Housing data for Whitefish Bay, WI
Whitefish Bay, WI has an estimated 14,665 residents and 5,493 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a village in Milwaukee County.
16.9% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,335 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+5.0%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 14,665 (±50)
- Housing units
- 5,493 (±238)
- Households that rent
- 16.9%
- Median gross rent
- $1,335
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +5.0%
What stands out in Whitefish Bay
Median household income: $157,109 (±$13,116) in Whitefish Bay, higher than in Milwaukee County ($64,435).
Median home value: $533,800 (±$38,882) in Whitefish Bay, higher than in Milwaukee County ($230,700).
Median real estate taxes: $9,156 (±$467) in Whitefish Bay, higher than in Milwaukee County ($4,444).
Households that rent: 16.9% (±2.9 points) in Whitefish Bay, lower than in Milwaukee County (50.1%).
- Income and affordability in Whitefish Bay
- Home values in Whitefish Bay
- Property taxes in Whitefish Bay
- Renters and owners in Whitefish Bay
Housing in Whitefish Bay at a glance
- Median rent: $1,335 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,426 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 47.9% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 16.9% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $157,109 median household income
- Home values: $533,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,847 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $9,156 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 9.3% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 74.9% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 92.1% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 7.7% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 80.3% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 20.8 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 14 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +5.0% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 16.4% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 1.3% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Whitefish Bay against Milwaukee County, its state and the nation
| Whitefish Bay | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 14,665 (±50) | 926,331 (exact) | 5,914,872 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 5,493 (±238) | 426,715 (±391) | 2,778,572 (±1,533) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 16.9% (±2.9 points) | 50.1% (±0.7 points) | 32.2% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,335 (±$230) | $1,101 (±$8) | $1,087 (±$4) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $157,109 (±$13,116) | $64,435 (±$1,218) | $77,485 (±$455) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $533,800 (±$38,882) | $230,700 (±$2,063) | $266,500 (±$1,051) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $9,156 (±$467) | $4,444 (±$32) | $3,792 (±$12) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 92.1% (±7.1 points) | 78.8% (±0.9 points) | 57.0% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 20.8 minutes (±1.2) | 22.2 minutes (±0.2) | 22.2 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 97.3% (±1.2 points) | 89.6% (±0.4 points) | 90.3% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 40.5 years (±1.6) | 35.5 years (±0.1) | 40.2 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Whitefish Bay covers 2.1 square miles of land, about 6,934 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Whitefish Bay has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,972 (±57) | 14,665 (±50) | +5.0% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 5,409 (±157) | 5,493 (±238) | +1.6% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $1,243 (±$99) | $1,335 (±$230) | +7.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $387,000 (±$10,564) | $533,800 (±$38,882) | +37.9% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $124,397 (±$6,730) | $157,109 (±$13,116) | +26.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $2,434 (±$92) | $2,847 (±$147) | +17.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $7,506 (±$339) | $9,156 (±$467) | +22.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 19.5% (±2.7 points) | 16.9% (±2.9 points) | −2.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 4.1% (±4.5 points) | 7.7% (±6.0 points) | +3.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
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.
Crime reported to police in Whitefish Bay
In 2025, the Whitefish Bay Police Department reported 14 violent and 728 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Milwaukee County, the departments that report recorded 746 violent and 2,185 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Whitefish Bay
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53217 | 12% | 29,957 | $1,591 | $449,100 | $133,021 |
| 53211 | 10% | 34,234 | $1,287 | $434,500 | $75,256 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Whitefish Bay
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glendale | 1.6 mi | $1,432 | $282,800 | 30.5% |
| Shorewood | 1.7 mi | $1,347 | $443,700 | 54.4% |
| Fox Point | 3.1 mi | $1,726 | $444,700 | 22.8% |
| River Hills | 4.5 mi | $2,156 | $699,600 | 8.5% |
| Milwaukee | 4.8 mi | $1,059 | $184,000 | 58.2% |
| Bayside | 4.8 mi | $1,647 | $431,900 | 15.0% |
| Brown Deer | 5.7 mi | $1,183 | $239,300 | 34.8% |
| Wauwatosa | 7.6 mi | $1,438 | $339,000 | 39.2% |
Places in Wisconsin most like Whitefish Bay
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elm Grove | $1,900 | $510,400 | $158,016 | 11.5% |
| Bayside | $1,647 | $431,900 | $160,096 | 15.0% |
| Maple Bluff | $1,438 | $882,700 | $198,750 | 7.6% |
| Fox Point | $1,726 | $444,700 | $141,467 | 22.8% |
| Town of Theresa | $1,275 | $321,000 | $116,750 | 12.8% |
| Big Bend | $1,125 | $323,500 | $134,615 | 8.9% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Wisconsin.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Whitefish Bay, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $985 | $1,060 | $1,263 | $1,553 | $1,664 |
HUD income limits for Whitefish Bay, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $22,750 | $37,950 | $60,700 |
| 2 people | $26,000 | $43,400 | $69,400 |
| 3 people | $29,250 | $48,800 | $78,050 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $54,200 | $86,700 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $58,550 | $93,650 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $62,900 | $100,600 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $67,250 | $107,550 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $71,550 | $114,450 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $108,400.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
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 Whitefish Bay
What is the average rent in Whitefish Bay, WI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Whitefish Bay is $1,335 (±$230) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Whitefish Bay?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Whitefish Bay, WI is $1,186 (±$283) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Whitefish Bay rent-burdened?
47.9% of renting households in Whitefish Bay pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Whitefish Bay?
Whitefish Bay has an estimated 901 (±155) renting households, 16.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Whitefish Bay?
The median household income in Whitefish Bay is $157,109 (±$13,116) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Whitefish Bay, WI?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $533,800 (±$38,882) for owner-occupied homes in Whitefish Bay (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Whitefish Bay growing?
In Whitefish Bay, the number of residents went from 13,972 in 2015–2019 to 14,665 in 2020–2024 (+5.0%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Whitefish Bay?
The ZIP codes that cover Whitefish Bay are 53217, 53211.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 53217?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 53217 is $1,591 (±$79) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Whitefish Bay Police Department (ORI WI0411800)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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) for Whitefish Bay village, Wisconsin (place:86700, in state:55).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .