Waukesha County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha.
Waukesha County is included in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, and is one of the three WOW counties.
History The region was first home to Indigenous tribes like Menomonie, Ojibwe (Chippewa), Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), who practiced agriculture and trade. In 1836, Native American tribes formally lost title to the land when treaties were disregarded and were forcibly removed by the Federal Army. Prior to the 1830s, the area was unoccupied by settlers due to its inland location and the fact that the Fox River was not a water highway. The New England settlers only came to the area to set up fur trading posts between their new encampments and established cities like Milwaukee. Morris D. Cutler and Alonso Cutler, seeking claims for homesteads, were the first permanent white colonial settlers.
The part of Wisconsin that Waukesha County occupies was a part of Michigan Territory when Milwaukee County was organized in September 1834. On July 4, 1836, the Wisconsin Territory was formed, which included land that is now in the state of Minnesota. In January 1846, part of Milwaukee County was split off into Waukesha County. Curtis Reed was the first county chairman. When a vote decided the county seat, Waukesha defeated Pewaukee by two votes. The name is derived from the Potawatomi word for 'fox' because the streams in the lower part of the county drain into the Fox River.
Waukesha was a New England settlement, and Waukesha's founders were settlers from New England, particularly Connecticut, rural Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as from upstate New York who were born to parents who had migrated there from New England shortly after the American Revolution. These people were "Yankees" descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. They were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was the wilds of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s. Most arrived as a result of the completion of the Erie Canal as well as the end of the Black Hawk War.
The New Englanders built farms, roads, government buildings and established post routes. They brought many of their Yankee New England values, such as a passion for education that led to the establishment of many schools as well as staunch support for abolitionism. They were mostly members of the Congregationalist Church, though some were Episcopalian. Due to the second Great Awakening some converted to Methodism, and others became Baptists before moving to what is now Waukesha County. Waukesha, like much of Wisconsin, would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture for most of its early history, before the state received a substantial influx of German immigrants in the latter half of the 19th century.The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin: Containing an Account of Its Settlement, Growth, Development and Resources; an Extensive and Minute Sketch of Its Cities, Towns and Villages—their Improvements, Industries, Manufactories, Churches, Schools and Societies; Its War Record, Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Prominent Men and Early Settlers; the Whole Preceded by a History of Wisconsin, Statistics of the State, and an Abstract of Its Laws and Constitution and of the Constitution of the United States Western Historical Company, 1880 pages 173, 232, 233
Waukesha County is growing faster than the rest of Wisconsin. In the early 20th century, Waukesha County only contained about 2% of Wisconsin's population. By the year 2000, about 7% of Wisconsin's population was in Waukesha County, and the percentage has grown since.
In 2024, Waukeshaaspis, a prehistoric genus of trilobite, was named after the county.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.3%) is water. The Fox River runs through it.
Waukesha County is located to the west of Milwaukee and its suburban development was spurred by the construction of Interstate 94.
Lake country Because of its large number of lakes, the northwestern corner of Waukesha County is referred to as "Lake Country" by local residents. The area includes Pewaukee, Delafield, Hartland, Merton, Nashotah, Chenequa, Okauchee Lake, Oconomowoc, Summit, and Lac La Belle.
Adjacent counties Washington County – north Ozaukee County – northeast Milwaukee County – east Racine County – southeast Walworth County – southwest Jefferson County – west Dodge County – northwest
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Waukesha County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)273,248294,855339,905353,114347,92297.48%96.76%94.22%90.57%85.49%Black or African American alone (NH)7251,0582,5704,7266,6480.26%0.35%0.71%1.21%1.63%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4586296858638070.16%0.21%0.19%0.22%0.20%Asian alone (NH)1,4532,6765,34010,67515,6160.52%0.88%1.48%2.74%3.84%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census71117121xx0.02%0.03%0.03%Other race alone (NH)444491862521,1380.16%0.02%0.05%0.06%0.28%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,5074,02112,891xx0.69%1.03%3.17%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,9985,4489,50316,12321,8351.43%1.79%2.63%4.14%5.37%Total280,326304,715360,767389,891406,978 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 406,978. The population density was . There were 172,177 housing units at an average density of .
The median age was 43.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.9% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.5% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.4% of the population.
84.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 15.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 164,537 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.7% were married-couple households, 14.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of these housing units, 4.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.2% were owner-occupied and 24.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%.
Its 2020 median income was $88,985. This ranked 97th in the nation.
2010 census At the 2010 census there were 389,891 people, 152,663 households, and 108,810 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 160,864 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.3% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.0003% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. 4.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 152,663 households 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.8% of households were one person and 10.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.
The age distribution was 24.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.
2000 census At the 2000 census there were 360,767 people, 135,229 households, and 100,475 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 140,309 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.77% White, 0.73% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 2.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.5% were of German, 9.2% Polish, 7.5% Italian, and 7.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.3% spoke English, 2.2% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language. Of the 135,229 households 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 20.90% of households were one person and 8.10% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.
The age distribution was 26.30% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.
The median household income was $62,839 and the median family income was $71,773. Males had a median income of $49,232 versus $31,643 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,164. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government Elected officials County Executive: Paul Farrow County Board Chair: Paul Decker County Clerk: Meg Wartman Treasurer: Pamela F. Reeves (R) Register of Deeds: James Behrend (R) Clerk of Circuit Court: Kathy Madden (R) District Attorney: Lesli Boese (R) Sheriff: Eric Severson (R)
The County Board of Supervisors has 25 members, each of whom is elected from a single-member district in a nonpartisan election.
On April 3, 1990, county voters approved an amendment to the county code that converted the appointed administrator to an elected County Executive, beginning with the 1991 election. Daniel Finley, the County Board Chairman, ran for County Executive and won the 1991 election. He was re-elected in 1995, 1999, and 2003, before resigning in 2005 to lead the Milwaukee Public Museum. State Representative Daniel Vrakas was elected to succeed him at a 2005 special election and was re-elected in 2007 and 2011. The current County Board chair, James Heinrich, is acting as County Executive following the death of Paul Farrow, who was elected in 2015, and re-elected in 2019 and 2023.
+ Waukesha County Executives Name Term start Term end Elected Daniel Finley April 16, 1991 August 15, 2005 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 James Dwyer (acting) August 15, 2005 September 27, 2005 Became acting County Executive following Finley's resignation. Tom Hefty (interim) September 27, 2005 October 18, 2005 Appointed interim County Executive. Daniel Vrakas October 31, 2005 April 21, 2015 2005 (special), 2007, 2011 Paul Farrow April 21, 2015 July 8, 2026 2015, 2019, 2023James Heinrich (acting)July 8, 2026IncumbentBecame acting County Executive following Farrow's death.
Departments There are 12 departments in Waukesha County, with most located in the Administration Center. Administration