Milwaukee, Wisconsin Population 2023

555,640

Milwaukee is a city located in Milwaukee County Wisconsin. Milwaukee has a 2023 population of 555,640. It is also the county seat of Milwaukee County.Milwaukee is currently declining at a rate of -1.21% annually and its population has decreased by -3.59% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 576,301 in 2020.

The average household income in Milwaukee is $61,529 with a poverty rate of 24.14%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Milwaukee is 31.6 years, 30.8 years for males, and 32.4 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.

Milwaukee Population and Diversity Statistics

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.

Current State of Milwaukee

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 Population Growth

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.

Milwaukee Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Milwaukee was:

  • White: 39.94%
  • Black or African American: 39.44%
  • Other race: 7.89%
  • Two or more races: 7.61%
  • Asian: 4.48%
  • Native American: 0.59%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%
Land Area (mi²)
96.2 sq mi
Density (mi²)
5,776.90/sq mi
Growth Rate
-1.21% (-6,803)
Growth Since 2020
-3.59% (-20,661)
The current population of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is 555,640 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 576,301.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Population 2023

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White230,94739.94%
Black or African American228,02539.44%
Other race45,6327.89%
Two or more races44,0057.61%
Asian25,8944.48%
Native American3,4380.59%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander2570.04%
showing: 7 rows

White

Black or African American

Other race

Two or more races

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Milwaukee Population by Race

Milwaukee Population Pyramid 2023

Milwaukee Median Age

31.6

Total

30.8

Male

32.4

Female

Milwaukee Adults

There are 426,349 adults, (62,650 of whom are seniors) in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Age Dependency

59

Age Dependency Ratio

17.2

Old Age Dependency Ratio

41.8

Child Dependency Ratio

Milwaukee Sex Ratio

Female297,92651.53%
Male280,27248.47%

Milwaukee Population by Age

Milwaukee Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All229,4702.4540.959.1
Non Family108,6141.2931.868.2
Married59,3963.3869.230.8
Female47,3003.6628.371.7
Male14,1603.4133.566.5
showing: 5 rows

3.36

Average Family Size

2.45

Average Household Size

40.9%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Milwaukee Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Milwaukee Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Milwaukee Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 79.91%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 47.06%.

Milwaukee Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$36,912

Average Earnings

$40,528

Average Male

$33,285

Average Female

Milwaukee Earnings by Educational Attainment

Milwaukee Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Milwaukee Language

78.97% of Milwaukee residents speak only English, while 21.03% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 15.16% of the population.

Milwaukee Language

Milwaukee Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Black223,87671,79732.07%
Hispanic113,12827,04323.9%
White181,62424,27213.36%
Other45,08611,82326.22%
Multiple43,1339,95823.09%
Asian25,2927,72730.55%
Native3,32981924.6%
Islander252145.56%
showing: 8 rows

24.14%

Overall Poverty Rate

22.84%

Male Poverty Rate

25.36%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Milwaukee

The race most likely to be in poverty in Milwaukee is Black, with 32.07% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Milwaukee is Islander, with 5.56% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.72%. Among those working part-time, it was 27.37%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 37.97%.

Milwaukee Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade32.72%
High School24%
Some College16.56%
Bachelors or Greater7.12%
showing: 4 rows

Milwaukee Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed44.49%
Male Unemployed39.43%
Female Employed12.84%
Male Employed9.2%
showing: 4 rows

Milwaukee Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Milwaukee Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Milwaukee Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

29.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

31.5%

Male Marriage Rate

27.5%

Female Marriage Rate

Milwaukee Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Milwaukee Marriage

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.

Milwaukee Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Milwaukee Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

17,227

Number of Veterans

15,530

Male Veterans

1,697

Female Veterans

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Milwaukee Veterans by War

count

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Milwaukee Veterans by Age

count

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Milwaukee Veterans by Race

Milwaukee Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

11.21%

Veteran Poverty Rate

26.93%

Veteran Disability Rate

Milwaukee Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

64%

Labor Force Participation

60%

Employment Rate

6.2%

Unemployment Rate

Milwaukee Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Milwaukee Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Milwaukee Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

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.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

68.33%

Born in Milwaukee

92.44%

Native Born

10.42%

Foreign Born

6.43%

Non Citizen

3.99%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

92.44% of Milwaukee residents were born in the United States, with 68.33% having been born in Wisconsin. 6.43% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Milwaukee Place of Birth

Note: data after 2021 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
18401,700-514,8143.07%
185020,06118,36127.99%
186045,24625,1858.47%
187071,44026,1944.67%
1880115,58744,1474.93%
1890204,46888,8815.87%
1900285,31580,8473.39%
1910373,85788,5422.74%
1920457,14783,2902.03%
1930578,249121,1022.38%
1940587,4729,2230.16%
1950637,39249,9200.82%
1960741,324103,9321.52%
1970717,372-23,952-0.33%
1980636,297-81,075-1.19%
1990628,088-8,209-0.13%
2000596,974-31,114-0.51%
2010594,833
2011593,072-1,761-0.3%
2012591,311-1,761-0.3%
2013589,550-1,761-0.3%
2014587,789-1,761-0.3%
2015586,028-1,761-0.3%
2016584,267-1,761-0.3%
2017582,506-1,761-0.3%
2018580,745-1,761-0.3%
2019578,984-1,761-0.3%
2020576,301-2,683-0.46%
2021569,330-6,971-1.21%
2022562,443-6,887-1.21%
2023555,640-6,803-1.21%
2024548,919-6,721-1.21%
2025542,279-6,640-1.21%
2026535,720-6,559-1.21%
2027529,240-6,480-1.21%
2028522,838-6,402-1.21%
2029516,514-6,324-1.21%
showing: 37 rows

Milwaukee Population by Year