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Milwaukee County · Wisconsin

Milwaukee sales tax rate (WI)

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.

Ten dollar bills on a dark surface, illustrating state sales tax rates

Quick answer

The combined sales tax rate in Milwaukee, WI is 7.9% as of January 1, 2026 — 5% state + 0.9% county + 2% city. On a $100 purchase that is $7.90 in tax, for a total of $107.90. Wisconsin's statewide base is 5%.

Verified against state tableEffective January 1, 2026 · rank 48 of 94 covered metros
Combined rate
7.9%
State share
5%
Local share
2.9%County + city + districts
Tax on $100
$7.90

Calculate Milwaukee sales tax

Pre-filled with the Milwaukee combined rate.

Sales tax calculator

The full combined rate of 7.9% applies to general merchandise.

Enter a pre-tax amount to see the tax due in Milwaukee, WI.

Pre-tax
$100
Sales tax at 7.9%
$7.90
Total
$107.90

Tax is rounded to the nearest cent on the full transaction, which is how most registers compute it. Line-item rounding can differ by a cent or two on long receipts.

Is 7.9% high?

Where Milwaukee sits against the state and the covered-metro median, in points and in dollars.

vs covered median
-0.05 ptsMedian 7.95%
Local share
37%2.9% of the total
Cost per household
$2,054Per year on $26,000 taxable spend
Jurisdiction layers
3Stacked into the combined rate

7.9% in Milwaukee — ordinary. It ranks 48 of 94 covered metros, -0.05 pts against the 7.95% median. On $26,000 of taxable household spending that is $2,054 a year, $13 below it.

Local government sets 2.9% of the total, 37% of the bill; the state takes 5%. 3 layers stack: Wisconsin state 5%, Milwaukee County 0.9%, City of Milwaukee 2%. The City of Milwaukee increment at 2% is the largest local piece — 69% of everything local, worth $520 a year on its own.

No other covered metro sits within 0.05 points of 7.9%. Milwaukee is an outlier in the national distribution, which usually means a district measure the surrounding region never adopted.

Scale: 561,385 residents, roughly 224,554 households. At $26,000 of taxable spend each, the 2.9% local share pulls about $169,313,716 a year from residents alone — before any visitor or business spending, which in a metro this size is where the rest comes from.

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.

Rates move when a district measure passes or a local option expires. Confirm the current figure with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue before filing or quoting it to a customer.

Jurisdiction breakdown

Every layer that makes up the combined rate, and how much of the total each one contributes.

Sales tax rate composition for Milwaukee, WI: 5% Wisconsin state, 0.9% Milwaukee County, 2% City of Milwaukee, totalling 7.9%.
Sales tax rate components for Milwaukee, WI
JurisdictionLevelRateShare of total
Wisconsin statestate5%
63%
Milwaukee Countycounty0.9%
11%
City of Milwaukeecity2%
25%
Combined rate7.9%
Source: Wisconsin Department of Revenue rate tables · rates as published for 2026

Milwaukee sales tax reference table

Tax due at 7.9% on common purchase amounts.

Tax due at 7.9% for common purchase amounts
PurchaseSales taxTotal
$10$0.79$10.79
$25$1.98$26.98
$50$3.95$53.95
$100$7.90$107.90
$500$39.50$539.50
$1,000$79.00$1079.00
$5,000$395.00$5395.00
$25,000$1975.00$26975.00

Reverse out sales tax

Enter a receipt total and we split the item price from the 7.9% tax collected.

Backing out 7.9% for Milwaukee, WI.

Item price before tax
$100
Sales tax collected
$7.90

What this rate applies to

Wisconsin publishes the taxable base separately from the rate. Groceries, prescription drugs, clothing and services are treated differently state to state, and several categories in Wisconsin are taxed at reduced rates or exempt entirely. 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. Check the Wisconsin Department of Revenue guidance for the category you are pricing before assuming 7.9% applies.

Milwaukee at a glance

Population
561,385
Median household income
$51,056
County
Milwaukee County
ZIP codes covered
12
Milwaukee demographicsZIP codesSeller registration

Neighboring districts tax profiles

The closest covered jurisdictions by county and ZIP sectional centre, with the rate difference against this metro.

Compare Milwaukee with another metro

Side-by-side rate stacks and the dollar difference on a $1,000 purchase.

    Cities near Milwaukee

    Straight-line distance, estimated drive time and the rate charged there.

    All metros within 250 miles of Milwaukee →

    Download this metro's data

    The Milwaukee jurisdiction stack, combined rate (7.9%), effective date and Census figures are published as open files. Free to use with attribution — no key, no signup.

    Download CSV data fileMilwaukee JSON endpointFull rate set (JSON)

    Other Milwaukee datasets on this site.

    Statewide: Wisconsin cities · Wisconsin ZIP codes · Wisconsin sales tax · Wisconsin counties