What is Milwaukee's effective property tax rate?

Milwaukee's effective property tax rate runs around 2.17% of fair market value, among the highest of large US cities. The exact figure changes yearly with the city, county, school, and technical college levies.

Is assessed value the same as market value?

Wisconsin law aims for assessments at full market value, so the assessment ratio is usually near 1.0. If your city's ratio differs, the estimator scales assessed value to estimated market value before applying the rate.

What is the Wisconsin lottery and gaming credit?

It is a state credit that reduces property taxes on a Wisconsin owner's primary residence. The credit amount is set annually and is subtracted directly from your gross tax bill.

Does this include special assessments?

No. Special charges such as snow removal, recycling, or sidewalk assessments are billed separately and are not part of the mill-rate calculation this tool estimates.

How accurate is this estimate?

It is a close planning estimate based on the citywide effective rate. Your actual bill depends on your specific taxing districts and current-year levies, so always confirm against your official tax statement.

Milwaukee Property Tax Estimator

Estimate your Milwaukee property tax

Milwaukee carries one of the highest big-city property tax burdens in the United States, with an effective rate near 2.17% of fair market value. This tool turns your assessed value into an estimated annual bill so you can budget, compare neighborhoods, or sanity-check an escrow figure.

How it works

Wisconsin taxes property by applying a combined mill rate (city, county, school district, and technical college levies) to your assessed value. Expressed as an effective percentage, the math is:

market value     = assessed value / assessment ratio
gross tax         = market value * effective rate
net annual tax    = gross tax - lottery & gaming credit

The effective rate already bundles every overlapping taxing district into a single percentage. Because Wisconsin assesses at full value, the assessment ratio is typically close to 1.0; the tool lets you adjust it if your municipality is under- or over-assessing. The lottery and gaming credit is then subtracted from the gross amount for owner-occupied homes.

Tips and example

A home assessed at 300000 at a 2.17% effective rate produces a gross tax of 300000 * 0.0217 = 6510. After a lottery credit of about 230, the net bill is roughly 6280.

Check your official tax statement for your exact effective rate and credit amounts — they shift each year as levies and the state credit are reset.