City · Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

West Allis, Wisconsin

West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area. It has 59,612 residents. West Allis, Wisconsin has a quality-of-life score of 58 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,527 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wisconsin it ranks #362 of 396 cities and towns. It ranks best on natural hazard risk (low), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and distance to an airport (low). It ranks worst on homicide rate (high), child care cost burden (high) and violent crime rate (high).

58Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,527 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wisconsin: #362 of 396 in WI
Population: 59,612 (2020-2024)
Land area: 11 mi²
Density: 5,237.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 5585300

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety3#15,218/15,637
Economy54#7,252/15,631
Housing89#1,652/14,977
Health35#10,215/15,609
Healthcare72#4,456/15,650
Environment43#8,768/15,453
Education29#11,104/15,649
Infrastructure84#2,537/15,650
Community77#3,605/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,929/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where West Allis, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Milwaukee County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Natural hazard risk · low1.6
98/100Wisconsin 10.52025Federal Emergency Management AgencyMilwaukee County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
98/100Wisconsin 40 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMilwaukee County value
Distance to an airport · low8 mi
97/100Wisconsin 37 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMilwaukee County value
Rent-burdened households · low40.8%
95/100Wisconsin 43.7%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low25.7%
94/100Wisconsin 27.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Distance to an emergency room · low2.9 mi
93/100Wisconsin 5.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMilwaukee County value

Weaknesses

Homicide rate · high18.7 /100k
1/100Wisconsin 4.3 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMilwaukee County value
Child care cost burden · high46.6%
1/100Wisconsin 30.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMilwaukee County value
Violent crime rate · high764 /100k
2/100Wisconsin 240 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMilwaukee County value
Reading scores · low2.54
3/100Wisconsin 3.00United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMilwaukee County value
Math scores · low2.49
3/100Wisconsin 3.03United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMilwaukee County value
Injury deaths · high150 /100k
3/100Wisconsin 101 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMilwaukee County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedImproving
1.9 /1k (2022) → 4.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+132%4 yearsUS 5.0 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.0% (2015-2019) → 89.9% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$52,325 (2015-2019) → $67,611 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
24.6% (2015-2019) → 29.6% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
44.6% (2015-2019) → 40.8% (2020-2024)
−3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
14.1% (2015-2019) → 12.0% (2020-2024)
−2.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, West Allis, Wisconsin improved on 4 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Property tax−0.7 points2.55% → 1.81%
Broadband+13 points77.0% → 89.9%
Bachelor's++5 points24.6% → 29.6%
Household income+29%$52,325 → $67,611

Declined1

Inequality+0.0230.400 → 0.423

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of West Allis, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.1 min2015-2019	21.0 min2020-2024	−1.0 min	Within the margin of error	60%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.6%2015-2019	29.6%2020-2024	+5 points	Improved	68%
Broadband subscriptions	77.0%2015-2019	89.9%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	72%
Child poverty rate	14.1%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Effective property tax rate	2.55%2015-2019	1.81%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Improved	97%
High school diploma or higher	92.6%2015-2019	92.0%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	66%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4002015-2019	0.4232020-2024	+0.023	Declined	31%
Median household income	$52,3252015-2019	$67,6112020-2024	+29%	Improved	54%
Poverty rate	11.9%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Public transit commuters	3.0%2015-2019	2.8%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Rent as share of income	27.5%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Rent-burdened households	44.6%2015-2019	40.8%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Unemployment rate	3.7%2015-2019	4.1%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.7%2015-2019	8.2%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	29%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like West Allis, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of West Allis, Wisconsin in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, West Allis, Wisconsin itself moved +3.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

59,612 residents (±32)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

28,311 households (±712)

West Allis, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k16%4,424
$25k–50k21%5,905
$50k–75k20%5,619

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

28,311 households (±712)

West Allis, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own55%15,705
Rent45%12,606

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.4 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

30,746 workers (±991)

West Allis, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone78%23,915
Carpool7.0%2,163
Public transit2.8%†852

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Milwaukee County, the county holding most of West Allis's residents.

Milwaukee County has 20,466 employer establishments, 222 for every 10,000 residents (0.89× the US rate of 248; 0.91× Wisconsin's), with 435,400 paid employees at an average annual pay of $69,984. The Census Bureau also counts 64,163 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 20,466; 64,163 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 222; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 435,400
Average annual pay: $69,984; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Milwaukee County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,854	20.1	0.97×About typical	31,273	$82,211	3,051
Restaurants and other eating places	1,578	17.1	0.93×About typical	29,491	$22,274	375
Lessors of real estate	819	8.9	0.72×Fewer than typical	5,314	$64,448	5,451
Specialty trade contractors	789	8.6	0.55×Fewer than typical	8,361	$79,346	2,832
Offices of physicians	774	8.4	1.30×More than typical	13,081	$100,390	362
Limited-service restaurants	699	7.6	0.95×About typical	13,195	$19,256	160
Full-service restaurants	686	7.4	0.97×About typical	13,798	$25,219	149
Employment services	580	6.3	3.77×More than typical	17,750	$45,363	70
Individual and family services	552	6	2.14×More than typical	14,216	$32,402	452
Child day care services	516	5.6	2.29×More than typical	4,093	$28,248	1,435
Services to buildings and dwellings	479	5.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	5,356	$32,947	2,832
Truck transportation	469	5.1	1.01×About typical	5,021	$63,338	1,804

Rank places for an industry Open Milwaukee County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 921,609 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $21.6M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in West Allis, Wisconsin: $363 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $21.6M; −49% vs FY2025
Per resident: $363; US $1,994
Sole-source: 42%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.3%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$6.2M29%
Department of the Army$6M28%
Defense Logistics Agency$5.8M27%
Department of the Navy$2.7M12%
Department of the Air Force$999.3K4.6%
U.S. Coast Guard$829.6K3.8%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$723.7K3.3%
Defense Health Agency$66.4K0.3%

Top recipients

BEYOND VISION INC$6.1M28%
PROGRESSIVE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LLC$3.6M16%
INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED, INC.$3.5M16%
BEYOND VISION - AIB INC.$2.1M9.9%
REMY BATTERY CO INC$2M9.4%

Spending by fiscal year

39.6MFY2017
32.8MFY2018
28.8MFY2019
31.8MFY2020
15.8MFY2021
21.8MFY2022
24.8MFY2023
32.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$6.2M29%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$3.6M17%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$2.6M12%
Advertising, public relations, and related services · 5418$2.5M12%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$2M9.4%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in West Allis, Wisconsin

FF&E CENSUS HQ REIMANGED$38.1M
INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED, INC.· Milwaukee County, WI· Construction & real property· Sep 17, 2021 – Sep 22, 2026· 1333LC21P00000114
CONTRACTOR OPERATED CIVIL ENGINEERING SUPPLY STORE$12.3M
INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED, INC.· Milwaukee County, WI· Other equipment & supplies· Sep 24, 2020 – Mar 6, 2026· FA461020P0070
REQUIREMENT IS FOR 224 EACH OF THE REFRIDGERATION TOOL KITS (RTK).$7.3M
BEYOND VISION INC· Milwaukee County, WI· Other equipment & supplies· Mar 24, 2026 – Mar 24, 2026· W912CH26F0190

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in West Allis, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

West Allis, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Milwaukee County, WI ($234.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 9.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: West Allis is mostly in Milwaukee County.

See federal money in Milwaukee County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

West Allis, Wisconsin is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Milwaukee County49100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI73

Other cities and towns in Milwaukee County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5585300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends