Milwaukee Metropolitan Area

There are several definitions of the area, including the Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis metropolitan area and the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha combined statistical area. It is the largest metropolitan area in Wisconsin, and the 39th largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Milwaukee Metropolitan Area
Combined Statistical Area
Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Combined Statistical Area
Downtown Milwaukee
Map of Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha, WI CSA   City of Milwaukee   Milwaukee–Waukesha, WI MSA   Racine–Mount Pleasant, WI MSA   Whitewater–Elkhorn, WI µSA   Beaver Dam, WI µSA   Watertown–Fort Atkinson, WI µSA
Coordinates: 43°15′00″N 88°10′00″W / 43.25°N 88.166667°W / 43.25; -88.166667
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Largest city	Milwaukee
Other cities	- Waukesha  - West Allis  - Kenosha  - Whitewater  - Elkhorn  - Lake Geneva  - Beaver Dam  - Watertown  - Fort Atkinson
Area
• Total	3,356 sq mi (8,690 km2)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,555,908
• Density	464/sq mi (179/km2)
GDP
• MSA	$120.563 billion (2022)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)

Metropolitan area

The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Milwaukee Metropolitan area as containing four counties in southeastern Wisconsin: Milwaukee and the three WOW counties: Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha. The Metropolitan population of Milwaukee was 1,575,179 in the Census Bureau's 2019 estimate, making it the 39th largest in the United States.

The city of Milwaukee is the hub of the metropolitan area. The eastern parts of Racine County, eastern parts of Waukesha County, southern part of Ozaukee County, southeastern part of Washington County, and remainder of Milwaukee County are the most urbanized parts of the outlying counties.

The character of the area varies widely. Mequon, Brookfield, and the North Shore (Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, River Hills, Shorewood, Glendale, and Bayside) are more white-collar, while West Milwaukee, West Allis, and St. Francis are more blue-collar.^{[citation needed]}

Metro Milwaukee draws commuters from outlying areas such as Madison, Chicago and the Fox Cities. It is part of the Great Lakes Megalopolis containing an estimated 54 million people.

Combined statistical area

The Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Combined Statistical Area is made up of the Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis Metropolitan Statistical Area (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties), the Racine Metropolitan Statistical Area (Racine County), the Beaver Dam Micropolitan Statistical Area (Dodge County), the Watertown-Fort Atkinson Micropolitan Area (Jefferson County), and the Whitewater-Elkorn Micropolitan Area (Walworth County) according to the U.S. Census. Updated definitions released in February 2013 added Dodge, Jefferson and Walworth Counties to the Milwaukee CSA. Kenosha, despite being just 32 miles from Milwaukee and 50 miles from Chicago, is included as part of the Chicago CSA, as Kenosha has more residents who commute to the Chicago area. As of the 2019 census estimates, the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Combined Statistical Area population was 2,047,966, the largest in Wisconsin and the 33rd largest in the United States. The Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha CSA shares an eastern border with the Madison MSA the Janesville-Beloit MSA which in turn are both a part of the Madison CSA.

There are eight counties in the U.S. Census Bureau's Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Combined statistical area.^[1]

• Dodge
• Jefferson
• Milwaukee
• Ozaukee
• Racine
• Walworth
• Washington
• Waukesha

 

 

Primary

• Milwaukee

Other principal cities

• Racine
• Waukesha

Metro area cities and villages with more than 10,000 inhabitants

Metro area cities, towns and villages with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Unincorporated Communities and Census Designated Places

Although each county and its various municipalities are self-governing, there is some cooperation in the metropolitan area. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is a state-chartered government agency which serves 28 municipalities in the five counties.

At the same time, some in the area see the need for more consolidation in government services. The Kettl Commission and former Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum have supported initiatives to do this. However, full consolidation has faced unsubstantiated criticism as a means of diluting minority voting power.