53218 ZIP Code — Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

ZIP code 53218 is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, within Milwaukee County. It covers approximately 5.87 square miles and serves a population of 41,775 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 414.

About ZIP code 53218

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 1950s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $108,400. Renters make up the majority at 58%, typical of denser urban areas.

Median household income is $41,478. Poverty affects 31% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 38% of households reflects economic stress in the area.

The dominant occupation class is production, transportation, and material moving, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 23 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 10% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of obesity (45%), smoking (25%) compared to national benchmarks.

Overall, ZIP code 53218 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

41,775

population

5.87

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

53218 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 53218

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 53218. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Milwaukee	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

53216 Milwaukee (2.1 mi) 53225 Milwaukee (2.4 mi) 53209 Milwaukee (3.2 mi) 53222 Milwaukee (3.2 mi) 53223 Milwaukee (3.3 mi) 53210 Milwaukee (3.4 mi) 53007 Butler (3.9 mi) 53224 Milwaukee (4 mi) 53206 Milwaukee (4.1 mi) 53217 Milwaukee (4.3 mi) 53213 Milwaukee (4.6 mi) 53226 Milwaukee (5 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	41,775
Population density	7,117 / sq mi
State FIPS	55
County FIPS	079

Geography
Land area	5.87 sq mi
Water area	0.01 sq mi
Latitude	43.1155
Longitude	-87.9940
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	414

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	63.4%	48.0%	39.4%
$50k – $100k	27.4%	30.2%	33.0%
$100k – $200k	8.7%	17.8%	22.4%
Over $200k	0.6%	4.0%	5.2%

Demographics & statistics

41,775

Population

7,117

People per sq mi

29.4

Median age

$41,478

Median household income

$20,053

Per capita income

$108,400

Median home value

$990

Median monthly rent

41.6%

Home ownership

31.1%

Poverty rate

11.0%

Unemployment

7,184

Housing units

10.1%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

1,712

Under 5

1,911

1,840

5–9

2,054

1,945

10–14

2,170

1,739

15–19

1,941

1,406

20–24

1,570

2,816

25–34

3,143

2,255

35–44

2,516

2,212

45–54

2,469

1,131

55–59

1,262

952

60–64

1,063

1,153

65–74

1,287

370

75–84

412

211

85+

235

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	13,915	33.3%
18 and over	27,860	66.7%
65 and over	3,668	8.8%
Median age	29.4 years

Race & ethnicity

Black or African American 69.5%

White 10.8%

Asian 8.4%

Two or more races 4.1%

Hispanic or Latino 3.6%

Other race 3.1%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Group	Count	%
Black or African American	30,105	69.5%
White	4,668	10.8%
Asian	3,647	8.4%
Two or more races	1,794	4.1%
Hispanic or Latino	1,559	3.6%
Other race	1,324	3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	208	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	29	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	63.4%	48.0%	39.4%
$50k – $100k	27.4%	30.2%	33.0%
$100k – $200k	8.7%	17.8%	22.4%
Over $200k	0.6%	4.0%	5.2%

Under $10k 10.9%

$10k–$15k 6.4%

$15k–$25k 12.3%

$25k–$35k 13.0%

$35k–$50k 15.5%

$50k–$75k 19.9%

$75k–$100k 11.3%

$100k–$150k 7.6%

$150k–$200k 1.4%

$200k+ 1.6%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	10.9%
$10k–$15k	6.4%
$15k–$25k	12.3%
$25k–$35k	13.0%
$35k–$50k	15.5%
$50k–$75k	19.9%
$75k–$100k	11.3%
$100k–$150k	7.6%
$150k–$200k	1.4%
$200k+	1.6%
Median income	$41,478

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 6.7%

$50k–$100k 36.7%

$100k–$150k 34.5%

$150k–$200k 12.6%

$200k–$300k 5.7%

$300k–$500k 0.6%

$500k–$1M 3.2%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$108,400
Median rent / month	$990
Owner occupied	41.6%
Renter occupied	58.4%
Vacant	7.7%
Single-family detached	56.0%
Large apartment buildings	3.3%
Mobile homes	0.5%
Median rooms	5.0
Avg household size (owned)	2.69

