Chicago to Milwaukee distance

Chicago to Milwaukee by road

The fastest driving route is 90.0 miles (145 km) long and takes about 1 hr 55 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on US 41 (58.2 mi), I-94 (20.2 mi), and I-90 (9.1 mi).

It goes through 2 states: Illinois (50.6 mi) and Wisconsin (39.4 mi). That’s an average of 47 mph (76 km/h), and at under two hours you can do it without stopping. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.

Straight-line distance and bearing

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Chicago and Milwaukee are 83.1 miles (134 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 8% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 108. The route runs almost straight. Of the 40 US pairs in this series, it ranks 33rd for detour (the average is 14%).

From Chicago, Milwaukee lies to the north (bearing 351°), and from Milwaukee, Chicago lies to the south.

Halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee

Halfway along the straight line, 41.5 miles (66.9 km) from each city, is the point 42.4446° N, 87.7771° W. It falls near Old Mill Creek (Illinois, pop. 162), 10.5 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 45.0 miles (72.4 km) from each city, near Old Mill Creek (Illinois, pop. 162), 2.6 mi away. The two midpoints are 8.5 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time zone

Chicago and Milwaukee share the same time all year: both are on Central Time.

The two cities

Chicago and Milwaukee sit at almost the same elevation: 588 ft (179 m) and 615 ft (187 m).

Chicago has 2.7 million people and Milwaukee 562,407 people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).