Milwaukee Opportunity Zones

Milwaukee sits within Wisconsin, which is running its own OZ 2.0 selection process under the federal framework. The state's governor and economic development office will lead the selection.

73 of those tracts are inside Milwaukee. OZ 2.0's tightened eligibility criteria — median family income at or below 70% of the state/metro reference (down from 80% under OZ 1.0), with the contiguous-tract option eliminated — means fewer Milwaukee neighborhoods qualify than under the 2018 OZ 1.0 map. How states choose OZ 2.0 tracts →

For investors targeting Milwaukee, the OZ 2.0 tax benefits — rolling 5-year deferral, 10% basis step-up (or 30% for Rural QROFs in qualifying rural tracts), and 100% federal-tax-free exclusion of QOF appreciation after a 10-year hold — apply to investments made on or after January 1, 2027. See the full OZ 1.0 vs 2.0 comparison →

What Milwaukee's demographics imply: with a median household income of $49,733 and a 23.1% poverty rate, Milwaukee is likely to retain a meaningful share of designated tracts in higher-poverty census areas, while higher-income neighborhoods that qualified through the contiguous-tract pathway under OZ 1.0 will lose designation under OZ 2.0.