.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
13.9%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 8.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.7 min
+66%since 2000
from 13.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
71.9%
−8.1 ptssince 2009
from 80.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.3%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
15.2%
+12.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.8%
−4.4 ptssince 2011
from 8.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
65.8%
−2.8 ptssince 2011
from 68.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 77.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
44.2%
+7.9 ptssince 2009
from 36.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
Female
51.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
Foreign born
7.8%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.9%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.7%
+0.7 ptssince 2012
from 11.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.5%
−4.1 ptssince 2013
from 9.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.3%
+12.6 ptssince 2017
from 78.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.3%
+4.4 ptssince 2020
from 90.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.6%
+2.1 ptssince 2020
from 86.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
86.3%
−1.2 ptssince 2016
from 87.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
8.1%
+0.8 ptssince 2016
from 7.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40.4%(250,560)
Married48.5%(301,126)
Widowed2.3%(14,496)
Divorced8.8%(54,665)
Women 15+
Never married36.1%(236,981)
Married45%(295,452)
Widowed7.6%(50,190)
Divorced11.3%(74,365)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.5%
−4.1 ptssince 2013
from 9.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
60.1%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 61.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 12.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
18.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 17.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 19.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 1.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
70.1%
−1.8 ptssince 2020
from 71.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.9%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 34.3% 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)20.7%(12,411)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.1%(10,825)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.3%(21,182)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.4%(3,824)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.6%(942)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 59,931 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
In this metro

Largest cities

MilwaukeeCENTRAL562,407WaukeshaCENTRAL70,872West Allis60,119Wauwatosa48,649Brookfield41,448Menomonee Falls41,291New Berlin39,953Oak Creek38,296Greenfield37,159Franklin36,687West Bend32,268Muskego25,602Mequon25,120Germantown21,050South Milwaukee20,191Oconomowoc20,119Cudahy17,655Pewaukee16,375Glendale14,795Whitefish Bay14,489Greendale14,426Shorewood13,474Grafton13,389Cedarburg12,916Brown Deer12,821Sussex12,779Port Washington12,658Richfield11,785Hartland10,740St. Francis8,955

The 30 most populous of 61 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

4 component counties

Milwaukee CountyCENTRAL924,216Waukesha CountyCENTRAL417,210Washington County139,238Ozaukee County94,346
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Milwaukee

Jacksonville
Pop 1,785,500
Oklahoma City
Pop 1,512,813
Louisville
Pop 1,402,509
Virginia Beach
Pop 1,797,213
Places similar to Milwaukee
Head to head

Compare Milwaukee side by side

MILWAUKEE VS
Jacksonville
Income$81,763+2%
Home value$342,382+16%
Population1,785,500+13%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILWAUKEE VS
Oklahoma City
Income$72,641−9%
Home value$228,101−22%
Population1,512,813−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILWAUKEE VS
Louisville
Income$75,127−6%
Home value$252,743−14%
Population1,402,509−11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MILWAUKEE VS
Virginia Beach
Income$84,869+6%
Home value$338,965+15%
Population1,797,213+14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI has about 1,568,938 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

The typical household in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI earns about $80,098 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI expensive?

In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, the median home is worth about $294,138, and the typical rent is about $1,176 a month.

How educated are people in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

About 39.4% of adults age 25 and over in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

About 12.3% of people in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI live below the federal poverty line.

Has Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI grown since 1990?

Yes, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI has grown since 1990. The population has added about 136,789 residents, a change of about 10 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →