Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

WI · FIPS 55079 Democrat

Located in Wisconsin, Milwaukee County has a population of 926,331 residents and a median age of 35.5 years, making it the #61 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 17.2%. The median home value is $230,700, and the median household income is $64,435, which is 14% below the national median.

926,331
Population
#61 of 3,222
$64,435
Median Income
-14.3% #1,676 of 3,222
35.5 years
Median Age
-8.7% #2,928 of 3,222
17.2%
Poverty Rate
+36.7% #2,336 of 3,222

Demographics

Milwaukee County has a population of 926,331, making it the #61 most populous county in the US. The median age is 35.5 years, which is 8.7% below the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

90.1%
Native Born
9.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, ranking #1,676 out of 3,222 counties — 14.3% below the national median. The poverty rate is 17.2% and unemployment stands at 4.8%.

Income#1,676
$64,435
-14.3%
vs nation
48th percentile
Per Capita#1,038
$38,385
-7.0%
vs nation
68th percentile
Poverty#2,336
17.2%
+36.7%
vs nation
28th percentile
Unemployment#1,879
4.8%
-9.6%
vs nation
42th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Milwaukee County is $230,700 (-18.2% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,101/mo and the homeownership rate is 49.9%.

Home Value#1,072
$230,700
-18.2%
vs nation
67th percentile
Rent#725
$1,101
-5.3%
vs nation
77th percentile
Homeownership#3,177
49.9%
-22.5%
vs nation
1th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Milwaukee County, 34.7% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 2.9% above the national average, ranking #478 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
34.7% +2.9% vs nation
Rank #478 of 3,222
85th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Milwaukee County is 74.3 years. 18.6% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.7% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,824
74.3
-1.1%
vs nation
41th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,514
18.6%
-4.9%
vs nation
52th percentile
Diabetes#1,746
11.1%
-0.3%
vs nation
45th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,289
36.4%
-2.4%
vs nation
59th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,662
5.7
+0.7%
vs nation
47th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,572
4.4
-0.9%
vs nation
50th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,095
7.7%
-26.3%
vs nation
65th percentile
Physical Inactivity#925
23.3%
-11.7%
vs nation
71th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,112
12.8%
-11.1%
vs nation
65th percentile

Substance Use

17.1% of adults in Milwaukee County smoke , 39.4% are obese , and 21.9% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 63.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,340
17.1%
-4.8%
vs nation
57th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,889
39.4%
+3.9%
vs nation
40th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,361
21.9%
+10.4%
vs nation
25th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,983
63.1
+95.3%
vs nation
6th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Milwaukee County is 18.1 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 13.2 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 10.9 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,426
18.1
+126.0%
vs nation
7th percentile
Suicide Rate#458
13.2
-32.9%
vs nation
82th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,971
23.4
+31.2%
vs nation
20th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#451
10.9
-46.2%
vs nation
84th percentile

Families & Children

23.3% of children in Milwaukee County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 8.4 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 23.0 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,096
8.4
+23.4%
vs nation
20th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,756
23.0
+5.3%
vs nation
42th percentile
Child Poverty#2,358
23.3%
+22.7%
vs nation
25th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Milwaukee County is 67.8%. The mean commute time is 24.4 min, which is 11.6% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
67.8% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
24.4 min −11.6% vs nation
Rank #2,065 of 3,222
36th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Milwaukee County voted Democratic with a margin of 38.5%. The vote was 68.3% Dem / 29.8% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 1.3 toward Republicans .

2024 DEM +38.5%
68.3% 29.8%
Dem 462,766 votes Rep
2020 DEM +39.8%
69.1% 29.3%
Dem 458,971 votes Rep
2016 DEM +37.4%
66.4% 29%
Dem 434,970 votes Rep
2012 DEM +34.5%
66.8% 32.3%
Dem 490,944 votes Rep
2008 DEM +35.9%
67.3% 31.4%
Dem 475,192 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin has a total population of 926,331, making it the 61st most populous county in the United States. The median age in Milwaukee County is 35.5 years, which is 8.7% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, which ranks #1,676 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 14.3% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 17.2%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.8%.

The median home value in Milwaukee County is $230,700, 18.2% below the national median. Renters in Milwaukee County pay a median gross rent of $1,101 per month. The homeownership rate is 49.9%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Milwaukee County, 34.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 2.9% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 92.8% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 24.4 min.

Milwaukee County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 48.1% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (25.4%) and Hispanic or Latino (17.0%).

All data for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.