When the
U.S. Census Bureau released detailed population data in August, the picture was not great for Milwaukee.
The data showed the city losing more than 17,600 residents since 2010, a nearly 3% drop. Things weren't much better at the county level where the population drop was more than 8,200 or almost 1%.
While statewide population growth wasn't robust, it did increase by more than 3.6%. The U.S. population grew nearly 7.4%.
While the Census Bureau released data to states needed for redistricting, a more user-friendly version of the data won’t be available until later this month. BizTimes used Census data processed by Angeliki Kastanis of the Associated Press to take a closer look at population changes in Milwaukee County and around the state.
The closer look shows a more nuanced picture that reflects many of the trends and challenges the city and county have faced over the past decade. Specifically, downtown and some of its surrounding neighborhoods are among the fastest growing places in the state while Milwaukee’s lower-income neighborhoods, particularly on the north and northwest sides, were among the hardest hit by population loss.
The four fastest growing census tracts in the state were all located in the city of Madison, with two of them located on that city's west side, one on the far east side and one just south of State Street between the UW-Madison campus and the Capitol Square. Dane County also has 15 of the 25 fastest growing tracts in the state, 26 of the top 50 and 36 of the top 100. Wisconsin’s fifth fastest growing census tract is located in Grand Chute, just northwest of Appleton.
But even the state’s fastest growing census tract barely cracks the top 1,000 fastest growing in the country.
The sixth fastest growing census tract in Wisconsin is centered on Milwaukee’s Third Ward while also including portions of downtown and Walker’s Point. The area, bounded generally by 6
th Street, Wisconsin Avenue, Florida Street, the Milwaukee River and I-794, saw its population grow nearly 70% to 3,976. It’s an area that has seen numerous residential developments.
Another tract in the greater downtown area, bounded by Juneau Avenue, the river and Van Buren Street up to the beginning of Brady Street also saw strong growth of nearly 61% to 2,941. That census tract is home to a number of new residential developments along the Milwaukee River, like the North End, which got started in the 2000s but continued to develop over the past decade. It was the 12
th fastest growing census tract in the state.
Milwaukee County had two of the 25 fastest growing census tracts in Wisconsin, six of the top 50 and 11 of the top 100.
Downtown Milwaukee and surrounding areas like the Third Ward, Walker’s Point and the Lower East Side, added more than 7,600 residents, an increase of nearly 17% across 15 census tracts. The area added more than 6,080 housing units and had a population of 52,855.
At the same time, most of Milwaukee’s population losses were concentrated on the north and northwest sides of the city. The area bounded by Capitol Drive, North 35th Street, Brown Street and just east of I-43 was home to 10 of the hardest hit census tracts, all with more than 20% population loss. In total, the area, which stretches just beyond the boundaries of the 53206 zip code, lost more than 6,900 residents across 19 tracts. The area lost more than 1,740 housing units and had a population of 32,891.
Ten years ago, the populations of the north side area and the greater downtown area were separated by around 5,500. Fast forward a decade and the downtown area now has nearly 20,000 more people than the north side area.
The diverging population trends only reinforces the impression that the renaissance of downtown Milwaukee has not extended to the city’s lower-income neighborhoods.
Three other north and northwest side tracts were among the hardest hit in the state by population loss.
The area between Silver Spring Drive and Villard Avenue and 76th and 64th streets lost nearly 900 residents, a more than 28% drop. It was the single largest percentage drop in population in the state.
The tract between 35th and 41st from Locust Street to Wright Street also lost more than 580 residents for a nearly 20% drop. There was also a nearly 20% drop for a city of Milwaukee tract northeast of Keefe Avenue and Port Washington Road to the borders with Glendale, Shorewood and Bayside. That area lost nearly 670 residents.
On the south side of Milwaukee, just one tract had a population loss of greater than 20%. That tract is located between Lapham Boulevard and Becher Street from South 6th Street east to Kinnickinnic Avenue.
Besides the greater downtown area, the other area of particularly strong growth in Milwaukee County came in Wauwatosa, which saw its population grow 4.3% overall and added almost 2,000 residents.
Three census tracts in particular drove Wauwatosa’s growth.
The tract that covers the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, the former county grounds, and neighborhoods west of Mayfair Road between North Avenue and Watertown Plank Road grew nearly 36% and added more than 1,200 residents.
The area surrounding the Mayfair Collection, a tract the covers from the county line to roughly North 100
th Street between Capitol Drive and Burleigh Street, added almost 470 residents and grew more than 26%. Not only did the Mayfair Collection redevelop the site of a Roundy’s distribution center into retail, offices and restaurants but hundreds of apartment units were also part of the project.
Covering the Tosa Village plus the area between Milwaukee Avenue and Honey Creek Parkway east to 60
th Street, the third area of growth in Wauwatosa added more than 670 residents and grew 14%.
Wauwatosa did see a loss of residents on its northern end in a census tract that covers the area between Hampton and Capitol from 124th Street east to 92nd Street. That area lost 424 residents and its population dropped more than 9%.
Three tracts on the city’s southern end also lost population, particularly in the far southeast corner, which dropped more than 3% in losing around 70 residents.
