WI · Milwaukee County · 577,222 (2020) · 31st-largest US city · Central time
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee lies on the west shore of Lake Michigan in southeast Wisconsin, 90 miles north of Chicago. It is the largest city in Wisconsin and the thirty-first in the United States.
- State
- Wisconsin
- County
- Milwaukee County (parts in Waukesha and Washington)
- Population (2020)
- 577,222
- Rank
- 31st in the US
- Coordinates
- 43.04°N, 87.91°W
- Time zone
- Central
- Metro area
- about 1.6 million
- State capital
- No – Madison
Where Milwaukee is
Milwaukee is at 43.04°N, 87.91°W in Milwaukee County, of which it is the county seat, with small portions in Waukesha and Washington counties. The city covers about 96 square miles along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline at roughly 620 feet above sea level. Three rivers — the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic — converge downtown to form a natural harbor, the reason for the city's founding in the 1830s. Madison, the state capital, is 80 miles west; Chicago is 90 miles south along the lake, and the Illinois line 40 miles south. Green Bay is 115 miles north.
Population and rank
The 2020 Census counted 577,222 residents, ranking Milwaukee 31st in the US and first in Wisconsin, more than twice the size of Madison (270,000). The city peaked at 741,000 in 1960 and has declined slowly since, losing about 17,000 people between 2010 and 2020. The Milwaukee–Waukesha metropolitan area (four counties) has about 1.6 million people, the 40th-largest metro in the country and home to more than a quarter of Wisconsin's population. The Milwaukee and Chicago metros nearly touch along the lakeshore.
Geography
- Lake Michigan — the city's eastern edge; the lakefront has bluffs up to 100 feet high, with parks and a breakwater-protected harbor. See the Great Lakes map.
- Milwaukee River — flows south through the city centre and receives the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic just above the harbor entrance; the Menomonee Valley was the industrial heart of the city.
- Terrain — glacial lake plain and low moraines; the Kettle Moraine hills begin 25 miles west.
- Lake effect — the lake cools the city in summer and moderates winters, and lake-effect snow falls on the lakeshore.
Nearest large cities
Chicago is 90 minutes south and Madison a little over an hour west. Distances are approximate road miles from downtown.
| City | State | Road distance (mi) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | IL | 90 | S |
| Minneapolis | MN | 340 | NW |
| Indianapolis | IN | 275 | SE |
| Detroit | MI | 370 | E |
| Omaha | NE | 520 | SW |
Is Milwaukee the state capital?
No. Wisconsin's capital is Madison, 80 miles west on an isthmus between two lakes; it was chosen as territorial capital in 1836, before either city was much more than a village, and kept the role at statehood in 1848. Milwaukee is the seat of Milwaukee County and has been the largest city in the state throughout its history.
Related maps
- Wisconsin map — the state with its 72 counties.
- Madison — the state capital, 80 miles west.
- US cities map.
- Great Lakes map and Great Lakes region.
- Nearby: Chicago, Minneapolis, Illinois.
- East North Central division · Central Time Zone.