What is the poverty rate in Wisconsin?
Updated monthly
About 10.3% of Wisconsin’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 601,246 people in Wisconsin were considered in poverty.
10.3%
of the population (2024)
601K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.3 percentage points lower than the previous year. Wisconsin's poverty rate hit a peak in 2013 of 13.5%.
In 2024, 10.3% of Wisconsin population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 601,246 people living in Wisconsin were in poverty — down 20.4% from the 2013 peak of 755,551.
In 2024, 601,200 people in Wisconsin were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Wisconsin decreased from 18.4% to 12.2%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 12.7% to 9.8%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 7.2% to 9.9%.
In 2024, 12.2% of children in Wisconsin were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in Wisconsin during 2024, six had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 29.4% in 2014 to 15.3% in 2024.
In Wisconsin, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 29.4% in 2014 to 15.3% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Wisconsin counties ranged from 4.6% in Ozaukee County to 21.2% in Menominee County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Milwaukee County — was 17.5%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Wisconsin counties ranged from 4.6% to 21.2%.
Poverty rate
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
