Property tax in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
In Milwaukee County, the property tax bill comes from the treasurer of your city or village (the Milwaukee County Treasurer collects only older delinquent taxes in the 18 suburbs, and none in the City of Milwaukee). The 2026 bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due January 31, 2027. Taken from Milwaukee County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is $4,444 a year, which is about 1.93% of the county's median home value of $230,700. That effective rate is higher than the typical Wisconsin county (1.36%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Milwaukee County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the treasurer of your city or village (the Milwaukee County Treasurer collects only older delinquent taxes in the 18 suburbs, and none in the City of Milwaukee). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the assessor for your city or village (in the City of Milwaukee, the City Assessor's Office); the county does not value property, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong.
In Milwaukee County the county treasurer does not collect current taxes, so the county has no page for paying a current bill. Each of the 19 cities and villages bills and collects its own residents' taxes, including the second installment, and the county treasurer collects late taxes in the 18 suburbs only after the local collection period ends on July 31. The City of Milwaukee is separate: the City Treasurer bills and collects the combined bill (city, county, Milwaukee Public Schools, the technical college and the sewerage district) and its own late taxes, and offers a ten-month installment plan with payments due the last day of each month from January through October. Several suburbs also offer more than two installments (South Milwaukee, for example, uses January 31, April 30 and July 31), so check the schedule on your bill. The county's online payment site for delinquent taxes is run by an outside processor that charges 2.55% for cards and $1.50 for an e-check.
When are property taxes due in Milwaukee County?
For the 2026 (payable 2027) bill, Milwaukee County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due January 31, 2027 and the last July 31, 2027. In the suburbs, a missed installment ends the installment option and makes the whole unpaid balance delinquent. Delinquent taxes carry 18% a year (1% a month interest under state law plus a 0.5% a month county penalty), counted back to February 1. Your city or village treasurer collects late current-year taxes through July 31; after that they are paid to the Milwaukee County Treasurer, which can also set up a monthly payment plan. In the City of Milwaukee, the City Treasurer collects its own late taxes at the same 1% a month interest plus 0.5% a month penalty from February 1; one missed monthly installment can be made up with 1% interest, but a second makes the whole balance delinquent.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full payment, or first installment (paid to your city or village treasurer) | January 31, 2027 | This is the schedule state law sets; your city or village may offer more installments, so follow the dates printed on your bill. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday. In the 18 suburbs, state law does not treat the first installment as late if the treasurer receives it within 5 working days after January 31, and because January 31 falls on a weekend that period ends at the close of business on Friday, February 5, 2027. The City of Milwaukee collects under a separate state law without that grace period: its treasurer counts a payment as on time only if it is received, or postmarked, by January 31, and its instructions do not mention a weekend extension. Paying in installments is allowed only when the real estate tax on the parcel is $100 or more. |
| Second installment (paid to your city or village treasurer) | July 31, 2027 | July 31, 2027 is a Saturday. In the suburbs, state law does not treat the second installment as late if it is received within 5 working days after July 31, and because July 31 falls on a weekend that period ends at the close of business on Friday, August 6, 2027. Suburbs with a three-installment plan also have a payment due April 30. City of Milwaukee residents on the installment plan pay on the last day of each month from February through October instead. |
From Milwaukee County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Milwaukee County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Milwaukee County's average effective rate of 1.93% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $4,453 / year
Property tax in Milwaukee County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $4,444 |
| Median home value | $230,700 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.93% |
| Typical Wisconsin county rate | 1.36% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Milwaukee County compare in Wisconsin?
Among Wisconsin's 72 counties, Milwaukee County has the 2nd highest effective property-tax rate: 1 rank higher and 70 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 109th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Wisconsin county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Milwaukee County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Milwaukee County's 195,766 owner-occupied homes, 76.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 87.2% pay at least $2,000, and 2.5% pay under $800. Another 1.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 4,851 | 2.5% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 8,209 | 4.2% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 8,661 | 4.4% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 21,508 | 11% |
| $3,000 or more | 149,087 | 76.2% |
| No property tax paid | 3,450 | 1.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $4,534 and owners without one pay $4,255. That is within 10% either way, so in Milwaukee County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Milwaukee County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $4,444 is about 4.8% of the median income of Milwaukee County homeowner households, $92,867 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 49.9% of Milwaukee County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Milwaukee County?
Yes. The median bill went from $3,889 in 2015-2019 to $4,444 in 2020-2024, a 14.3% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 45.7%, from $158,300 to $230,700. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County borders 6 counties, 2 of them across the state line.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County, WI (this county) | 1.93% | $4,444 | $230,700 |
| Racine County, WI | 1.63% | $4,099 | $251,400 |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 1.19% | $4,631 | $390,200 |
| Muskegon County, MI | 1.18% | $2,348 | $198,300 |
| Waukesha County, WI | 1.14% | $4,554 | $398,200 |
| Washington County, WI | 1.1% | $3,802 | $344,800 |
| Ottawa County, MI | 1.02% | $3,313 | $323,400 |
How is a home assessed in Milwaukee County?
Wisconsin assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Milwaukee County included. How Wisconsin assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Milwaukee County?
No. Wisconsin has no homestead exemption; owner-occupants instead see the Lottery and Gaming Credit and the School Levy Tax Credit printed on the bill. That is the Wisconsin rule, and it applies in Milwaukee County. Wisconsin's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Milwaukee County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Wisconsin ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Milwaukee County property assessment
In Milwaukee County you appeal to the The Board of Review of your city or village (in the City of Milwaukee, the Board of Assessors first, then the Board of Review). The deadline: In the suburbs, talk to your assessor first, then give the Board of Review clerk written or oral notice that you intend to object at least 48 hours before the board's first meeting and file a written objection within the first 2 hours of that meeting. Each board meets some time in the 45 days starting the fourth Monday in April. In the City of Milwaukee, file a written objection with the Assessor's Office by 4:45 p.m. on the third Monday in May; the Board of Assessors decides it, and if you disagree you can take it to the Board of Review. Once the December tax bill arrives it is too late to object for that year. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Wisconsin's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Wisconsin rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Wisconsin page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Milwaukee County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Wisconsin income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Wisconsin actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Milwaukee County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.