Milwaukee, WI

Census Place

2024 Population

566,973

US Senator

Ron Johnson

Republican Party

US Senator

Tammy Baldwin

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

32.4

0.621% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

22.8%

2.24% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$54,234

4.52% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Milwaukee, WI is home to a population of 567k people, from which 93.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 11% of Milwaukee, WI residents were born outside of the country (62.6k people).

In 2024, there were 1.2 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (215k people) in Milwaukee, WI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 180k White (Non-Hispanic) and 57.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.3%

2024 Citizenship

93.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.3% of Milwaukee, WI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Milwaukee, WI was 93.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Milwaukee, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Milwaukee, WI

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
215k ± 2.33k
White (Non-Hispanic)
180k ± 2.21k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
57.1k ± 2.83k

20.9%

Hispanic Population

119k people

20.9% of the people in Milwaukee, WI are hispanic (119k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Milwaukee, WI as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Wisconsin.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
90,085 ± 7,313 people
India
22,216 ± 3,653 people
China
14,090 ± 2,911 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Wisconsin was Mexico, the natal country of 90,085 Wisconsin residents, followed by India with 22,216 and China with 14,090.

Foreign-Born Population

11%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

62.6k people

10.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

61.2k people

As of 2024, 11% of Milwaukee, WI residents (62.6k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Milwaukee, WI was 10.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Milwaukee, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
4,624 ± 617
Gulf War (2001-)
3,428 ± 523
Gulf War (1990s)
2,118 ± 349

Milwaukee, WI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.35 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Milwaukee, WI.

Economy

The economy of Milwaukee, WI employs 266k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Milwaukee, WI were Health Care & Social Assistance (45,993 people), Manufacturing (40,849 people), and Retail Trade (29,272 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($162,877), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($65,916), and Utilities ($64,298).

Employment

Occupations

266k

2024 Value

± 4,118

0.468%

1 Year growth

± 2.16%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Milwaukee, WI grew at a rate of 0.468%, from 264k employees to 266k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Milwaukee, WI, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (28,038 people), Production Occupations (26,764 people), and Management Occupations (22,646 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Milwaukee, WI.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Wisconsin (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

266k

2024 Value

± 4,118

0.468%

1 Year growth

± 2.16%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Milwaukee, WI grew at a rate of 0.468%, from 264k employees to 266k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Milwaukee, WI, are Health Care & Social Assistance (45,993 people), Manufacturing (40,849 people), and Retail Trade (29,272 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Milwaukee, WI, though some of these residents may live in Milwaukee, WI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,522

Median earning men ± $980

$38,220

Median earning women ± $1,120

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($63,498), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,365), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($52,162).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($58,473), Wholesale Trade ($53,542), and Construction ($53,281).

Education

The student population of Milwaukee, WI in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 23,218 male students and 33,013 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Milwaukee, WI are White (8,873 and 62.2%), Hispanic or Latino (2,090 and 14.7%), Black or African American (1,482 and 10.4%), and Asian (895 and 6.28%).

The largest universities in Milwaukee, WI by number of degrees awarded are University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (5,553 and 37.4%), Milwaukee Area Technical College (3,461 and 23.3%), and Marquette University (3,338 and 22.5%).

The most popular majors in Milwaukee, WI are Registered Nursing (1,125 and 7.57%), General Business Administration & Management (433 and 2.91%), and General Marketing & Marketing Management (360 and 2.42%).

The median tuition costs are $38,720 for private four year colleges, and $7,761 and $13,761 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Milwaukee, WI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 80.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 18.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 56,231 (41.3% men and 58.7% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 56,231 students enrolled in Milwaukee, WI, 41.3% men and 58.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 29,175 records, of which 56.9% were women and 43.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
599 degrees awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
338 degrees awarded
General Finance
326 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Milwaukee, WI was Registered Nursing with 599 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Milwaukee, WI according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
5,553 degrees awarded
Milwaukee Area Technical College
3,461 degrees awarded
Marquette University
3,338 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with 5,553 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 5,849 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Milwaukee, WI, which is 0.649 times less than the 9,015 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 8,873 degrees mean that there were 4.25 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 2,090 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($38,720) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,626) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,580) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Milwaukee, WI was $184,000 in 2024, which is 0.553 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $172,000 to $184,000, a 6.98% increase. The homeownership rate in Milwaukee, WI is 41.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Milwaukee, WI have an average commute time of 22.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Milwaukee, WI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$184,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$2,703

$97,223

Median Property Taxes

±$2,258

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Milwaukee, WI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Milwaukee, WI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

41.8%

Homeownership

2024

61.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 41.8% of the housing units in Milwaukee, WI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 41.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Milwaukee, WI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$54,234

Median Household Income

± $1,283

233k

Number of Households

± 3,951

In 2024, the median household income of the 233k households in Milwaukee, WI grew to $54,234 from the previous year's value of $51,888.

The following chart displays the households in Milwaukee, WI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Milwaukee, WI is from Wisconsin.

0.439

2024 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

In 2024, the income inequality in Wisconsin was 0.439 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.364% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Wisconsin was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Wisconsin in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Wisconsin across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (66.3%)
Worked At Home (12.9%)
Carpooled (9.87%)

In 2024, 66.3% of workers in Milwaukee, WI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.9%) and those who carpooled to work (9.87%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Milwaukee, WI have a shorter commute time (22.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.53% of the workforce in Milwaukee, WI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Milwaukee, WI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Milwaukee, WI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Milwaukee, WI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

22.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Milwaukee, WI (126k out of 553k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Milwaukee, WI is Black, followed by Hispanic and White.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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