Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Milwaukee.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Milwaukee compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 569,756City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $51,888Incorporated place (ACS)34% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 67ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)33% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $172,000City limits (ACS)43% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,033City limits (ACS)23% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.7%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 6238% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1332.5annualized per 100k · citywide121% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2554.8annualized per 100k · citywide17% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 80°F7.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 20°F14.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 34.6 in5% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 24010% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Milwaukee with another city
Milwaukee, Wisconsin counts about 569,756 residents inside the city limits. Median household income is roughly $51,888, while the ACS housing-cost index sits near 67 — among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs (100 ≈ U.S. average). Entry home prices around $172,000 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Milwaukee sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Milwaukee with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Lake-effect cold and dairy/manufacturing employment still shape daily life. Winter lows around 20°F mean heating costs and snow logistics belong on the checklist. Plan on roughly 23 minutes each way for a typical commute; Walk Score is about 62. Unemployment recently ran near 3.7%, broadly in line with many large U.S. counties. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1332.5 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Milwaukee city, 1600000US5553000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN550790000000003 (Milwaukee County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00014839 MILWAUKEE MITCHELL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28