Milwaukee is a city located in Milwaukee County Wisconsin. Milwaukee has a 2024 population of 556,111. It is also the county seat of Milwaukee County. Milwaukee is currently declining at a rate of -0.94% annually and its population has decreased by -3.65% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 577,207 in 2020.
The average household income in Milwaukee is $67,046 with a poverty rate of 23.87%. The median age in Milwaukee is 31.8 years: 30.9 years for males, and 32.8 years for females.
Milwaukee is the center of the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 1.57 million.
Despite robust growth through the 1950s, Milwaukee has experienced negative growth since then, and it's only since the 2010 census that signs of growth have been evident, although growth has been small.
The Milwaukee metropolitan area is home to approximately 1.57 million people in 2016. 30% of the entire state's population lives in the 5-country metro area, with 10% of Wisconsin's population within the Milwaukee city limits.
38.3% of Milwaukee's population reports having African American ancestry, while 21% claim German descent. Other common ancestry groups in the city include Polish (8.8%), Irish (6.5%), Italian (3.6%) and English (2.8%).
The city of Milwaukee seems diverse, but the picture changes when you look at the county as a whole. Milwaukee County's population is 55% white, and the county's African American community is 27%. Only about 8% of the county's African American population lives outside the city limits.
Milwaukee is often seen as a very racially segregated city; some consider it the most segregated city in the country, along with Detroit, Michigan, including a 2002 issue of Jet Magazine.
Milwaukee currently ranks 4th among major cities in the US in terms of children living in poverty at 43%. Milwaukee's unemployment rate is the same as the national average, and its jobs market does show signs of stability and even improvement. The city has also started to attract college graduates, 80% of whom moved to Milwaukee because they got a job. Revitalization efforts in the downtown area have been used to attract residents to the city and encourage growth and development.
Milwaukee is a very slowly growing city, with its modest growth mostly concentrated in the neighborhoods around downtown. From 2011 to 2013, Milwaukee added only 4,000 people. While this doesn't sound like a lot, and it isn't, it does show that Milwaukee's experiencing a turnaround after almost five decades of decline. The growth in the downtown areas has been largely attributed to the construction of condos and apartments, with most new residents being young adults.
It's still too soon to tell if the population growth trend in Milwaukee will continue and the city will be able to post positive growth at the next census in 2020, but signs are good Milwaukee has at least partially overcome the slump of the last fifty years.
The Milwaukee area was originally inhabited by several Native American tribes, with French traders and missionaries first passing through the region in the late 17th century. A trading post was established in 1785 by Alexis Laframboise. It's believed the word Milwaukee comes from either a Potawatomi or Ojibwe word meaning "gathering place by the water." For many years, the settlement's name was printed as "Milwaukie," until a newspaper changed it to its current spelling sometime in the 1830s.
In its early history, Milwaukee had a great rivalry with two neighboring towns, Juneautown, across the river, and Walker's Point. By the 1840s, the competition had grown, and there were battles between the town, culminating in the Milwaukee Bridge War of 1845. Afterward, the towns were united and, in 1846, the City of Milwaukee was incorporated.
Milwaukee began to proliferate with an influx of immigrants, especially those from Germany who made their way here from Wisconsin. Milwaukee continued its rapid growth, reaching a height of 741,000 in 1960 before beginning a 5-decade decline.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Milwaukee was:
Race | Population | Percentage (of total) |
---|---|---|
White | 222,199 | 38.76% |
Black or African American | 221,344 | 38.61% |
Two or more races | 56,900 | 9.93% |
Other race | 42,076 | 7.34% |
Asian | 27,217 | 4.75% |
Native American | 3,427 | 0.6% |
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 136 | 0.02% |
White
Black or African American
Two or more races
Other race
Asian
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
---|---|---|---|---|
All | 230,759 | 2.42 | 41.2 | 58.8 |
Non Family | 111,360 | 1.28 | 32 | 68 |
Married | 58,816 | 3.39 | 69 | 31 |
Female | 46,113 | 3.63 | 29.7 | 70.3 |
Male | 14,470 | 3.36 | 34.6 | 65.4 |
3.34
Average Family Size
2.42
Average Household Size
41.2%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Male
Female
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
9th to 12th Grade | 32,294 | 9.04% |
Associates Degree | 26,739 | 7.49% |
Bachelors Degree | 59,525 | 16.67% |
Graduate Degree | 33,853 | 9.48% |
High School Graduate | 109,929 | 30.78% |
Less Than 9th Grade | 19,708 | 5.52% |
Some College | 75,047 | 21.02% |
Less Than 9th Grade
9th to 12th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
High School Graduation Rate
Bachelors Rate
Race | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 145,515 | 137,184 | 61,118 |
Black | 127,006 | 108,577 | 17,124 |
Hispanic | 59,185 | 38,516 | 7,030 |
2+ Races | 27,057 | 18,917 | 5,102 |
Other Race | 23,533 | 15,322 | 2,058 |
Asian | 14,903 | 11,406 | 5,044 |
Native American | 2,267 | 2,109 | 553 |
Islander | 55 | 44 | 27 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.27%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 49.09%.
