Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The estimated population of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is 939,123 people, with a median age of 35.1.

We can look at the total population in Milwaukee County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
939,123
 -1.06% -1.83%
2020
949,180
 -0.22% -
2019
951,226
 -0.31% -
2018
954,209
 -0.25% -
2017
956,586
 - -

Population of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
49.4%
52.2%
 -5.36%
Black/African American
26.2%
26.1%
 +0.38%
Native
0.4%
0.5%
 -20.00%
Hispanic
15.8%
14.6%
 +8.22%
Asian
4.4%
4.1%
 +7.32%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
3.4%
2.5%
 +36.00%
Other
0.3%
0.1%
 +200.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 35.1 +0.29% 34.1 +0.89% 36 -0.28%
2020 35 +0.29% 33.8 +0.3% 36.1 0%
2019 34.9 +0.58% 33.7 +0.3% 36.1 +0.56%
2018 34.7 +0.29% 33.6 +0.6% 35.9 +0.56%
2017 34.6 - 33.4 - 35.7 -

The median age of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 67,403 -5.86% 65,358 -5.41% 63,539 61,889
10 to 19 64,520 +1.39% 61,869 +0.56% 65,411 62,209
20 to 29 74,652 -7.25% 77,312 -7.14% 69,361 71,931
30 to 39 65,672 +3.59% 70,418 +1.56% 68,061 71,526
40 to 49 56,951 -5.49% 58,201 -3.02% 53,870 56,459
50 to 59 57,939 -5.89% 63,118 -9.07% 54,597 57,584
60 to 69 44,454 +6.63% 48,073 +8.19% 47,450 52,091
70+ 31,193 +9.59% 49,453 -1.14% 34,285 48,860

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is $54,793.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Milwaukee County.

  • Under 25
    $29,065.00
  • 25 to 44
    $60,647.00
  • 45 to 64
    $63,433.00
  • 65 and over
    $43,724.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Milwaukee County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Milwaukee County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is currently $75,385.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

4.81% of households in Milwaukee County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Milwaukee County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    22.51%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.20%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.98%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.59%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.74%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5.17%
  • $200,000 or more
    4.81%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Milwaukee County is $32,088.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Milwaukee County by the total population of Milwaukee County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Milwaukee County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    13.66%
  • Bachelor's degree
    33.74%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.01%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    40.66%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.93%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Milwaukee County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Milwaukee County over the age of 16 is 735,891.

Of those people, a total of 64.80% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Milwaukee County is 61.50%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 49,816 39.80% 11.00%
20 to 24 years 62,860 73.50% 8.60%
25 to 29 years 78,432 83.60% 5.10%
30 to 34 years 73,382 84.60% 4.60%
35 to 44 years 122,777 84.10% 4.30%
45 to 54 years 108,316 79.60% 4.10%
55 to 59 years 57,622 72.30% 4.10%
60 to 64 years 55,300 56.80% 3.10%
65 to 74 years 76,927 22.40% 2.60%
75 years and over 50,459 6.30% 3.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Milwaukee County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 440,188 66.20% 3.30%
Black or African American 179,545 59.00% 8.70%
American Indian and Alaska Native 4,224 64.70% 3.50%
Asian 31,156 69.00% 4.50%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 153 59.50% 0.00%
Other 41,013 66.70% 5.00%
Two or more races 39,612 70.30% 8.30%
Hispanic or Latino 99,800 69.70% 5.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 402,750 65.60% 3.10%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Milwaukee County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Milwaukee County is 452,662, with median earnings of $39,991.00.

