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Salaries & Cost of Living in Milwaukee County, WI

Median pay, take-home pay and what is left after rent, food and energy for 24 occupations in Milwaukee County, WI.

Jobs listed
24
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
Median of medians
$45,265
per year, before tax
1-bedroom rent
$1,060
HUD Fair Market Rent / month
Jobs covering basics
100%
24 of 24
Household income
$64,435
Census median per year
Property tax
$4,444
Census median per year

Pay and cost of living in Milwaukee County, WI

Milwaukee County, WI is part of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI labor market, and this page summarizes 24 occupations with published wages there. The median of their median salaries is $45,265 a year. The best-paid occupation listed is General and Operations Managers at $125,490, and the lowest is Bartenders at $25,970.

A one-bedroom apartment in Milwaukee County, WI has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,060 a month and a two-bedroom $1,263. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $19,883 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $42,377 a year, and every one of the 24 occupations listed here earns enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.

Each occupation links to a detailed page with gross pay, take-home pay, rent, food and energy costs, and the monthly budget margin. All pages share one method, which makes it easy to compare jobs inside Milwaukee County, WI or against other counties.

Housing, taxes and commute in Milwaukee County, WI

The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Milwaukee County, WI, set beside the Wisconsin and national medians.

Median household income in Milwaukee County, WI is $64,435, 17% below the Wisconsin median of $77,485 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($12,720) equals 19.7% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $45,265, is 30% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.

Homeowners in Milwaukee County, WI pay a median of $4,444 a year in real estate taxes, 17% above the Wisconsin median of $3,792. With a median home value of $230,700, 13% below the Wisconsin median of $266,500, the ratio of the two medians is 1.93% a year.

Renters in Milwaukee County, WI pay a median gross rent of $1,101 a month in the Census survey, 1% above the Wisconsin median of $1,087. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $1,060; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.

Workers in Milwaukee County, WI who travel to a workplace spend an average of 22.2 minutes each way, in line with the Wisconsin average of 22.2. 14.4% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.

All jobs in Milwaukee County, WI, highest paying first

Showing 1–24 of 24.

Occupations in Milwaukee County, WI ranked by median salary
#OccupationMedian salaryTake-homeLeft per month
1General and Operations Managers$125,490$91,207$5,944
2Project Management Specialists$100,350$74,981$4,591
3Registered Nurses$97,360$73,036$4,429
4Accountants and Auditors$80,290$61,932$3,504
5Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$73,880$57,762$3,157
6Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel$64,890$51,914$2,669
7Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$59,580$47,996$2,343
8Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$56,320$45,549$2,139
9Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$48,480$39,665$1,648
10Customer Service Representatives$47,840$39,185$1,608
11Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$45,770$37,631$1,479
12Nursing Assistants$45,690$37,571$1,474
13Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$44,840$36,933$1,421
14Office Clerks, General$44,040$36,333$1,371
15Receptionists and Information Clerks$42,920$35,486$1,300
16Cooks, Restaurant$37,180$31,126$937
17Home Health and Personal Care Aides$37,020$31,005$927
18Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners$36,620$30,701$901
19Stockers and Order Fillers$34,470$29,068$765
20Retail Salespersons$34,410$29,022$762
21Cashiers$30,400$25,977$508
22Waiters and Waitresses$30,330$25,924$503
23Fast Food and Counter Workers$28,440$24,484$383
24Bartenders$25,970$22,551$222