Median home assessments rose in Milwaukee in 2025

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By TOM DAYKIN

USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

The median assessed value of a Milwaukee home increased nearly 8% in 2026, according to newly released city data.

Assessments also increased for apartment buildings and other commercial properties – reflecting comparable sale prices and other factors.
A home’s assessed value is combined with property tax rates set by the city, school district, county, and other local governments to determine its annual property tax bill.

Here’s what to know.

Median home assessment tops $200,000

The median Milwaukee home assessed value, the midpoint of all such values citywide, is $207,400, according to the new data from the city assessor’s office. (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is using median values instead of average values to avoid figures being skewed by outliers.)
That’s a 7.6% increase from the 2025 median value of $192,700. The 2024 median value was $166,500.

Parsing the 2026 data, the condominium median assessed value is $172,800, and the non-condo residential value (covering single-family homes, duplexes, and triplexes) is $208,900.

Home sale prices help determine assessments

Under Wisconsin law, a home’s assessment is based on its fair market value. Assessors mainly consider recent comparable sales of other nearby properties – focusing on such features as a home’s square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, age, and condition.

In Milwaukee, assessors considered more than 5,000 such sales, said Jeremy McGovern, assessor’s office spokesman. The office also reviews third-party data to validate its analysis, he said.

In 2025, the average Milwaukee home sale price was $252,725, according to data compiled by the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors. That’s a 10.3% increase from the 2024 average price of $229,060.

Commercial property values increased

The new assessor’s office data shows increases for commercial property assessed values.

The median apartment property value is $455,800, a 6.7% increase from the 2025 median value of $427,100. That covers buildings with at least four apartments.

The median value for local mercantile properties, such as taverns, childcare centers and corner stores, is $262,350, a 4.8% increase from $250,300. For special mercantile properties, such as hotels, supermarkets, and office buildings, the median value is $1,313,700, a 3% increase from $1,274,500.

Homes make up most of Milwaukee’s tax base

The category encompassing single family homes, duplexes, and triplexes represent about 56% of Milwaukee’s total property value – not counting manufacturing properties, according to the assessor’s office.

Condos comprise about 6% of the total value.

Apartments, local mercantile, and special mercantile properties combined account for around 38% of the city’s total assessed value. Manufacturing properties aren’t included because they’re assessed separately by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

How to appeal an assessment

First, do some research. If you know of comparable homes selling for prices similar to your home’s assessed value, that indicates the assessment is reasonable. The newly posted data includes assessments totaled for each aldermanic district.

A written objection can be filed through the annual “open book” process. That extends from when assessment notices are mailed by the end of April through the filing deadline on May 18.

“During this time, assessors are on hand during hours of operation for consultation on how your assessment was determined,” according to the assessor’s office.

How to find your assessment

Aside from mailed notices, the assessor’s office maintains a website where you can find your assessment–and the assessments of other Milwaukee properties.

You can search by address, or the block number and street name to search through a range of addresses.

That website also allows searches by tax key number and owner names.