Milwaukee, Wisconsin had 562,407 residents as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025), ranking #31 nationally and #1 in Wisconsin. cost of living runs 3.1% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $101,175/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
Population shrank 2.7% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 577,894 → 2025: 562,407 (-2.7%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
577,894
April 1, 2020
2020
577,151
July 1, 2020
2021
566,535
July 1, 2021
2022
564,296
July 1, 2022
2023
562,904
July 1, 2023
2024
563,322
July 1, 2024
2025
562,407
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population shrank 0.7% from 2010 to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
2010 base: 594,498 → 2019: 590,157 (-0.8%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2010 base
594,498
April 1, 2010
2010
594,865
July 1, 2010
2011
597,086
July 1, 2011
2012
598,569
July 1, 2012
2013
599,916
July 1, 2013
2014
600,664
July 1, 2014
2015
600,477
July 1, 2015
2016
596,996
July 1, 2016
2017
593,725
July 1, 2017
2018
591,375
July 1, 2018
2019
590,157
July 1, 2019
What's the median income in Milwaukee?
Median household income is 30% below the U.S. median ($54,234 vs $77,719); 22.8% live in poverty — 10.3 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Income and poverty estimates for Milwaukee from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
54,234-30.2% vs US
±1,283
Per capita income
30,994-28.4% vs US
±593
Population in poverty
22.8%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 39% below the U.S. median ($184,000 vs $303,400); median rent is 21% below ($1,059 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 3.4×, making it 1.2× as affordable as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Milwaukee. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.2%
Milwaukee (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
273,314
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
12.9%-7.8% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Milwaukee spans 3 counties; all are listed (no weighted average):
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Milwaukee County
16.8%
$66,339
3.7%
Washington County
6.3%
$90,279
2.5%
Waukesha County
5.5%
$103,789
2.6%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Milwaukee's linked 3 counties in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
133,882
$1,168 / wk
#2
Manufacturing (31-33)
103,439
$1,554 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
70,466
$711 / wk
#4
Accommodation and food services (72)
61,060
$460 / wk
#5
Administrative and waste services (56)
44,869
$870 / wk
What workers earn in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). See methodology §25.
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
29,420
$32,930
$15.83
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
21,800
$42,040
$20.21
Fast Food and Counter Workers
17,010
$28,210
$13.56
Cashiers
16,970
$29,430
$14.15
Customer Service Representatives
15,890
$47,180
$22.68
Office Clerks, General
14,900
$42,870
$20.61
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
12,750
$36,090
$17.35
Stockers and Order Fillers
11,680
$33,850
$16.27
Registered Nurses · benchmark
21,950
$83,990
$40.38
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
18,360
$33,650
$16.18
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
10,580
$118,790
$57.11
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
9,990
$58,770
$28.26
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 3.1% below the U.S. average (RPP 96.9); utilities run 8.4% below (RPP 91.6) — the metro's utility affordability is the main driver.
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 96.9
−3.1% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,338/mo
FY2026 · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA
State income tax (top marginal rate)
7.65%
4 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$8,431/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,184/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in Wisconsin · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
11.1% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (16.0% of residents 5+).
Where Milwaukee's residents come from and what they speak at home, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. Foreign-born is the share of residents born outside the U.S. (any citizenship status); language-at-home is reported only for residents 5 and older.
Measure
Value
± margin / note
Foreign-born share
11.1%-20.7% vs US
share of residents born outside the U.S. · U.S. median: 14% · ACS B05002
Speak only English at home
78.0%
share of population 5+ · ACS C16001 line 2
Top non-English language at home
Spanish16.0%
most-spoken language other than English among residents 5+ · ACS C16001 collapsed buckets
Hottest month: July (82°F avg high). Coldest: January (15°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 34.5 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Milwaukee from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk spans 68.3–98.4/100 across 3 counties; most-cited top hazard is Cold Wave (in all 3).
Natural-hazard exposure for Milwaukee from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI March 2023). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
Milwaukee spans 3 counties. We list each separately because hurricane, flood, and fire risk varies meaningfully across county lines — manufacturing a single “city-level” risk score would hide that signal.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Milwaukee County
98.4
Relatively High
Cold Wave · score 100.0 · Very High
Heat Wave · score 99.0 · Relatively High
Tornado · score 99.0 · Very High
Washington County
68.3
Relatively Low
Cold Wave · score 90.2 · Relatively High
Hail · score 86.5 · Relatively Moderate
Tornado · score 84.1 · Relatively Moderate
Waukesha County
88.9
Relatively Moderate
Cold Wave · score 97.4 · Relatively High
Hail · score 96.1 · Relatively High
Tornado · score 95.7 · Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI March 2023 · methodology →
Internet & broadband.
19 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 51% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Milwaukee from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
19 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
15
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
51.0%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
50.9%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
290,443
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
In-state context.
Milwaukee sits at state rank #1 among 608 cities in Wisconsin. Nearby in the state ranking:
Milwaukee is ranked #31 of 19,483 U.S. cities by 2025 population.
Just above in the profiled set: Baltimore, MD · #30 · 569,997 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Albuquerque, NM · #32 · 556,588 residents.
Quick travel facts for Milwaukee
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
General Mitchell International Airport(MKE) ·
9 mi 14 km from city centroid
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Milwaukee is 5553000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page.
