Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Bellwether market. In 2024, voted D+2%. Democratic peak: D+46 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+2MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 2,333,3012024 5-year
- Median household income
- $79,6522024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 70.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 12.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 12.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+46 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+45 in 1920MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Milwaukee, WIOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 660,683 | 637,927 | 1,321,744 | ||
| D | 653,102 | 617,754 | 1,292,490 | ||
| D | 559,755 | 544,963 | 1,177,913 | ||
| D | 640,807 | 604,694 | 1,258,975 | ||
| D | 645,903 | 552,458 | 1,213,814 | ||
| R | 579,963 | 622,990 | 1,213,617 | ||
| R | 492,629 | 535,336 | 1,068,467 | ||
| D | 432,046 | 368,183 | 895,025 | ||
| D | 428,649 | 406,779 | 1,047,183 | ||
| D | 484,284 | 437,102 | 927,680 | ||
| R | 449,205 | 491,281 | 946,612 | ||
| R | 426,431 | 451,096 | 959,252 | ||
| D | 450,108 | 433,764 | 909,139 | ||
| R | 360,444 | 415,913 | 802,388 | ||
| D | 347,135 | 337,481 | 749,075 | ||
| D | 484,708 | 284,140 | 770,310 | ||
| D | 401,254 | 367,187 | 770,025 | ||
| R | 273,726 | 407,474 | 685,825 | ||
| R | 308,301 | 392,723 | 703,915 | ||
| D | 287,680 | 241,590 | 551,648 | ||
| D | 305,174 | 256,214 | 570,593 | ||
| D | 309,810 | 243,923 | 566,927 | ||
| D | 342,262 | 116,979 | 491,230 | ||
| D | 284,285 | 109,993 | 436,251 | ||
| D | 183,397 | 170,255 | 369,495 | ||
| O | 26,932 | 108,014 | 284,980 | ||
| R | 43,423 | 156,394 | 252,962 | ||
| D | 65,110 | 62,941 | 149,404 | ||
| D | 57,370 | 36,689 | 132,568 | ||
| R | 56,121 | 63,407 | 143,196 | ||
| R | 42,756 | 69,687 | 136,917 | ||
| R | 54,815 | 72,352 | 135,629 | ||
| R | 53,411 | 76,383 | 134,407 | ||
| D | 57,388 | 48,979 | 110,875 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
32.9%
Irish
9.7%
Polish
8.7%
English
5.7%
Italian
4.6%
American
3.0%
French
2.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$79,652
Milwaukee ranks near the middle of US counties.
Milwaukee$79,652
Wisconsin$77,485
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
11.4%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1814.7%
Working age (18–64)10.3%
Seniors (65+)11.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
87.7%
speak English only
Spanish7.6%
Other Indo-European2.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.0%
Other languages0.6%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
The Milwaukee media market spans southeastern Wisconsin's dense urban core and surrounding exurbs, creating a battleground where the city's high-density wards and collar-county suburbs often pull in opposite directions on election night.
The Democratic margin in Milwaukee has rarely exceeded forty-six points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded forty-five points. 2024 delivered the market to the Democratic candidate by two points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most markets. A 71% non-Hispanic-white share, a 11% poverty rate, and a median household income of $79,652 — all within the broad national range.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/dma/617/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Milwaukee, Wisconsin vote in 2024?
In 2024, Milwaukee, Wisconsin voted Democratic by 1.7 points (D+2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 1,321,744 votes cast, 660,683 went Democratic and 637,927 went Republican.
What is Milwaukee, Wisconsin's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a "Bellwether" market based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the market has voted Democratic 21 times, Republican 12 times, and other 1 times.
When did Milwaukee, Wisconsin last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Milwaukee, Wisconsin voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin?
Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a population of 2,333,301 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Milwaukee, Wisconsin?
Median household income in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is $79,652 — below the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Milwaukee, Wisconsin?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 21 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The market's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.