Milwaukee County, Wisconsin property tax
The median homeowner in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin pays $4,406 a year in property tax on a home worth $216,500, an effective rate of 2.04%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 2.04%, Milwaukee County taxes property more heavily than the country as a whole, which sits at 0.98%. The rate is high and the housing is cheap, and those two facts are connected. The bill of $4,406 is what actually leaves a household's account, and it is the number worth comparing between places.
Inside Wisconsin it is one of the most heavily taxed counties there is, ranking #1 of 70, against a statewide 1.51%. At the other end of the same state, Vilas County charges 0.80%. A spread that wide inside one state is normal, because school districts, not states, set most of the levy.
The median home costs 3.49 times the median household income of $62,118, close to the national 3.86. Incomes run below the national median, and house prices run below it too, which is what keeps the ratio ordinary. With 927,656 residents this is one of the larger counties in the country, so the medians here average across a genuinely varied housing market and hide a lot of local range.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 2.04% | 1.51% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $4,406 | $3,746 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $216,500 | $247,400 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $1,069 | $1,045 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $62,118 | $75,670 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 3.49× | 3.27× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 20.65% | 16.57% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 49.8% | 67.89% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 927,656.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County | 1.71% | $6,276 | $366,100 |
| Waukesha County | 1.21% | $4,525 | $373,600 |
| Brown County | 1.46% | $3,593 | $245,900 |
| Racine County | 1.70% | $4,071 | $239,400 |
| Outagamie County | 1.47% | $3,580 | $244,100 |
Milwaukee County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
The effective rate is 2.04% of home value, from a median tax bill of $4,406 against a median home value of $216,500. That is 1.06 points above the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Milwaukee County?
Roughly $8,160 a year at the county effective rate of 2.04%.
Is Milwaukee County expensive compared with the rest of Wisconsin?
It ranks #1 of 70 Wisconsin counties by effective property tax rate, and #87 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.53 points above the Wisconsin average of 1.51%.
What does housing cost in Milwaukee County?
The median home is worth $216,500 and median gross rent is $1,069 a month. Median household income is $62,118, which puts the home at 3.49 times annual income and rent at 20.65% of it.