ZIP Code 53221 — Milwaukee city, WI Demographics & Data

ZIP code 53221 covers Milwaukee, WI in Milwaukee County with a population of about 38,428.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 39.3 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 414; U.S. House district WI-4; the MILWAUKEE media market.

Milwaukee, WI sits in a university / college context (near alverno college (2.3 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 53221 is about $61,640 — about 18% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 14.2%; unemployment rate near 4.2%; 24.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 9.1 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 9.3% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 5.9 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $205,500 — about 41% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $948 (about 18% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 57.4% (about 8.0 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 53221 in Milwaukee, WI, a household would need roughly $57,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,320. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($61,640). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Milwaukee city, WI as Relatively High (composite score 98.4), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (97.0) and wildfire (29.5). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Milwaukee city, WI show little to no average snow and around 34.6 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 2,242 for ZIP 53221 (Milwaukee city, WI) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.