Official Federal Data
Washington County, Wisconsin
FIPS 55131 · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · Population 137,879
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$96,359 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.8% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$9.2B ▲
GDP
35.2% ▲
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
$96,359 ▲
Per Capita
$49,106 ▲
Mean Household
$116,246 ▲
Poverty Rate
5.8% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Washington County$96,359
Wisconsin$77,485
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21%
18-34 · 17.7%
35-54 · 25.6%
55-64 · 15.9%
65+ · 19.8%
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+
95.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +6.2 pts
35.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 0.5 pts
10.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 3.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
137,879
Population
76,594
Labor Force
Employed
74,584
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.8% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute
26.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
13.9%
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
- Aging population: Median age of 44 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 13,503 workers (29.5% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $73,039.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $9.2B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $104,541 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $20,024, a 5.2x 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
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
16,960
Cluster Employment
2.01x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Printing and Related Support Activities
10.15x 1,302
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
6.69x 3,551
Machinery Manufacturing
5.86x 2,374
Paper Manufacturing
5.58x 729
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
3.95x 636
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
3.70x 964
Animal Production and Aquaculture
2.59x 260
Truck Transportation
2.26x 1,243
Chemical Manufacturing
2.20x 730
2.01x 16,960
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.22x
Educational Services
267 employed
0.24x
Support Activities for Transportation
72 employed
0.26x
Real Estate
178 employed
0.29x
Telecommunications
64 employed
0.32x
Accommodation
230 employed
0.39x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
1,575 employed
0.45x
Administrative and Support Services
1,423 employed
0.46x
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
197 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Printing and Related Support Activities concentrates at 10.15x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- 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
$344,800 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,153 ▲
Rent/Mo
78.1% ▲
Owner-Occ
3.9% ▼
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 (~$2,409/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.
- High home ownership: 78.1% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,409/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
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
81,587 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
13.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
89.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
35.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
95.8% ▲
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
26.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
42.6%
Service
11.4%
Sales & Office
20.6%
Construction / Maint.
9.5%
Production / Transport
15.9%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 74,584 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 26.8% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- 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
Washington County shows strong potential for printing and related support activities attraction, with a 10.15x concentration and 1,302 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26.8% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across printing and related support activities, fabricated metal product manufacturing, and machinery 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 Washington County, Wisconsin, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Washington County, Wisconsin?
137,879 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Washington County, Wisconsin?
$96,359 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Washington County, Wisconsin?
2.8% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Washington County, Wisconsin?
$9.2B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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