Fastest-growing counties in Wisconsin
Why do people move from one county or region to another? The usual suspects are jobs, family, significant others, and overall cost of living, but there are other elements at play. For those with children, moving within close proximity of a highly rated school district is a key contributing factor. For younger adults just starting out, living someplace with a vibrant social scene might be a top priority. And for those whose careers have wound down after a lifetime of work, finding retirement-friendly communities is the goal—communities deemed to be safe, offer accessibility to medical resources and leisure activities in equal measure, and be affordable for those on a limited income.
This is, of course, by no means an exhaustive list. People’s reasons for choosing to live where they do are as diverse as people themselves.
As far as why certain counties across the U.S. have experienced growth, relocation is not the sole, or even primary, reason why. While more than 1,800 counties saw population gains in 2021, approximately 73% of all U.S. counties saw what the U.S. Census Bureau characterizes as a natural decrease. This was a significant jump from 2020, when 55.5% of countries experienced such a decrease. According to the Bureau, natural decrease is the simple result of “when there are more deaths than births in a population over a given time period.” In 2021, the conflation of fewer births with an aging population that was also absorbing a higher-than-usual mortality rate due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to this “increased decrease.”
Nonetheless, as stated 1,800 counties nationwide have grown larger over the last year, and a sizable percentage of them are in Wisconsin. Stacker compiled a list of the fastest-growing counties in Wisconsin using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest population growth from 2010 to 2020, based on the U.S. Decennial Census.
You may also like: Chips, potatoes, and other groceries that dropped in price in the Midwest last month
#50. Menominee County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +23
— #1,461 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.5%
— #45 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,405 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 4,255
— #72 largest county in Wisconsin, #2,867 largest county nationwide
#49. Waushara County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +24
— #1,460 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.1%
— #50 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,472 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 24,520
— #47 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,626 largest county nationwide
#48. Juneau County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +54
— #1,427 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.2%
— #49 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,458 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 26,718
— #46 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,538 largest county nationwide
#47. Marinette County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +123
— #1,378 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.3%
— #48 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,445 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 41,872
— #36 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,146 largest county nationwide
#46. Florence County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +135
— #1,366 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.1%
— #28 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,051 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 4,558
— #71 largest county in Wisconsin, #2,848 largest county nationwide
You may also like: States sending the most people to Wisconsin
#45. Douglas County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +136
— #1,364 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.3%
— #47 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,444 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 44,295
— #34 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,089 largest county nationwide
#44. Marquette County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +188
— #1,337 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +1.2%
— #41 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,306 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 15,592
— #64 largest county in Wisconsin, #2,057 largest county nationwide
#43. Iron County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +221
— #1,314 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.7%
— #21 among counties in Wisconsin, #960 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 6,137
— #70 largest county in Wisconsin, #2,727 largest county nationwide
#42. Green County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +251
— #1,295 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.7%
— #44 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,382 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 37,093
— #40 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,248 largest county nationwide
#41. Portage County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +358
— #1,227 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.5%
— #46 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,412 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 70,377
— #23 largest county in Wisconsin, #769 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Best amusement parks in Wisconsin
#40. Dodge County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +637
— #1,108 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +0.7%
— #43 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,376 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 89,396
— #19 largest county in Wisconsin, #661 largest county nationwide
#39. Jackson County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +696
— #1,092 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.4%
— #26 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,001 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 21,145
— #50 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,758 largest county nationwide
#38. Washburn County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +712
— #1,087 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +4.5%
— #18 among counties in Wisconsin, #880 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 16,623
— #58 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,995 largest county nationwide
#37. Grant County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +730
— #1,079 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +1.4%
— #40 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,262 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 51,938
— #28 largest county in Wisconsin, #966 largest county nationwide
#36. Polk County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +772
— #1,066 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +1.7%
— #37 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,219 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 44,977
— #33 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,072 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Counties with the highest unemployment in Wisconsin
#35. Barron County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +841
— #1,049 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +1.8%
— #36 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,212 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 46,711
— #30 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,039 largest county nationwide
#34. Vernon County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +941
— #1,014 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.2%
— #27 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,033 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 30,714
— #43 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,416 largest county nationwide
#33. Burnett County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,069
— #985 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +6.9%
— #11 among counties in Wisconsin, #640 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 16,526
— #60 largest county in Wisconsin, #2,004 largest county nationwide
#32. Pierce County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,193
— #961 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.9%
— #31 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,070 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 42,212
— #35 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,139 largest county nationwide
#31. Bayfield County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,206
— #960 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +8.0%
— #6 among counties in Wisconsin, #564 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 16,220
— #61 largest county in Wisconsin, #2,020 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Counties with the worst commutes in Wisconsin
#30. Jefferson County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,214
— #959 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +1.5%
— #39 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,259 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 84,900
— #20 largest county in Wisconsin, #677 largest county nationwide
#29. Oconto County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,305
— #947 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.5%
