Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee minimum-wage workers must spend 84% of salary to afford typical rent, study says

Published

2 years ago

November 27, 2024

Milwaukee minimum-wage workers must spend 84% of salary to afford typical rent, study says

Among the 50 largest U.S. cities, Milwaukee ranks in the bottom half for affordability for minimum-wage workers, according to a new study by Clever Real Estate.

More specifically, the study looked how feasible it was for minimum-wage workers in each city to rent a one-bedroom residence if they were to follow the common advice that people should not spend more than 30% of their income on rent.

While some areas were more affordable than others, Clever Real Estate found that it was not possible in any of the 50 cities, including Milwaukee, for minimum-wage workers to rent a typical one-bedroom apartment in their city for less than 30% of their salary.

Here’s what to know about the rent-to-income ratio in Milwaukee and how it compares to other major cities.

How affordable is Milwaukee rent for minimum-wage workers?

Milwaukee tied with New York City as the 30th-most affordable city for minimum-wage workers.

According to Clever Real Estate, a person working minimum wage for 40 hours a week in Milwaukee would need to spend a whopping 84% of their annual earnings to afford a typical one-bedroom rental in the city.

The typical one-bedroom in Milwaukee amounts to $1,056 monthly, the study said. An affordable rent for minimum wage workers — meaning it would cost 30% of their annual salary — would be $377 monthly.

Milwaukee and Wisconsin have seen some of the country’s fastest-rising rents in the past year. Between March 2023 and March 2024, Milwaukee logged a median rent price of $1,835 per month, according to Rent.com. That’s well above the Midwest median of $1,456 but slightly under the national median of $1,987.

How does Wisconsin minimum wage compare to other cities?

Wisconsin is one of 13 states where minimum wage still sits at the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Thirty states have passed a wage higher than this into law, including Wisconsin’s neighboring states Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan.

Seven states have no minimum wage law or a rate lower than the federal wage, meaning the federal rate applies in these states, barring a few exceptions.

To comfortably afford the typical one-bedroom Milwaukee rent, Clever Real Estate found that a person needs to make at least $20.31 an hour — almost three times the current minimum wage.

Most affordable cities for minimum-wage workers

Though no cities were affordable enough — or had high enough wages — for minimum-wage workers to follow the “30% rule,” here are the ones that topped the list:

Buffalo, N.Y. (39% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
St. Louis (46% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Hartford, Conn. (48% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Minneapolis (51% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Providence, R.I. (54% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Cincinnati (55% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Cleveland (55% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Kansas City, Mo. (55% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Denver (56% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)
Detroit (61% of minimum-wage income needed to rent typical one-bedroom)

Claire Reid contributed to this report.

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Milwaukee, WI

Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

Published

3 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

MILWAUKEE — An Oak Creek couple’s stolen car has been found after a viewer who saw a report on the theft spotted it near a south side Milwaukee apartment complex.

Melinna Posey said the ordeal began when her car was stolen and she turned to social media for help. A person who responded claimed to have the vehicle and demanded money for its return. The person messaging even taunted her, discarding some of the items inside the car.

Personal items were inside the vehicle, including the family’s car seat, stroller, cameras and photos.

“It’s been very stressful, especially for him. It’s his vehicle, it’s in his name,” Posey said.

Watch: Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

I spoke to Posey on Tuesday. Since then, she and Tyler Dusenberry had been searching for the car. On Thursday, the couple received a message from someone who saw the story on TMJ4. That person found the car at a south side Milwaukee apartment complex and shared pictures of the red Dodge Durango SRT between trees and a building, covered in tarps.

“I didn’t believe the text message at first today, and then he sent pictures of the car, and I was like, thank the lord, I was like thank you so much,” Posey said.

“It’s a roller coaster that’s what it’s been,” Dusenberry said.

Brendyn Jones/TMJ4

Oak Creek Police picked up the car and are processing it for evidence. The family has not yet been able to see the inside of the vehicle or what, if anything, was left behind.

The family said they are grateful to everyone who helped them this week, but said the entire experience will be tough to get over.

“It’s just unfortunate that this all happened, and we had a lot of memories and trips within that vehicle so it’s just a little life-changing to be honest,” Dusenberry said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Milwaukee, WI

$95,000 worth of Milwaukee tools stolen in Plover

Published

13 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

,000 worth of Milwaukee tools stolen in Plover

PLOVER, Wis. (WBAY) – Police in the western part of the state are spreading the word after someone stole over $95,000 worth of Milwaukee-brand tools. Police are concerned that they’ll be sold online or sold outside the state.

Milwaukee-brand tools were stolen from a trailer at a solar farm in Plover.

Police say there were 130 items, including more than 40 half-inch impact guns, multiple wire cutters, grease guns, 80 batteries, and a couple of small generators.

Investigators are warning that buyers who purchase stolen items can have them seized and could lose their money or even face criminal charges if they knew the property was stolen.

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