Overview of Milwaukee Data Sources

The City of Milwaukee has a wide variety of data available for public use.  These data take the form of searchable databases, geographical information systems (GIS), downloadable tabular data, miscellaneous documents describing policies, and downloadable shape files.  This overview is an attempt to describe these multiple data sources and their potential uses.  An alphabetical description, which includes a link to the data source, is available at the bottom of this page.  A topical list of data sources is provided immediately following this paragraph.

Note Regarding Data Sources- Downloaded shape files are only available in ESRI's .shp format.  Not all downloadable tabular data is equal.  Some of the tables are simply html documents that can be used immediately for analysis or parsed in Microsoft Excel using a scraper.  Other tables are actual, raw datasets.  To utilize these datasets, the user should have access to and some experience with a database program.  Some of the features described for the GIS applications are not totally public and may require a password.

Note Regarding This Page - This page is a work in progress.  The definition of data sources and their availability will change over time and links to data may become out of date.  While the information on this page is believed to be correct, no warranty is given or implied as to its accuracy.  Please contact Todd Clausen at tclausen@nonprofitcentermilwaukee.org with any broken links or inaccuracies.

Downloadable Shape Files
• Aldermanic Districts (1992)
• Aldermanic Districts (2004)
• Corporate Boundary
• Voting Wards

Downloadable Tabular Data
• Condominium Projects
• Legal Descriptions
• Milwaukee Master Property Record (MPROP)
• Property Sales Data
• Residential Property Profile
• Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC)
• Tax Rates - 1984 to Present

GIS Applications
• COMPASS - Community Mapping and Analysis for Safety Strategies
• Map Milwaukee

Miscellaneous Documents
• Assessment Base & Classes of Property
• Map of Residential Assessment Neighborhoods

Searchable Databases
• Ownership, Property & Assessment Data

Alphabetical List of Data Sources
• Aldermanic Districts (1992) - Aldermanic District polygons used between 1992 and April 19th, 2004.  Available at the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Download Map Data.
• Aldermanic Districts (2004) - Aldermanic District polygons current since April 20th, 2004.  Available at the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Download Map Data.
• Assessment Base & Classes of Property - A document hosted by the Assessor's Office that describes the different classes of property, including residential, commercial, manufacturing, and personal and displays the 2002 assessment base of the City of Milwaukee.
• COMPASS - COMPASS is an internet-based GIS built on ArcIMS technology.  It is hosted by the COMPASS Project.
• Condominium Projects - A list of current condominium projects in the City of Milwaukee.  This list is hosted by the Assessor's Office and it includes the project name, location, units, height, style, if the project is a conversion, lot square footage, acres, and residential assessment neighborhood.
• Corporate Boundary - City of Milwaukee city limits.  Available at the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Download Map Data.
• Legal Descriptions - Every city property has a formal legal description.  The legal descriptions are hosted under the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Download Tabular Data.  The legal descriptions can be downloaded in ASCII format.  Documentation is available in Microsoft Word (.doc) format.
• Map Milwaukee - Map Milwaukee is an internet-based GIS built on ArcIMS technology.  It is hosted under the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Map Milwaukee. This is the same location where the Milwaukee Master Property Record (MPROP) can be downloaded.
• Map of Residential Neighborhoods - A .jpg map of residential neighborhoods as defined for assessment purposes.  The map includes the neighborhood number, which corresponds to a field in the MPROP, but given the map's resolution, it isn't very useful.  This map is hosted by the Assessor's Office.
• Milwaukee Master Property Record (MPROP - A computerized inventory of all properties in the city.  It contains more than 90 elements of data describing each of the approx. 160,000 properties in the city and is hosted under the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Download Tabular Data.  The entire file can be downloaded in ASCII format.  Documentation is available in Microsoft Word (.doc) format.
• Ownership, Property & Assessment Data - An application that allows one to search property data by tax key, single address, or address range.  This application is hosted at the Assessor's Office and utilizes a form-based interface.  This interface may be easier to use than Map Milwaukee for some, but the same property data is available: owner, current assessment, conveyance date, year built, etc.
• Property Sales Data - Sales data are available for residential, condominiums, apartments, commercial, and vacant land for the years 2002-2004.  Each year is an individual document divided into Aldermanic Districts.  Because the entire year is downloaded, the page load time can be long if you are using dial-up access to the internet.  Sales data can be downloaded as .html documents and parsed in Excel using a scraper.  The data are hosted by the Assessor's Office.
• Residential Property Profile - A table of 2002 median values for residential properties (excluding condominiums and multiple building parcels).  The table lists the total number of parcels, assessed value, living area, and year built.  This table is hosted by the Assessor's Office.
• Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) - These codes include the four digit SIC, a description of that SIC, a generalized two digit landuse category, and a generalized description.  The SIC Codes are hosted under the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Download Tabular Data.  The codes are available in ASCII format and documentation is available in Microsoft Word (.doc) format.
• Tax Rates - 1984 to Present - A table that lists tax rates for every year since 1984.  The table is useful because it breaks out city, school, MATC, MMSD, and county portions of the total tax rate.  This document is available at the Assessor's Office.
• Voting Wards - Current voting wards.  Available at the Department of Administration's Information Technology Management Division at Download Map Data.

Page last updated: 07 April 2006