Milwaukee County · Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI demographics
Population, income and the local tax burden that sits on top of them — sourced from the Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
Quick answer
Milwaukee, WI has a population of 561,385 and a median household income of $51,056 — about $4,255 a month before tax. That ranks 86 of 94 covered metros by income and 30 of 94 by population.
Population
561,385
City limits, ACS 5-year
Median household income
$51,056
ACS 5-year estimate
Combined sales tax
7.9%
Wisconsin + local
Income rank
#86
of 94 covered metros
Estimated annual sales tax on a median household
A Milwaukee household at the median income of $51,056 spending roughly a quarter of pre-tax income on taxable retail goods would pay about $1,008 a year in sales tax at 7.9%. This is an illustration, not a filing figure: the taxable share of spending varies with household composition, and Wisconsin exempts or discounts several categories. Milwaukee's 2% city sales tax began in 2024 under 2023 Wisconsin Act 12 to address pension obligations — the first city sales tax in Wisconsin.
Method: median household income × 25% taxable share × combined rate. The 25% share is a rough national benchmark from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not a Milwaukee-specific measurement.
Sources
What each figure on this page comes from.
- Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- Source: Wisconsin Department of Revenue rate tables · rates as published for 2026