Milwaukee, WI (population: 606,508) has seven arts schools within its city limits. Marquette University, the highest ranked school in the city with an arts program, has a total student population of 11,689. It is the 111th highest ranked school in the USA and the 2nd highest in the state of Wisconsin (#1 is University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Arts students from Milwaukee schools who go on to become artists, graphic designers, journalists, musicians, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 8,900 people working as fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $50,630. Also, Craft artists make on average $33,070 per year and there are about 5,380 of them employed in the US today.
Milwaukee lies in Milwaukee county, which is one of the 34 counties in Wisconsin. Overall, the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis area has 817,060 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 1.0% unemployment rate, $21.19/hr average worker wage, and a $44,080 average annual salary.
Of the 7 arts schools in Milwaukee, only 3 have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Marquette University comes out as the most expensive ($24,839/yr) for arts students, with Milwaukee Area Technical College as the lowest, reported at only $6,574/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Milwaukee |
| West Allis | WI | 59,345 | 1 | 16.5935 | 7 | 4.6 miles |
| Brookfield | WI | - | 3 | 7.49122 | 18 | 6.9 miles |
| Greenfield | WI | - | 4 | 24.3685 | 60 | 7.2 miles |
| Mequon | WI | - | 1 | 27.8739 | 102 | 12.2 miles |
| Waukesha | WI | 68,355 | 1 | 31.224 | 60 | 14.1 miles |
| Grafton | WI | - | 1 | 23.6124 | 2 | 18.0 miles |
| Racine | WI | 82,139 | 1 | 0.0127893 | 0 | 24.2 miles |
| Kenosha | WI | 98,714 | 3 | 21.7449 | 204 | 33.8 miles |
| Whitewater | WI | - | 1 | 65.2906 | 73 | 41.7 miles |
| Waukegan | IL | 91,248 | 0 | - | 0 | 48.0 miles |
| Sheboygan | WI | 47,594 | 0 | - | 0 | 49.2 miles |
| Fond du Lac | WI | 42,100 | 2 | 22.0044 | 202 | 54.7 miles |
| Janesville | WI | 63,311 | 2 | 22.9601 | 61 | 59.4 miles |
| Crystal Lake | IL | 42,672 | 3 | 24.3677 | 64 | 60.3 miles |
| Palatine | IL | 67,435 | 1 | 12.7765 | 87 | 65.8 miles |
| Beloit | WI | - | 2 | 31.9387 | 100 | 66.0 miles |
| Arlington Heights | IL | 73,268 | 1 | 24.4091 | 3 | 67.1 miles |
| Glenview | IL | 46,461 | 0 | - | 0 | 68.2 miles |
| West Dundee | IL | - | 1 | 23.2604 | 5 | 68.4 miles |
| Mount Prospect | IL | 52,994 | 2 | 36.9644 | 21 | 68.5 miles |
| Ripon | WI | - | 1 | 32.385 | 53 | 69.4 miles |
| Hoffman Estates | IL | 54,568 | 1 | 19.0736 | 10 | 69.7 miles |
| Evanston | IL | 78,672 | 5 | 24.133 | 202 | 71.3 miles |
| Des Plaines | IL | 57,512 | 1 | 11.0092 | 69 | 71.3 miles |
| Schaumburg | IL | 71,386 | 3 | 11.8364 | 30 | 71.5 miles |
| Skokie | IL | 66,692 | 6 | 22.9614 | 40 | 71.5 miles |
| Madison | WI | 237,838 | 17 | 27.3097 | 685 | 71.8 miles |
| Elgin | IL | 111,179 | 3 | 24.5629 | 139 | 72.4 miles |
| Oshkosh | WI | 63,983 | 2 | 34.1577 | 80 | 72.5 miles |
| Hanover Park | IL | - | 1 | 22.3828 | 2 | 73.9 miles |