About one in 18 people in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, lives below the poverty line
In Waukesha County, 5.5% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Waukesha County's score
In Waukesha County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 38.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 2.5. About one in 24 children (4.1%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 99% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Waukesha County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Waukesha County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 38.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.6% · fiscal year 20271st percentile
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- 25.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.1% · August 20251st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124.8 · 202549th percentile
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- 9.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.7% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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- 3.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.9% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.9% · August 20254th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.4% · second quarter of 20260th percentile
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- 2.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line4.1% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability9.7% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance3.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$103,789 · 20244th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Waukesha County comes from
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 Waukesha County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Waukesha County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Waukesha County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 13.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Waukesha County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Waukesha County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 2.5% in 2010 to 3.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Waukesha County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 4.4%
Low on the chart: 2.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
How Waukesha County has changed
Waukesha County's population had its largest rise, from 240,273 in 1974 to 273,868 in 1979.
Waukesha County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 417,029, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 280,015. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Waukesha County nearly doubled to 248,662, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 193,163. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 2.5% | 2024 5.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $45,516 | 2024 $103,789 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Waukesha County's history
1998
A flash flood in August 1998 did $17.3 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $62.99 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in June 2010 did $20.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 406,978, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
A flash flood in August 2025 did $89 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Waukesha County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Waukesha County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Waukesha County, five score higher. Of the group, Waukesha County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Milwaukee County gets the largest, at 22.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County, WI | 76 | 16.8% | 22.8% |
| Racine County, WI | 41 | 11.7% | 20.7% |
| Walworth County, WI | 12 | 7.9% | 17.7% |
| Jefferson County, WI | 6 | 7.7% | 19.7% |
| Dodge County, WI | 5 | 9.2% | 21.1% |
| Washington County, WI | 2 | 6.3% | 16.2% |
| Waukesha County, WI | 2 | 5.5% | 13.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Waukesha County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Waukesha County's poverty rate was 5.5% in 2024, 71st 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, Waukesha County ranks 66th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Waukesha County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Housing Resources Inc - Waukesha
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Action of Wisconsin
Legal aid
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Disability Rights Wisconsin
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Waukesha County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Waukesha County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.