Welcome to Milwaukee
Private business drives metro Milwaukee’s economy. While brewing and manufacturing have long been pillars, the service, healthcare and education sectors have shown the most growth in recent years. Major employers include Aurora Healthcare, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, GE Healthcare Technologies, Roundy’s, Wisconsin Energy Corp. and Quad/Graphics.
Milwaukee’s central location, situated 90 miles north of Chicago on Lake Michigan’s southwestern shore, combined with its high quality of life make it an ideal home for businesses of all types. The Milwaukee area is home to more than fifty Fortune 1000 companies, including the corporate headquarters of several Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson Controls, Northwestern Mutual, Manpower, Kohl’s Corp., Harley-Davidson, Rockwell Automation and Fiserv, Inc.
The Southeastern Wisconsin region covers 1,460 square miles and has a population of approximately 1.5 million. Milwaukee is the largest city in the State of Wisconsin, and at a population of 600,000 it is one of the top 25 largest cities in the United States. The area is served by 151 miles of expressways with an average commute time of 22 minutes, putting it among the shortest in the nation for major US metro areas. Twenty institutions of higher learning call Milwaukee home, including 14 that grant primarily 4-year degrees or higher, including Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee.
Metro Milwaukee’s real estate market is comprised of approximately 310 million square feet of industrial and office space, including 5.3 million square feet of Class A office space in the central business district. The industrial real estate market, containing 281 million square feet, fares better than most of the nation in terms of vacancy, with a rate that has remained less than the national average for over five years.