The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area in southeastern Wisconsin, United States, consisting of the city of Milwaukee and some of the surrounding area.
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines the Milwaukee–Waukesha, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area as consisting of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties. With a population of 1.58 million, it is the largest metropolitan area in Wisconsin and the 40th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. The greater Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area is defined by the OMB to additionally include Dodge, Jefferson, Racine, and Walworth counties. With a population of 2.06 million, it is the 34th-largest combined statistical area in the country.
Definitions Metropolitan area
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines the Milwaukee–Waukesha, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area as containing four counties in southeastern Wisconsin: Milwaukee and the three WOW counties: Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of the Milwaukee MSA to be 1,575,179 in 2025, making it the 41st 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, Brown Deer, and Bayside) are more white-collar, while West Milwaukee, West Allis, and St. Francis are more blue-collar.
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.
CountySeat2025 estimate2020 CensusChangeLand areaDensityMilwaukeeMilwaukeeWaukeshaWaukeshaWashingtonWest BendOzaukeePort WashingtonTotal
Combined statistical area The Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area is made up of the Milwaukee–Waukesha, WI MSA (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties), the Racine–Mount Pleasant, WI MSA (Racine County), the Beaver Dam, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area (µSA) (Dodge County), the Watertown–Fort Atkinson, WI µSA (Jefferson County), and the Whitewater–Elkorn, WI µSA (Walworth County) according to the OMB. 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 2025 census estimates, the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Combined Statistical Area population was 2,055,658, 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 and the Janesville–Beloit MSA, which in turn are both a part of the Madison–Janesville–Beloit CSA.
Statistical Area2025 estimate2020 CensusChangeLand areaDensityMilwaukee–Waukesha, WI Metropolitan Statistical AreaRacine–Mount Pleasant, WI Metropolitan Statistical AreaWhitewater–Elkhorn, WI Micropolitan Statistical AreaBeaver Dam, WI Micropolitan Statistical AreaWatertown–Fort Atkinson, WI Micropolitan Statistical AreaTotal
Counties There are eight counties in the U.S. Census Bureau's Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Combined statistical area. Dodge Jefferson Milwaukee Ozaukee Racine Walworth Washington Waukesha
Cities (combined statistical area)
Primary Milwaukee
Other principal cities Racine Waukesha
Metro area cities and villages with more than 10,000 inhabitants
Beaver Dam Brookfield Brown Deer Burlington Caledonia Cedarburg Cudahy Delavan Elkhorn Fort Atkinson Franklin Germantown Glendale Grafton Greendale Greenfield Hartford Menomonee Falls Mequon Mount Pleasant Muskego New Berlin Oak Creek Oconomowoc Pewaukee Port Washington Richfield Shorewood South Milwaukee Sussex Watertown Wauwatosa West Allis West Bend Whitefish Bay Whitewater
Metro area cities, towns and villages with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants
Addison Barton Bayside Belgium Big Bend Bohners Lake Brookfield (town) Browns Lake Brownsville Butler Cambridge (part) Chenequa Clyman Columbus (part) Darien Delafield (city) Delafield (town) Dousman Dover Eagle Eagle Lake East Troy Elkhorn Elm Grove Elmwood Park Erin Farmington Fox Lake Fox Point Franksville Fredonia Genesee Germantown (town) Hales Corners Hartland Herman Horicon Hustisford Ixonia Iron Ridge Jackson Jefferson Johnson Creek Juneau Kekoskee Kewaskum Lac La Belle Lake Geneva Lake Mills Lannon Leroy Lisbon Lomira Lowell Mayville Merton Mukwonago Nashotah Neosho Newburg North Bay North Prairie Norway Oconomowoc Lake Okauchee Lake Ottawa Palmyra Pewaukee(village) Polk Randolph Raymond Reeseville River Hills Rochester Rubicon Saukville Sharon Slinger St. Francis Sturtevant Sullivan Summit Theresa Thiensville Trenton Union Grove Vernon Wales Walworth Waterford Waterloo Waupun (part) Wayne West Milwaukee Williams Bay Wind Lake Wind Point Yorkville
Unincorporated Communities and Census Designated Places
Allenton Boltonville Cheeseville Colgate Ebenezer Farmersville Fillmore Genesee Depot Herman Center Hubertus Kansasville Kohlsville Lake Church Lakefield Myra Nabob Nenno North Cape Oak Hill Pipersville Pike Lake Rockfield Saint Michaels Saylesville Saylesville Stone Bank Thompson Tichigan Ulao Waubeka Woodland
Politics The city of Milwaukee is overwhelmingly Democratic, while suburban Milwaukee County was historically politically divided, but has shifted to the left in recent election cycles. The WOW counties have long been a Republican stronghold for decades, but they have been trending to the left in recent elections. Dodge County, Jefferson County, Walworth County, and Racine County, which are located on the outskirts of the metro lean Republican. + Milwaukee Metro Presidential election resultsYearDemocraticRepublicanThird parties202450.8% 591,12247.4% 551,6861.8% 20,694202051.3% 583,80947.6% 535,1751.6% 18,760201648.1% 500,95745.7% 476,4146.2% 64,475201250.9% 568,02248.0% 535,6451.1% 11,760200853.1% 569,67245.7% 490,0481.2% 12,639200447.6% 512,24851.5% 552,9450.9% 9,371200046.0% 436,63150.2% 476,7973.8% 36,129
Debate over metropolitan government 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.
References
Metro Milwaukee Portal
External links 2003 article on consolidation of area governments https://web.archive.org/web/20170118134056/https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/bulletins/2013/b-13-01.pdf