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:

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

Claire Reid contributed to this report.