About one in six people in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, lives below the poverty line
In Milwaukee County, 16.8% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 74% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Milwaukee County's score
In Milwaukee County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 80.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 381.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 75.5.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Milwaukee County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.9%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (19.4%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Milwaukee County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 80.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.6% · August 202566th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people381.1 · 202595th percentile
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- 75.5 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.9% · fiscal year 202770th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.6% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 71.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.5% · Q4 202566th percentile
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- 53.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.5% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,339 · 202451st percentile
- People below the poverty line16.8% · 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.4% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202656th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Milwaukee County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Milwaukee County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Milwaukee County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 18 cents. Benefit checks were 23 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Milwaukee County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 23 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin: 22.8% and 59.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 22.8% of all personal income in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Milwaukee County, 14.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Milwaukee County has changed
The number of people living in Milwaukee County fell by about one in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 1,056,587 to 924,740. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.7% in 1990 to 4.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 1,056,587 | 2024 924,740 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 518,047 | 2024 469,055 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.3% | 2024 16.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,748 | 2024 $66,339 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.6% | 2024 22.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Milwaukee County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 1,054,063. The 2020 Census counted 939,489, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
Milwaukee County population peaked in relative importance in Wisconsin during 1930s-1960s when about 25% of the state's population resided there, then has been shrinking since 1970. Wikipedia
1997
Flash flood: $78.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Flash flood: $77.97 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Flash flood: $24.1 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Flash flood: $60 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Milwaukee County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Milwaukee County beside its neighbors
Milwaukee County scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Milwaukee County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (22.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County, WI | 77 | 16.8% | 22.8% |
| Racine County, WI | 42 | 11.7% | 20.7% |
| Waukesha County, WI | 2 | 5.5% | 13.0% |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 0 | 5.4% | 11.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Milwaukee County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Milwaukee County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 2nd highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Milwaukee County ranks 2nd of 72 in the state.
Milwaukee County in photographs
Places in Milwaukee County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Milwaukee County Courthouse.
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
At&t Miller park way Milwaukee WI.
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
16.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 23.5%.
Is Milwaukee County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Milwaukee County's poverty rate was 16.8% in 2024, 2nd highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Milwaukee County ranks 2nd of 72 in the state.
What is the population of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
About 924,740 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 939,489, 89% of the county's peak of 1,054,063 in 1970.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Milwaukee County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Acts Housing
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Housing Resources, Incorporated
HUD-approved housing counselor
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NSC (NACA Counseling Subsidiary) - Milwaukee, WI
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee
Legal aid
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Disability Rights Wisconsin
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Milwaukee County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Milwaukee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.