County profile

Waukesha County

Wisconsin · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
411,762
Median household income
$106,076
People below poverty
5.2%
Median home value
$398,200

Income

The median income of households in Waukesha County, Wisconsin was $106,076. An estimated 2.4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 18.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 2.4
$10,000 to $14,999 1.6
$15,000 to $24,999 4.1
$25,000 to $34,999 4.8
$35,000 to $49,999 7.8
$50,000 to $74,999 13.6
$75,000 to $99,999 12.5
$100,000 to $149,999 21.5
$150,000 to $199,999 13
$200,000 or more 18.6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 86249
Female 66866

An estimated 76.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 33.7% of households received Social Security and an estimated 30 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $28,901. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 76.6
Social Security 33.7
Retirement income 30
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 2.9
Cash public assistance income 1.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 5.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 4.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 6.8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 4.8% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 5.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 4.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 6.8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 4.8

In 2020-2024, 4.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 38.1% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 43.3% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 28.1% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 96.9% had health insurance coverage and 3.1% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 82.7% and public coverage was 27.6%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 2.2%.


In 2020-2024, Waukesha County, Wisconsin had a total population of 411,762 - 207,556 (50.4%) females and 204,206 (49.6%) males. The median age was 43.5 years. An estimated 21% of the population was under 18 years, 28.9% was 19 to 44 years, 27.7% was 45 to 64 years, and 20.5 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 10529 10035
5 to 9 12298 11611
10 to 14 12767 12317
15 to 19 13190 12278
20 to 24 11055 10622
25 to 29 10601 10212
30 to 34 11296 11096
35 to 39 13420 13082
40 to 44 13946 13522
45 to 49 12803 12476
50 to 54 13418 13412
55 to 59 14997 14910
60 to 64 15297 16234
65 to 69 12877 13803
70 to 74 11093 11917
75 to 79 6318 7625
80 to 84 4486 5448
85 and over 3815 6956

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 86.7% were White; 1.6% were Black or African American; 3.4% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 3.9% were Asian; 0.6% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 6.2% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.7% of the people in Waukesha County, Wisconsin were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 85% of the people in Waukesha County, Wisconsin were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 168,658 households in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. The average household size was 2.42 people.

Married-couple households made up 57% of the households in Waukesha County, Wisconsin while cohabiting couple households made up 6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 21.9% of all households, while 15.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 11.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 27% of all households.

In Waukesha County, Wisconsin, 27.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 34.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 57
Cohabiting Couples 6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
15.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 59.9% of males and 56.1% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 29.1 23.9
Now married, except separated 59.9 56.1
Separated 0.6 0.5
Widowed 2.5 8.6
Divorced 8 10.9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Waukesha County, Wisconsin, 4,057 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 28.1% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 94.5% of the people living in Waukesha County, Wisconsin were U.S. natives. 74.9% of the Waukesha County, Wisconsin population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 5.5% of Waukesha County, Wisconsin residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 58.4% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 67.9 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Waukesha County, Wisconsin come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Waukesha County, Wisconsin.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 24.2
Asia 48.3
Europe 20.8
Africa 3.2
Northern America 2.8
Oceania 0.8

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 7.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.8% of people at least five years old; 2% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.8
Other Indo-European languages 2.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.9
Other languages 0.3

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.7 % of the people at least one year old living in Waukesha County, Wisconsin were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.7
Different house, same county 4.2
Different county, same state 3.5
Different state 1.3
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 97.2 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 48.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 2.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Waukesha County, Wisconsin was 91,110 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 5,281 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 65,574. College or graduate school enrollment was 20,255.

Educational Attainment of People in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 2.8
High school diploma or equivalency 20.4
Some college, no degree 18.2
Associate's degree 9.7
Bachelor's degree 32.1
Graduate or professional degree 16.8

Disability

In Waukesha County, Wisconsin, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 9.7 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2.9% of people under 18 years old, to 6.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 25.1% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Waukesha County, Wisconsin, 65 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 33.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 85.6% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 9.9% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 187,449 85.6
Federal, state, or local government workers 21,730 9.9
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 9,528 4.4

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Waukesha County, Wisconsin worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.5
Construction 6.5
Manufacturing 17.4
Wholesale trade 2.8
Retail trade 10.4
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 3.8
Information 1.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 11.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 23.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.7
Other Services, except public administration 4
Public administration 2.9

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 111,756 51
Service occupations 26,275 12
Sales and office occupations 43,684 20
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 14,388 6.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 22,841 10.4

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76.1% of Waukesha County, Wisconsin workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 5.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 22.6 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76.1
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 5.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.2
Walked 1
Other means 0.8
Worked from home 16.8

In 2020-2024, Waukesha County, Wisconsin had a total of 175,591 housing units. Of these housing units, 75.2% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 24.4% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 0.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 75.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 24.4
Mobile homes 0.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

9.8% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 7.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Waukesha County, Wisconsin was 6.3 rooms, and of these housing units 69% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Waukesha County, Wisconsin had 168,658 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 6,933 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 76% while renters occupied 24%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.6 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.83.

3.7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 11.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 3.5% and another 22.1% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Waukesha County, Wisconsin:

House Heating Fuel Used in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 79.1
Electricity 18.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1.1
All other fuels 0.9
No fuel used 0.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Waukesha County, Wisconsin was $398,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 65 % had a mortgage. 35% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $2,144 and for owners without a mortgage it was $781.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Waukesha County, Wisconsin was $1,356. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.