Kenosha, WI

Metro Area Profile

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

80out of 100
Area Score
Top 2% of 379 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 7% of 379 metros measured81
GrowthTop 38% of 821 metros measured58
Housing affordabilityTop 41% of 822 metros measured97
Climate585th of 822 metros measured60
Physical resilienceTop 1% of 822 metros measured99
AccessTop 50% of 822 metros measured76
Economic stabilityTop 8% of 822 metros measured85
The quick read

Kenosha ranks in the top 7% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.6% and median household income of $81,239.

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

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Kenosha in the top 1% for physical resilience.

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
County
Metro area
Kenosha, WI
Nearest major airport
ORD
42 mi · Chicago O'Hare Intl
Median home value
$265,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.6% is lower than 80% of the 379 measured US metros.

Employment grew 1.2% over the past year, to 93,817 employed residents.

31% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 70% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$2,462$81,239Top 16%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,007$42,757Top 19%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.5%Bottom 20%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute26.7 minTop 24%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher31.2%Top 30%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Employment93,817Bottom 42%of 379June 2026
Employment change (3 years)2.6%Top 19%of 379June 2026
Employment change (year over year)1.2%Top 12%of 379June 2026
Labor force97,371Bottom 41%of 379June 2026
Labor force participation66.9%Top 10%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$60,490Bottom 48%of 3812025 OEWS
Median annual wage$48,310Top 44%of 3812025 OEWS
Metro employment75,450Bottom 37%of 3812025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.1%Top 44%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate3.6%Bottom 20%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/065.12.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.6% in June 2026. 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

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.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,219 takes 18% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.3 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
18.0%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.3×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,219
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$265,500
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income3.27Top 48%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate66.7%Bottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±7573,678Top 29%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$30$1,219Top 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$5,830$265,500Top 33%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income18.0%Bottom 48%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.5%Bottom 12%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
58/ 100
Top 38% of 821 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured 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 metros.

Units permitted
583
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.5
Top 38% 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.

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 precipitation31.9"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low16°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing49°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

99 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado, heat wave and hail.

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.

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

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 42 miles away.

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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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 30, 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 browse every source.