— #25 among counties in Wisconsin, #993 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 38,965
— #38 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,203 largest county nationwide
#28. Sawyer County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,517
— #900 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +9.2%
— #3 among counties in Wisconsin, #469 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 18,074
— #56 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,912 largest county nationwide
#27. Dunn County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,583
— #886 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.6%
— #23 among counties in Wisconsin, #972 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 45,440
— #32 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,065 largest county nationwide
#26. Monroe County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,601
— #882 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.6%
— #24 among counties in Wisconsin, #975 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 46,274
— #31 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,047 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Counties with the most bridges in Wisconsin
#25. Vilas County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,617
— #880 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +7.5%
— #8 among counties in Wisconsin, #594 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 23,047
— #49 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,676 largest county nationwide
#24. Columbia County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,657
— #873 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.9%
— #30 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,069 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 58,490
— #26 largest county in Wisconsin, #895 largest county nationwide
#23. Oneida County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,847
— #840 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +5.1%
— #17 among counties in Wisconsin, #804 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 37,845
— #39 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,226 largest county nationwide
#22. Trempealeau County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +1,944
— #826 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +6.7%
— #12 among counties in Wisconsin, #650 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 30,760
— #42 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,415 largest county nationwide
#21. Door County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +2,281
— #785 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +8.2%
— #5 among counties in Wisconsin, #548 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 30,066
— #44 largest county in Wisconsin, #1,432 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Counties in Wisconsin with more precipitation over the past year than average
#20. Racine County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +2,319
— #779 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +1.2%
— #42 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,312 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 197,727
— #5 largest county in Wisconsin, #343 largest county nationwide
#19. Fond du Lac County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +2,521
— #750 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.5%
— #33 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,119 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 104,154
— #16 largest county in Wisconsin, #585 largest county nationwide
#18. Sheboygan County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +2,527
— #749 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.2%
— #34 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,155 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 118,034
— #13 largest county in Wisconsin, #532 largest county nationwide
#17. Kenosha County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +2,725
— #742 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +1.6%
— #38 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,236 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 169,151
— #8 largest county in Wisconsin, #393 largest county nationwide
#16. Rock County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +3,356
— #673 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.1%
— #35 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,168 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 163,687
— #9 largest county in Wisconsin, #408 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Best-performing Wisconsin stocks last week
#15. Calumet County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +3,471
— #666 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +7.1%
— #9 among counties in Wisconsin, #625 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 52,442
— #27 largest county in Wisconsin, #962 largest county nationwide
#14. Sauk County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +3,787
— #638 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +6.1%
— #14 among counties in Wisconsin, #700 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 65,763
— #25 largest county in Wisconsin, #816 largest county nationwide
#13. Chippewa County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +3,882
— #635 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +6.2%
— #13 among counties in Wisconsin, #683 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 66,297
— #24 largest county in Wisconsin, #808 largest county nationwide
#12. Marathon County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +3,950
— #632 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.9%
— #29 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,064 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 138,013
— #10 largest county in Wisconsin, #471 largest county nationwide
#11. Walworth County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +4,250
— #607 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +4.2%
— #20 among counties in Wisconsin, #913 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 106,478
— #14 largest county in Wisconsin, #576 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Bestselling cars in Wisconsin
#10. Winnebago County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +4,736
— #581 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +2.8%
— #32 among counties in Wisconsin, #1,081 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 171,730
— #7 largest county in Wisconsin, #385 largest county nationwide
#9. Washington County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +4,874
— #574 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +3.7%
— #22 among counties in Wisconsin, #965 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 136,761
— #11 largest county in Wisconsin, #474 largest county nationwide
#8. Ozaukee County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +5,108
— #562 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +5.9%
— #15 among counties in Wisconsin, #727 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 91,503
— #18 largest county in Wisconsin, #652 largest county nationwide
#7. La Crosse County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +6,146
— #532 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +5.4%
— #16 among counties in Wisconsin, #787 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 120,784
— #12 largest county in Wisconsin, #523 largest county nationwide
#6. Eau Claire County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +6,974
— #510 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +7.1%
— #10 among counties in Wisconsin, #628 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 105,710
— #15 largest county in Wisconsin, #581 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Demand for these health care jobs is increasing most in Wisconsin
#5. St. Croix County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +9,191
— #446 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +10.9%
— #2 among counties in Wisconsin, #374 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 93,536
— #17 largest county in Wisconsin, #643 largest county nationwide
#4. Outagamie County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +14,010
— #357 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +7.9%
— #7 among counties in Wisconsin, #572 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 190,705
— #6 largest county in Wisconsin, #352 largest county nationwide
#3. Waukesha County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +17,087
— #321 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +4.4%
— #19 among counties in Wisconsin, #886 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 406,978
— #3 largest county in Wisconsin, #175 largest county nationwide
#2. Brown County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +20,733
— #284 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +8.4%
— #4 among counties in Wisconsin, #531 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 268,740
— #4 largest county in Wisconsin, #260 largest county nationwide
#1. Dane County
– 2010 to 2020 population change: +73,431
— #81 among all counties nationwide
– 2010 to 2020 percent population change: +15.0%
— #1 among counties in Wisconsin, #225 among all counties nationwide
– 2020 population: 561,504
— #2 largest county in Wisconsin, #124 largest county nationwide
You may also like: Risky reservoirs: Wisconsin counties where aging dams pose the greatest threat
By Stacker
