County outline
Where Milwaukee County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 20.3% of Milwaukee County’s measured area and water for 79.7%. Its combined area converts to 3,080.8 square kilometers or approximately 761,288 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 241.457 | 625.371 | 154,532.5 |
| Water | 948.055 | 2,455.451 | 606,755.2 |
| Total | 1,189.512 | 3,080.822 | 761,287.7 |
How Milwaukee County compares
By original Census land area, Milwaukee County ranks #70 of 72 in Wisconsin and #2926 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.321 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 0.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Milwaukee County
The Census Bureau estimates that 924,216 people lived in Milwaukee County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #63 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #1 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 939,496, the population has declined by 15,280 (−1.6%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 241.5 square miles of land, that is 3,828 people per square mile (1,478 per km²), placing Milwaukee County #32 nationally for density and #1 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 0.167 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 938,606 | 924,701 | 921,471 | 921,609 | 924,323 | 924,216 |
| Change | — | −13,905 | −3,230 | +138 | +2,714 | −107 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County is divided into 19 cities and towns. In Wisconsin, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Milwaukee city, with 562,407 residents (60.9% of the county), and it is also the largest by land at 96.1 mi². Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Glendale city grew fastest since then (+10.3%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee cityCounty seat | 562,407 | −2.7% | 96.1 | 39.8% |
| West Allis city | 60,119 | −0.4% | 11.4 | 4.7% |
| Wauwatosa city | 48,649 | +0.5% | 13.2 | 5.5% |
| Oak Creek city | 38,296 | +4.9% | 28.4 | 11.8% |
| Greenfield city | 37,159 | −1.7% | 11.5 | 4.8% |
| Franklin city | 36,687 | +1.5% | 34.6 | 14.3% |
| South Milwaukee city | 20,191 | −2.9% | 4.826 | 2% |
| Cudahy city | 17,655 | −3% | 4.774 | 2% |
| Glendale city | 14,795 | +10.3% | 5.764 | 2.4% |
| Whitefish Bay village | 14,489 | −3.1% | 2.115 | 0.9% |
| Greendale village | 14,426 | −2.9% | 5.565 | 2.3% |
| Shorewood village | 13,474 | −2.7% | 1.59 | 0.7% |
| Brown Deer village | 12,821 | +2.9% | 4.395 | 1.8% |
| St. Francis city | 8,955 | −2.2% | 2.558 | 1.1% |
| Hales Corners village | 7,740 | +0.3% | 3.192 | 1.3% |
Show the other 4 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Point village | 6,583 | −5% | 2.862 |
| Bayside village | 4,231 | −3.4% | 2.297 |
| West Milwaukee village | 3,984 | −3.2% | 1.119 |
| River Hills village | 1,555 | −2.8% | 5.156 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Milwaukee County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Milwaukee County is a central county of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 4 county equivalents have 1,575,010 residents on 1,454.8 square miles of land; Milwaukee County accounts for 16.6% of the land and 58.7% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #225 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #42 by population. It belongs to the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County | 924,216 | 241.5 |
| Waukesha County | 417,210 | 549.7 |
| Washington County | 139,238 | 430.6 |
| Ozaukee County | 94,346 | 233 |
ZIP codes
37 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Milwaukee County; 36 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
53110531265312953130531325315453172532025320353204532055320653207532085320953210532115321253213532145321553216532175321853219532205322153222532235322453225532265322753228532335323553295
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County shares a land border with 3 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Waukesha County (549.7 mi²) and the smallest is Ozaukee County (233 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Milwaukee County forms a block of 1,356.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Milwaukee | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waukesha County | 549.7 | 2.3× larger | Compare |
| Racine County | 332.6 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Ozaukee County | 233 | about the same | Compare |
How big is Milwaukee County compared with U.S. states?
Milwaukee County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 4.3 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 224 areas the size of Milwaukee County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 15.5 miles (25 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Milwaukee County?
Milwaukee County has more land than 296 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Milwaukee County at #596 nationally by total area, 2,330 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 79.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 78.5 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Milwaukee County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2925 | Hickman County, Kentucky | 242.3 | Compare |
| #2926 | Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | 241.5 | This county |
| #2927 | Montgomery County, Georgia | 241.1 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 42.912643, -87.862312. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 625,371,988 m²; AWATER: 2,455,452,231 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Milwaukee County?
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin has 241.5 square miles (625.4 km²) of land and 948.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,189.5 square miles. It ranks #2926 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Milwaukee County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Milwaukee County ranks #70 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Milwaukee County?
Milwaukee County shares a land border with Waukesha County, Racine County, and Ozaukee County.
What is the population of Milwaukee County?
The Census Bureau estimates Milwaukee County had 924,216 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #63 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 3,828 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Milwaukee County?
The county seat of Milwaukee County is Milwaukee.
What cities and towns are in Milwaukee County?
Milwaukee County has 19 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Milwaukee city, West Allis city, Wauwatosa city, Oak Creek city, and Greenfield city.
Is Milwaukee County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 4 county equivalents and 1,575,010 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Milwaukee County?
37 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Milwaukee County, and 36 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Milwaukee County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 4.3 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Milwaukee County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 154,532 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 761,288 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.