Women in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin earning approximately 79.40% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 452,662 $39,991.00
Male 226,742 $44,413.00
Female 225,920 $35,246.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 39,170 $70,258.00
Business and Financial 24,190 $60,379.00
Computer and Mathematical 14,003 $72,642.00
Architecture and Engineering 9,665 $74,951.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 4,497 $55,636.00
Community and Social Service 9,173 $47,977.00
Legal 5,286 $84,250.00
Educational and Library 27,593 $44,751.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 9,340 $42,338.00
Healthcare Practitioners 28,859 $63,409.00
Healthcare Support 23,565 $24,486.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 5,555 $30,126.00
Law Enforcement 3,213 $74,032.00
Food Preparation and Serving 25,488 $16,367.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 15,715 $22,873.00
Personal Care and Service 11,147 $19,341.00
Sales 38,262 $33,674.00
Office and Administrative Support 52,404 $36,621.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 919 $29,236.00
Construction and Extraction 15,562 $42,867.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 10,884 $45,305.00
Production 40,688 $36,328.00
Transportation and Material Moving 16,549 $34,685.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 19,903 $80,717.00 19,267 $62,621.00
Business and Financial 11,137 $65,681.00 13,053 $55,674.00
Computer and Mathematical 10,383 $74,607.00 3,620 $64,863.00
Architecture and Engineering 8,092 $75,476.00 1,573 $73,356.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 1,983 $55,984.00 2,514 $55,307.00
Community and Social Service 2,671 $49,663.00 6,502 $47,311.00
Legal 2,616 $117,879.00 2,670 $59,217.00
Educational and Library 8,159 $51,168.00 19,434 $42,183.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 4,974 $43,827.00 4,366 $40,369.00
Healthcare Practitioners 6,745 $71,350.00 22,114 $61,329.00
Healthcare Support 3,330 $27,300.00 20,235 $24,069.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 4,341 $31,416.00 1,214 $21,850.00
Law Enforcement 2,663 $79,836.00 550 $64,688.00
Food Preparation and Serving 12,434 $19,797.00 13,054 $14,460.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 9,353 $27,174.00 6,362 $20,149.00
Personal Care and Service 2,215 $26,277.00 8,932 $18,276.00
Sales 18,187 $47,665.00 20,075 $25,250.00
Office and Administrative Support 13,670 $38,770.00 38,734 $36,110.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 713 $34,596.00 206 $16,579.00
Construction and Extraction 15,033 $43,065.00 529 $36,362.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 10,405 $45,672.00 479 $38,429.00
Production 29,182 $40,530.00 11,506 $27,661.00
Transportation and Material Moving 13,800 $37,654.00 2,749 $21,409.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 387,392 households in Milwaukee County, with an average household size of 2.37 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 211,143 families in Milwaukee County with an average family size of 3.19 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 129,027 20,574 61,542 176,249
Average Household Size 3.18 3.34 3.52 1.26
Total Families 129,027 20,574 61,542 0
Average Household Size 3.16 2.94 3.33 0

Poverty

Of the 211,143 families in Milwaukee County, 13.30% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Milwaukee County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 423,363 housing units in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 387,392 91.50%
Vacant 35,971 8.50%

45.36% of the total 423,363 housing units in Milwaukee County are rental units. This is approximately 192,026 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 190,893 are occupied by the owner - or 45.09% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Milwaukee County is $936.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Milwaukee County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    4,473
  • Less than $500
    14,604
  • $500 to $999
    98,334
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    58,501
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    15,102
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    3,516
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    1,168
  • $3,000 or more
    801

Property Value

The median value of a property in Milwaukee County is $172,400.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Milwaukee County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    9,643
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    24,909
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    38,631
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    41,512
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    44,441
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    24,274
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    6,029
  • $1,000,000 or more
    1,454

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Milwaukee County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Milwaukee County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    125,720
  • 1940 to 1949
    39,856
  • 1950 to 1959
    82,408
  • 1960 to 1969
    51,329
  • 1970 to 1979
    43,488
  • 1980 to 1989
    23,529
  • 1990 to 1999
    23,693
  • 2000 to 2009
    20,550
  • 2010 to 2013
    12,451
  • 2014 or later
    339

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Milwaukee County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    49,092
  • 1 vehicle available
    163,576
  • 2 vehicles available
    130,605
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    44,119

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Milwaukee County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Milwaukee County that commute to work in a particular way.

22.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Milwaukee County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    7,491
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    36,027
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    62,142
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    80,703
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    77,961
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    30,441
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    59,397
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    10,837
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    10,463
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    16,011
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    9,655
  • 90 or more minutes
    5,915

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

We have data for 2 places in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.