Sales tax in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
There is no single sales tax rate in Milwaukee County. It runs from 5.9% to 7.9% depending on the exact address, because cities and special districts inside the county levy their own on top of the 5% state rate. The 5% state rate applies everywhere in the county; everything above that depends on where you are standing.
What is the sales tax rate in Milwaukee County?
| Wisconsin state rate | 5% |
|---|---|
| Milwaukee County rate | 0.9% |
| Lowest combined rate in the county | 5.9% |
| Highest combined rate in the county | 7.9% |
The two combined figures are the lowest and highest totals found anywhere inside the county. They are not a state rate plus a county rate added together, and adding the rows above will not reproduce them, because cities and special districts levy in between.
Why the rate here is not the whole story
Wisconsin's state sales and use tax is 5 percent and Milwaukee County levies a 0.9 percent county sales and use tax, raised from 0.5 percent effective January 1, 2024 under 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, so the floor anywhere in the county is 5.9 percent. On the same date the city of Milwaukee added a 2 percent city sales and use tax, the only city sales tax in Wisconsin, so an address inside the city is taxed at 7.9 percent while the rest of the county stays at 5.9 percent. That is why the county line is not the tax boundary here and why an address level lookup matters. Groceries are mostly untaxed here: Wisconsin exempts all food and food ingredients except candy, dietary supplements, prepared food and soft drinks, so a normal grocery receipt carries no sales tax at any of these rates. No stadium district tax is in effect anywhere in Wisconsin. The Brown County football stadium tax ended September 30, 2015 and the professional baseball park district tax ended March 31, 2020, and the Department's current rate chart and rate and boundary files list no district tax other than the Milwaukee County local exposition taxes on lodging, prepared food and beverages and short term car rentals, which are separate taxes on certain sellers.
How do I find the exact rate for an address in Milwaukee County?
Because the rate changes within the county, an address is the only way to get it right. Use Wisconsin's own lookup. A vendor's calculator is not the state speaking.
Who has to collect sales tax in Milwaukee County?
A seller with a physical presence in Wisconsin collects at the rate for the address where the sale takes place. A remote seller collects once it passes Wisconsin's economic nexus threshold, which is a separate question from the rate and is covered on our sales tax nexus checker. Marketplace facilitators generally collect on behalf of their sellers.
How does Milwaukee County compare?
See Wisconsin sales tax for the statewide picture, including the average local rate and what is exempt. Property tax is a separate tax with separate rules: property tax in Milwaukee County.
Sources
- Milwaukee County rates: Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Tax Rates common questions, Sales Tax Rate Chart of state, county and city sales and use tax rates with adoption dates, guidance document 100047 dated January 16, 2026, https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/FAQS/pcs-taxrates.aspx#txrate11, cross checked against the Department's County and City Sales and Use Taxes page, guidance document 100112 dated February 11, 2026, the Department's Premier Resort Area Tax page and Publication 403, Publication 201 and Publication 220, and per address results returned by the Department's Wisconsin State and Local Sales Tax Rate Lookup at https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/Apps/strb.aspx
- Collected and verified September 9, 2026. Confidence: P on the rate components, P on the range (P read on a primary agency page, S strong but indirect, U unverified).