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.4%
2010–2019	2.3%
2000–2009	1.7%
1990–1999	1.3%
1980–1989	3.3%
1970–1979	10.2%
1960–1969	18.0%
1950–1959	39.5%
1940–1949	12.6%
1939 or earlier	10.6%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.6%
1 bedroom	5.6%
2 bedrooms	35.1%
3 bedrooms	45.0%
4 bedrooms	11.3%
5+ bedrooms	1.4%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	17.2%
1 vehicle	46.0%
2 vehicles	25.6%
3 or more	11.2%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	86.9%
Electricity	10.8%
Propane / LP gas	0.5%
Fuel oil	1.2%
No fuel used	0.7%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	3,280	22.8%
Cohabiting couple	1,268	8.8%
Male householder, no spouse	3,281	22.8%
Female householder, no spouse	6,574	45.6%
Households with children under 18	5,404	37.5%
Households with seniors (65+)	3,093	21.5%
Average household size	2.88

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	59.9%	62.0%
Married	25.3%	21.7%
Separated	2.6%	1.9%
Widowed	2.4%	6.5%
Divorced	9.8%	7.9%

Education

Less than 9th grade 5.2%

Some HS, no diploma 11.8%

HS graduate 41.5%

Some college, no degree 22.9%

Associate's degree 8.5%

Bachelor's degree 7.6%

Graduate / professional 2.5%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	82.9%
Bachelor's or higher	10.1%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	420	3.2%
Kindergarten	1,365	10.6%
Elementary school	6,398	49.5%
High school	3,163	24.5%
College / grad school	1,580	12.2%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 28.5%

Manufacturing 20.2%

Retail trade 11.2%

Transportation & utilities 8.7%

Arts, food & hospitality 7.5%

Professional & management 6.1%

Finance & real estate 5.8%

Other services 5.1%

Construction 2.4%

Public administration 2.0%

Wholesale trade 1.4%

Information 0.8%

Agriculture & mining 0.5%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	19.7%
Service	25.3%
Sales & office	22.2%
Natural resources & construction	5.4%
Production & transportation	27.4%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	88.3%
Government	8.6%
Self-employed	3.0%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	76.4%
Carpool	7.4%
Public transit	6.6%
Walk	0.7%
Work from home	7.4%
Other means	1.5%
Avg commute (minutes)	22.9

Poverty

All people 31.1%

Under 18 years 48.7%

18 and over 22.4%

Married-couple families 8.9%

Female-led households 34.2%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	28.7%
Retirement income	13.5%
Supplemental Security	9.8%
Cash public assistance	4.7%
Food stamps / SNAP	38.3%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	45.1%
High blood pressure	37.9%
High cholesterol	29.7%
Diabetes	13.2%
Heart disease	5.4%
Stroke	4.1%
Asthma	12.4%
Arthritis	23.3%
Kidney disease	3.5%
Pulmonary disease	6.9%
Cancer	4.5%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	25.2%
Binge drinking	20.3%
No physical activity	30.7%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	40.3%
Depression	18.4%
Fair or poor health	21.0%
Poor mental health	16.7%
Poor physical health	12.6%
No health insurance	17.1%
Visited doctor (checkup)	78.0%
Visited dentist	54.7%
Cholesterol screening	84.3%
Teeth loss	21.0%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	909	3.3%

Disability	%
Any disability	13.7%
Under 18	4.8%
18–64 years	13.8%
65 and over	46.7%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	39.9%
Public insurance	60.3%
No insurance	6.9%
Uninsured under 19	1.3%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	38,152	91.3%
Spanish	1,705	4.5%
Other Indo-European	429	1.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander	11	0.0%
Other languages	1,245	3.3%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	39,276	94.0%
Born in same state	38,959	93.3%
Born in different state	30,159	72.2%
Foreign born	317	0.8%
Naturalized citizen	2,499	6.0%
Not a US citizen	1,847	73.9%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	795	1.9%
Arab	461	1.1%
French	209	0.5%
Polish	111	0.3%

Ancestry	Count	%
German	62	0.1%
English	39	0.1%
Irish	21	0.1%
Dutch	9	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	34.5%
Internet access	91.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 53218

What city is ZIP code 53218 in?

ZIP code 53218 is primarily assigned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

What county is ZIP code 53218 in?

ZIP code 53218 falls within Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

Is ZIP code 53218 family-oriented?

33% of residents in ZIP code 53218 are under 18, reflecting a younger, family-oriented community.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 53218?

31% of residents in ZIP code 53218 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 53218?

10% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

Is ZIP code 53218 mostly rentals?

58% of occupied units in ZIP code 53218 are renter-occupied.

What timezone is ZIP code 53218 in?

ZIP code 53218 observes the CST timezone.