Kenosha, WI

Metro Area Profile

168,438 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Kenosha, WI metropolitan area.

72out of 100
Area Score
Top 5% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
OpportunityTop 6% of 835 metro and micro areas measured80
Schools423rd of 695 metro and micro areas measured42
GrowthTop 37% of 834 metro and micro areas measured58
Housing affordabilityTop 41% of 835 metro and micro areas measured75
Climate594th of 835 metro and micro areas measured60
Physical resilienceTop 1% of 835 metro and micro areas measured99
Access433rd of 835 metro and micro areas measured76
Economic stabilityTop 13% of 835 metro and micro areas measured82
The quick read

Kenosha ranks in the top 6% of metro and micro areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.5% and median household income of $81,239.

In the public schools here, 38% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.0 students for every teacher.

583 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 9% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
168,438
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$81,239
Top 16% nationally
Density
620/sq mi
271.8 sq mi of land
Median age
39.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Metropolitan area
Wisconsin
Nearest major airport
ORD
42 mi · Chicago O'Hare Intl
Median home value
$265,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.5%, lower than in 77% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment grew 1.5% over the past year, to 94,355 employed residents.

31% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 70% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$2,4622024 ACS 5-Year$81,239Top 16%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,0072024 ACS 5-Year$42,757Top 19%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year10.0%Top 22%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year26.7 minBottom 24%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year31.2%Top 30%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year78.6%62nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202694,355Top 28%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+2.5%Top 19%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+1.5%Top 12%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202697,80172nd percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year80.8%Top 22%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage2025 OEWS$60,490Bottom 48%of 3922025 OEWS
Median annual wage2025 OEWS$48,310Top 44%of 3922025 OEWS
Metro employment2025 OEWS75,45037th percentileof 3922025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%72nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.1%Bottom 30%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.5%Top 23%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year10.7%68th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.62.5
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.5% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Largest occupations — Kenosha, WI

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand5,420$46,990
Stockers and Order Fillers2,530$46,030
Retail Salespersons2,280$33,580
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,120$29,070
Cashiers1,870$32,380
Registered Nurses1,730$83,110

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

38% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 41% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.0 students for every full-time teacher across 44 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
45
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.0
across 44 of them
Math proficiency
38.5%
Bottom 27% in Wisconsin
Reading proficiency
41.3%
Top 41% in Wisconsin
The 12 largest of 45 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Indian Trail High School and AcademyKenosha School District1,90219.229%35%
Bradford HighKenosha School District1,45316.914%26%
Tremper HighKenosha School District1,41719.116%28%
Central HighWestosha Central UHS School District1,30918.741%50%
Mahone MiddleKenosha School District1,02515.342%45%
Lakeview K-8 AcademyKenosha School District98814.752%57%
Salem ElementarySalem School District93614.647%40%
Lance MiddleKenosha School District89915.838%41%
Wilmot HighWilmot UHS School District84016.230%42%
Bristol ElementaryBristol #1 School District83015.456%55%
Bullen MiddleKenosha School District75413.232%31%
Wheatland Center ElementaryWheatland J1 School District64415.753%53%

46.8% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Wisconsin’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 1% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 100.5, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for this area is up 54% over five years, and up 8.4% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $4,179 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.57% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,402, some 15% above the $1,219 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,402 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $56,100 a year, about 69% of the median household income here of $81,239.

The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,219 a month.

A median home at $265,500 costs 2.7 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $100,116, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
100.5

Prices here run about 1% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Price level for all consumption in this metropolitan area against a national average of 100. Housing dominates the spread between places; goods vary far less.

Rent as a share of income
28.7%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.7×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,402
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,219
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$265,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Kenosha’s median household income of $81,239, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living index2023100.5Bottom 20%of 3862023
Home price change (1 year)2026 Q2+8.4%95th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)2026 Q2+54.4%84th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)2026 Q2+118.6%86th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year2.7Bottom 47%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year66.7%31st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±752024 ACS 5-Year73,67871st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,092Bottom 27%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,899Bottom 20%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,402Bottom 22%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$302024 ACS 5-Year$1,219Bottom 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$5,8302024 ACS 5-Year$265,50067th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$932024 ACS 5-Year$4,17992nd percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,0582024 ACS 5-Year$100,116Top 15%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year1.57%90th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year28.7%Top 47%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±3602024 ACS 5-Year1,83364th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year2.5%58th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.0%6th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±5902024 ACS 5-Year4,77451st percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

58/ 100
Top 37% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was upward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has been broadly flat since 2020, at 168,754 in 2024.

At 3.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
583
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.5
Top 37% nationally
Year over year
+9%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
58.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024169k168k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 16°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 31.9 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station KENOSHA RGNL AP, 3.0 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND3.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals31.9"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals16°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals49°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

99 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, inland flooding and tornado, with cold wave alone responsible for 39% of it. Cold wave and inland flooding are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 99% of measured US metro and micro areas.

LightningModerate
TornadoModerate
HailModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, strong wind, inland flooding, earthquake, drought, ice storm, coastal flooding, wildfire, landslide, winter weather, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Chicago O'Hare Intl at 42 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year92.4%Top 12%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle42 miBottom 47%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle3Bottom 35%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year5.5%Top 16%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Chicago O'Hare IntlORD42 mi11,245 ft
Gary/Chicago IntlGYY71 mi8,859 ft
Dane County Rgnl/Truax FldMSN83 mi9,006 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
72
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.