Department of Numbers

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin Job Growth

There were 853,900 jobs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in May 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 782,808 employed persons for the month. Milwaukee added 300 jobs in May 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 1,877 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Milwaukee job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey May 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 853,900 +300 +2,100
CPS 782,808 +1,877 +477

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Milwaukee as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Milwaukee, Wisconsin

CES employment for Milwaukee peaked in June 2000 at 877,300. Since then 23,400 jobs have been lost in Milwaukee according to the employer survey. From a trough of 756,600 in April 2020, Milwaukee has gained 97,300 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 802,948 for Milwaukee in August 2017. 20,140 jobs have been lost in Milwaukee since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 691,196, Milwaukee has added 91,612 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through May 2023

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
May 2023 853,900 300 782,808 1,877
April 2023 853,600 300 780,931 1,247
March 2023 853,300 -300 779,684 -66
February 2023 853,600 -900 779,750 -786
January 2023 854,500 -800 780,536 -290
December 2022 855,300 2,100 780,826 62
November 2022 853,200 -800 780,764 -150
October 2022 854,000 -2,500 780,914 -362
September 2022 856,500 1,700 781,276 -409
August 2022 854,800 1,500 781,685 -382
July 2022 853,300 2,800 782,067 -205
June 2022 850,500 -1,300 782,272 -59