What percentage of people rent in Wauwatosa, WI?

Name: Renters and owners in Wauwatosa, WI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

39.2% (±2.1 points) of the occupied homes in Wauwatosa, WI are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 8,708 renting households against 13,531 that own their home.

In Wauwatosa, the share of households that rent went from 36.5% in 2015–2019 to 39.2% in 2020–2024 (+2.7 percentage points), a measurable increase.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 39.2% (±2.1 points)
Renting households: 8,708 (±512)
Median renter income: $61,920 (±$5,946)

Who rents and who owns in Wauwatosa

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Wauwatosa	Milwaukee County	Wisconsin	United States
Renter-occupied share	39.2% (±2.1 points)	50.1% (±0.7 points)	32.2% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	8,708 (±512)	196,633 (±2,633)	797,266 (±6,241)	45,017,354
Owning households	13,531 (±568)	195,766 (±2,932)	1,682,214 (±9,276)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.7 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.0 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$61,920 (±$5,946)	$44,490 (±$969)	$48,374 (±$478)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$127,367 (±$5,317)	$92,867 (±$1,533)	$95,874 (±$462)	$100,009

In Wauwatosa, the renter share is lower than in Milwaukee County (50.1%).

It is also higher than in Wisconsin (32.2%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Milwaukee County, Wauwatosa ranks 9 of 19 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 121 of 1,848.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Wauwatosa has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	36.5% (±1.4 points)	39.2% (±2.1 points)	+2.7 percentage points	Measurable increase
Median gross rent	$1,116 (±$31)	$1,438 (±$77)	+28.9%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$82,392 (±$3,848)	$101,138 (±$6,872)	+22.8%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Wauwatosa

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Wauwatosa
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Wauwatosa	—	39.2% (±2.1 points)	—
Elm Grove	2.8 mi	11.5% (±5.0 points)	Lower
Milwaukee	3.5 mi	58.2% (±0.8 points)	Higher
Butler	3.6 mi	48.2% (±8.9 points)	Not measurably different
West Allis	3.9 mi	44.5% (±2.9 points)	Higher
Brookfield	4.2 mi	17.2% (±2.5 points)	Lower
West Milwaukee	4.8 mi	66.2% (±8.0 points)	Higher
Glendale	7.0 mi	30.5% (±4.7 points)	Lower
Town of Brookfield	7.1 mi	42.5% (±5.2 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Elm Grove, WI (11.5%), Brookfield, WI (17.2%), Glendale, WI (30.5%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Milwaukee, WI (58.2%), West Allis, WI (44.5%), West Milwaukee, WI (66.2%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Milwaukee County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
3	Shorewood	54.4% (±4.0 points)
4	St. Francis	45.4% (±6.0 points)
5	Greenfield	45.2% (±3.1 points)
6	West Allis	44.5% (±2.9 points)
7	Oak Creek	42.5% (±2.6 points)
8	Hales Corners	39.3% (±6.2 points)
9	Wauwatosa	39.2% (±2.1 points)
10	Cudahy	38.6% (±4.3 points)
11	Brown Deer	34.8% (±5.6 points)
12	South Milwaukee	33.2% (±3.2 points)
13	Greendale	32.8% (±4.7 points)
14	Glendale	30.5% (±4.7 points)
15	Fox Point	22.8% (±9.0 points)

Showing 13 of 19 places in Milwaukee County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Wauwatosa

How many renters are there in Wauwatosa?

Wauwatosa has an estimated 8,708 (±512) renting households, 39.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Wauwatosa?

In Wauwatosa, the share of households that rent went from 36.5% in 2015–2019 to 39.2% in 2020–2024 (+2.7 percentage points), a measurable increase.

How big are renting households in Wauwatosa?

A renting household in Wauwatosa has 1.7 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Wauwatosa?

The median renting household in Wauwatosa, WI has an income of $61,920 (±$5,946) a year, against $127,367 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Wauwatosa city, Wisconsin (place:84675, in state:55).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.