All
Male
Female
Name | Average | Male | Female |
---|---|---|---|
Bachelors Degree | $56,343 | $61,056 | $52,389 |
Graduate Degree | $69,013 | $77,006 | $62,610 |
High School Graduate | $32,304 | $35,702 | $26,963 |
Less Than 9th Grade | $28,549 | $33,615 | $22,502 |
Overall | $40,555 | $44,697 | $36,620 |
Some College | $38,019 | $43,858 | $33,771 |
$40,555
Average Earnings
$44,697
Average Male
$36,620
Average Female
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
78.44% of Milwaukee residents speak only English, while 21.56% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 15.53% of the population.
rate
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 217,698 | 69,143 | 31.76% |
Hispanic | 114,478 | 27,369 | 23.91% |
White | 180,066 | 24,307 | 13.5% |
Multiple | 56,242 | 13,544 | 24.08% |
Other | 41,475 | 10,503 | 25.32% |
Asian | 26,747 | 7,461 | 27.89% |
Native | 3,322 | 800 | 24.08% |
Islander | 132 | 7 | 5.3% |
23.87%
Overall Poverty Rate
22.69%
Male Poverty Rate
24.98%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Milwaukee is Black, with 31.76% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Milwaukee is Islander, with 5.3% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.7%. Among those working part-time, it was 26.98%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 37.49%.
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 32.12% |
High School | 24.18% |
Some College | 16.99% |
Bachelors or Greater | 7% |
rate
Rate | Poverty |
---|---|
Female Unemployed | 43.66% |
Male Unemployed | 36.09% |
Female Employed | 12.78% |
Male Employed | 9.22% |
Households
Families
MarriedFamilies
NonFamilies
Name | Median | Mean |
---|---|---|
Families | $57,900 | $77,456 |
Households | $49,733 | $67,046 |
Married Families | $86,413 | $105,089 |
Non Families | $37,870 | $52,366 |
mean
median
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
28.9%
Overall Marriage Rate
30.7%
Male Marriage Rate
27.3%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Second Gulf War
First Gulf War
Vietnam
Korea
World War II
16,708
Number of Veterans
15,082
Male Veterans
1,626
Female Veterans
War | Veterans |
---|---|
Vietnam | 5,833 |
Second Gulf War | 3,124 |
First Gulf War | 2,933 |
Korea | 822 |
World War II | 299 |
count
Age Group | Veterans |
---|---|
65 to 74 | 4,806 |
35 to 54 | 3,668 |
75+ | 3,485 |
55 to 64 | 3,398 |
18 to 34 | 1,351 |
count
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 10,040 | 5.28% |
Black | 5,237 | 3.47% |
Hispanic | 920 | 1.24% |
2+ Races | 622 | 1.79% |
Other Race | 309 | 1.08% |
Asian | 259 | 1.4% |
Native American | 236 | 8.62% |
Islander | 5 | 7.46% |
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
13.04%
Veteran Poverty Rate
26.73%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
64%
Labor Force Participation
60.2%
Employment Rate
5.9%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
66.07%
Born in Milwaukee
89.65%
Native Born
10.35%
Foreign Born
6.32%
Non Citizen
4.03%
Naturalized
89.65% of Milwaukee residents were born in the United States, with 66.07% having been born in Wisconsin. 6.32% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Change |
---|---|---|---|
2029 | 529,741 | -5,274 | -0.99% |
2028 | 535,015 | -5,274 | -0.98% |
2027 | 540,289 | -5,274 | -0.97% |
2026 | 545,563 | -5,274 | -0.96% |
2025 | 550,837 | -5,274 | -0.95% |
2024 | 556,111 | -5,274 | -0.94% |
2023 | 561,385 | -2,247 | -0.4% |
2022 | 563,632 | -2,925 | -0.52% |
2021 | 566,557 | -10,650 | -1.85% |
2020 | 577,207 | -13,745 | -2.33% |
2019 | 590,952 | -1,009 | -0.17% |
2018 | 591,961 | -2,193 | -0.37% |
2017 | 594,154 | -3,025 | -0.51% |
2016 | 597,179 | -3,428 | -0.57% |
2015 | 600,607 | -168 | -0.03% |
2014 | 600,775 | 778 | 0.13% |
2013 | 599,997 | 1,370 | 0.23% |
2012 | 598,627 | 1,495 | 0.25% |
2011 | 597,132 | 2,249 | 0.38% |
2010 | 594,883 | 0 | 0% |
2000 | 596,974 | -31,114 | -4.95% |
1990 | 628,088 | -8,209 | -1.29% |
1980 | 636,297 | -81,075 | -11.3% |
1970 | 717,372 | -23,952 | -3.23% |
1960 | 741,324 | 103,932 | 16.31% |
1950 | 637,392 | 49,920 | 8.5% |
1940 | 587,472 | 9,223 | 1.59% |
1930 | 578,249 | 121,102 | 26.49% |
1920 | 457,147 | 83,290 | 22.28% |
1910 | 373,857 | 88,542 | 31.03% |
1900 | 285,315 | 80,847 | 39.54% |
1890 | 204,468 | 88,881 | 76.9% |
1880 | 115,587 | 44,147 | 61.8% |
1870 | 71,440 | 26,194 | 57.89% |
1860 | 45,246 | 25,185 | 125.54% |
1850 | 20,061 | 18,361 | 1080.06% |
1840 | 1,700 | -528,041 | -99.68% |