County facts · Population · October 25, 2026
Wisconsin Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
Wisconsin population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 72 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for Wisconsin population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that Wisconsin had 5,972,787 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 72 counties. Milwaukee County is the most populous, with 924,216 people (15% of the state), and Menominee County is the least populous, with 4,199.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
Wisconsin population at a glance
- Counties: 72
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 5,972,787 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 5,894,323; change +78,464, +1.3%)
- Most populous: Milwaukee County (924,216); least populous: Menominee County (4,199)
- Median county: about 42,067 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 40% of all Wisconsin residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 0 · 100,000+: 16 · under 10,000: 5
- Statewide density: about 110 people per square mile of land
Wisconsin population by county, July 2025 (all 72)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How Wisconsin's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 4 | 2,207,604 | 37% |
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 12 | 1,741,836 | 29% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 31 | 1,627,059 | 27% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 20 | 364,127 | 6% |
| Under 10,000 | 5 | 32,161 | 1% |
4 counties with at least 250,000 residents hold 37% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Milwaukee County: 3,827 per sq mi (924,216 people on 241 sq mi)
- Waukesha County: 759 per sq mi (417,210 people on 550 sq mi)
- Kenosha County: 620 per sq mi (168,448 people on 272 sq mi)
- Racine County: 598 per sq mi (198,919 people on 333 sq mi)
- Brown County: 520 per sq mi (275,803 people on 530 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Iron County: 8.1 per sq mi (6,127 people on 758 sq mi)
- Forest County: 9.4 per sq mi (9,574 people on 1,014 sq mi)
- Florence County: 9.7 per sq mi (4,748 people on 488 sq mi)
- Price County: 11 per sq mi (13,988 people on 1,254 sq mi)
- Bayfield County: 11 per sq mi (16,787 people on 1,478 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 5,972,787 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. Recorded deeds and the local assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the local assessor and the office that records deeds.
Related guides
- Fastest growing counties in Wisconsin
- Largest counties in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin county GIS websites by viewer
- Wisconsin statewide parcel map
- Wisconsin landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All Wisconsin counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 25, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.