What is the population of Waukesha city?

Waukesha city has 70,779 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #7 of 807 in Wisconsin.

What is the median household income in Waukesha city?

Median household income in Waukesha city is $81,651 a year, 4% above the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Waukesha city?

Median gross rent is $1,183 a month and the median home value is $286,600, so rent absorbs about 17.4% of median household income.

Is Waukesha city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 3.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Waukesha city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 17.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Wisconsin · Census place 84250

Waukesha city, WI population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Waukesha city, Wisconsin (Waukesha city, WI — Census place “Waukesha city”) is 70,779 residents, ranking #7 of 807 places in Wisconsin. Median household income is $81,651, the median home is worth $286,600 and median gross rent runs $1,183 a month. Looking for the Waukesha city Wisconsin ZIP code list? 3 ZIP codes serve Waukesha city, WI: 53186, 53188, 53189.

Population: 70,779Waukesha city residents
Median household income: $81,651Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $286,600Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,183Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 36.4 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 59.3%Owner-occupied households

Waukesha city ZIP codes (Wisconsin)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Waukesha city.

The Waukesha city WI ZIP code list below covers 3 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Waukesha city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Waukesha city median would spend about 17.4% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.5× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 10.3% of residents and 59.3% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Waukesha city, WI in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Waukesha city is a small city in Wisconsin, with 70,779 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #7 of 807 ranked by population — larger than 99% of them. The median age here is 36.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.

Households in Waukesha city earn a median of $81,651 a year, 4% above the national figure of $78,538 and 11% above the $73,880 median for the 395 Wisconsin cities we cover. The median is the midpoint household, not an average, so a handful of very high earners cannot drag it upward the way they distort a mean. Poverty reaches 10.3% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Waukesha city is valued at $286,600, 5.5% below the national figure and 35% above the $211,900 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,183 a month, 15.9% below the national figure, or roughly $14,196 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 17.4% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.5×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 59.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. The rent line includes utilities paid by the tenant, a definition worth remembering when comparing it against a landlord's quoted rate.

All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Wisconsin.

More Wisconsin coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Waukesha city?: Waukesha city has 70,779 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #7 of 807 in Wisconsin.
What is the median household income in Waukesha city?: Median household income in Waukesha city is $81,651 a year, 4% above the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Waukesha city?: Median gross rent is $1,183 a month and the median home value is $286,600, so rent absorbs about 17.4% of median household income.
Is Waukesha city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 3.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Waukesha city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 17.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Waukesha city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.