Official Federal Data
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
FIPS 55079 · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · Population 926,331
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$64,435 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$78.8B ▲
GDP
34.7% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$64,435 ▲
Per Capita
$38,385 ▲
Mean Household
$88,840 ▲
Poverty Rate
17.2% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Milwaukee County$64,435
Wisconsin$77,485
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.7%
18-34 · 25.5%
35-54 · 24.6%
55-64 · 11.5%
65+ · 14.7%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
89.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 0.1 pts
34.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 1.0 pts
12.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 1.5 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
926,331
Population
476,455
Labor Force
Employed
453,153
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.4%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 17.2%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 96,143 workers (27.8% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $60,885.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $78.8B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $150,694 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $25,774, a 5.8x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Health Care & Social Assistance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
60,594
Cluster Employment
1.92x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing
3.12x 222
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related
2.65x 4,591
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.58x 3,350
Computing Infrastructure Providers and Data Processing
2.41x 3,499
Printing and Related Support Activities
2.26x 2,332
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.06x 16,078
Educational Services
2.06x 20,031
Machinery Manufacturing
2.04x 6,640
Social Assistance
1.92x 28,648
Hospitals
1.91x 31,946
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.22x
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
293 employed
0.27x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
1,412 employed
0.43x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
1,149 employed
0.48x
Air Transportation
824 employed
0.48x
Waste Management and Remediation Services
745 employed
0.49x
Wood Product Manufacturing
596 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing concentrates at 3.12x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$230,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,101 ▲
Rent/Mo
49.9% ▲
Owner-Occ
8% ▼
Vacancy
3.6x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,027/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,119/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,338/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,648/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,784/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,611/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.6x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Renter-majority market: 49.9% owner-occupied; flexible labor mobility but consider home-buying pipeline if attracting families.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,611/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
570,309 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81.8%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
34.7% ▲
HS Diploma+
89.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
36,732/yr
17,447/yr
5,987/yr
3,757/yr
3,280/yr
3,231/yr
3,030/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
18.6%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
40.7%
Service
17.7%
Sales & Office
18.5%
Construction / Maint.
6%
Production / Transport
17.1%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 453,153 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 27,191 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Milwaukee County shows meaningful potential for leather and allied product manufacturing attraction, with a 3.12x concentration and 222 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across leather and allied product manufacturing, performing arts, spectator sports, and related, and electrical equipment, appliance manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
926,331 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
$64,435 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
$78.8B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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