The Milwaukee–Waukesha metro has 1.6M residents (per 2024 ACS 5-year Estimates ), a 2024 median household income of $78K, median home value of $306K, median age of 39, and a 40% bachelor's-degree share among adults 25 and older. The analysis below clusters neighborhoods within the metro's urbanized areas, covering 1.2M of those 1.6M residents. The western Waukesha County suburbs and the northern Ozaukee lakeshore lead on wealth and education, while the central city of Milwaukee sits at the bottom — a sharp split in a metro long ranked among the most segregated in the country .
Median home value
The highest values sit in two arms: the northern lakeshore and the western Lake Country. East Mequon tops the metro at $493K, followed by the area south of Elm Grove at $461K, the area east of Delafield at $458K, the area south of Brookfield at $454K, and the area east of Oconomowoc at $420K. The lowest values are concentrated in the central city: a north Milwaukee area bottoms the metro at $78K, with the area around Milwaukee at $100K, a second north Milwaukee area at $101K, a third at $119K, and an east Milwaukee area at $123K. The ≥$400K tier is confined to the suburban ring; the under-$150K tier covers the central city.
Median household income
The same suburban ring leads on income. East Mequon tops the metro at $152K, followed by the area south of Elm Grove at $133K, the area south of Brookfield at $127K, the area east of River Hills at $109K, and the area east of Delafield at $109K. The lowest incomes are in the central city: an east Milwaukee area at $29K, the area around Milwaukee at $31K, a north Milwaukee area at $33K, a second north Milwaukee area at $40K, and another east Milwaukee area at $42K. The ≥$120K tier follows Waukesha County and the north lakeshore; the under-$40K tier sits on the central city.
Median age
The oldest neighborhoods are the outer suburbs. The area east of Oconomowoc and East Mequon both top the metro at 50, with the area east of New Berlin at 47, the area north of Muskego at 47, and the area south of Pewaukee at 46. The youngest neighborhoods sit in the central and near-east city: an east Milwaukee area at 26, a north Milwaukee area at 29, and three more east Milwaukee areas at 30. Most of the metro sits in the 34–44 range.
Adults with a bachelor's degree
Education shows the metro's sharpest divide. The area south of Elm Grove leads at 72%, followed by East Mequon and the area south of Glendale both at 69%, the area south of Brookfield at 65%, and the area east of River Hills at 65%. The lowest shares are in the central city: a north Milwaukee area at 8%, a second at 10%, an east Milwaukee area at 11%, the area around Milwaukee at 12%, and a third north Milwaukee area at 13%. The gap from the top neighborhood to the bottom runs more than sixty points — the widest of any metric in the metro.
Where the metrics overlap
The split here is unusually clean. East Mequon on the north lakeshore tops home value at $493K, income at $152K, and age at 50, while the area south of Elm Grove in Waukesha County tops education at 72% — the two arms of the suburban ring. The central city forms a single low corner: a north Milwaukee area bottoms home value at $78K, income at $33K, and education at 8% together, and an east Milwaukee area sits at the bottom of all four metrics, pairing a $42K income with the metro's youngest ages. The wealthy ring wraps the low-income core on the north and west.
Key Takeaways
- Across the metro, the median home value is $306K, median household income is $78K, median age is 39, and the bachelor's-degree share is 40%.
- East Mequon tops home value at $493K, income at $152K, and age at 50.
- The area south of Elm Grove tops education at 72%.
- A north Milwaukee area sits at the bottom of home value ($78K), income ($33K), and education (8%) together.
- The youngest neighborhoods fall to a median age of 26 in the central city; the oldest reach 50 in the outer suburbs.