Wisconsin Population 2024

5,931,367

Wisconsin is part of the Great Lakes region of the country, located in the northern Midwest. With a surface area of around 65,497.82 square miles, it is a relatively large state with a population to match -- it is the 23rd biggest state in the country, and in terms of population, it is the 20th most populous state in the US. The state currently has a growth rate of 0.35%, which ranks 39th in the state.

Wisconsin Area and Population Density

Within the surface area of 65,497.82 miles, there is an average of 105 people for every square mile of Wisconsin land. That figure converts to 39.6 people for every square kilometer and it makes Wisconsin the 23rd most densely populated state in the entire US.

The state's biggest city by far is Milwaukee, with a population exceeding 600,000. This is followed by Madison (pop 248,000), Green Bay (pop 105,207) and Kenosha (pop 99,858). The Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis Metropolitan Statistical Area has an estimated population of 1.55 million.

The state's most populated counties are Milwaukee and Dane counties, with respective populations of 952,085 and 536,416.

Wisconsin Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age of the population residing in the state of Wisconsin is approximately 39.1 years of age. In terms of the ratio of females to males, females lead at 50.3% with males at 49.7% of the population.

In terms of preferred religions across the population of Wisconsin, 71% are affiliated with Christian based faiths, 4% are affiliated with non-Christian faiths, and 25% are not affiliated with any faith in particular.

Wisconsin Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Wisconsin was part of the Northwest Territory organized in 1787, then of Indiana Territory (1800). In 1809 it was included in the new Illinois Territory, except for the northern part of the Door Peninsula, which remained in Indiana Territory. In 1818 Michigan Territory expanded to include the whole of present-day Wisconsin. Wisconsin Territory was organized in 1836 and briefly included all of Minnesota and Iowa and the Dakotas east of the Missouri River. After Iowa Territory was organized in 1838, only northeastern Minnesota, east of the Mississippi River and a line from its source north to the Canadian boundary, remained in Wisconsin Territory. Wisconsin was admitted as a State on May 29, 1848 with essentially its present boundaries.

There was only limited census coverage of the present area of the State prior to 1840. In 1790 the Northwest Territory had no census coverage. The 1800 census for Indiana Territory reported populations for Green Bay (50) and Prairie du Chien (65); in 1810 any settlers enumerated in these or other Wisconsin communities were reported as part of St. Clair County, Illinois Territory. In 1820 Crawford and Brown Counties, Michigan Territory, included nearly all of present-day Wisconsin; Crawford also included northeastern Minnesota but this had no census coverage. This also was the case in 1830, with the addition of Iowa County from part of Crawford. In 1840 some persons in northeastern Minnesota were enumerated in St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory.

Wisconsin Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Wisconsin was:

  • White: 83.35%
  • Black or African American: 6.34%
  • Two or more races: 4.42%
  • Asian: 2.84%
  • Other race: 2.22%
  • Native American: 0.78%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.05%

Wisconsin Population History

In 1820, Wisconsin’s population figures stood at a mere 1,444, but like in many areas of the US in the early 19th century, an explosion in numbers was just over the horizon. Just ten years later, a rise of over 150% took those figures to 3,635.

However, the biggest population spike came between the years of 1840 and 1850 when an incredible increase of nearly 154% took the population of Wisconsin from 305,391 to 775,881. Although the increases began to slow down, the overall picture was one of growth and by the start of the 20th century, numbers were recorded at 2,069,042.

That pattern continued through the 20th century and as census by census growth started to settle down, the numbers grew at a steady pace. As a result, the population of Wisconsin in 2016 is starting to climb toward the next milestone of 6 million.

Wisconsin Population Growth

Population growth in Wisconsin has been steady and as such, this is one of the easier states to predict in terms of further increases than some of the states that have seen both increases and decreases in their populations.

Wisconsin considers itself a very immigrant-friendly area, and many semiskilled people are able to find work in the state in a relatively short amount of time. In fact, a considerable number of refugees and asylum-seekers come to Wisconsin after being turned down elsewhere.

Wisconsin Population Projections

There is nothing to suggest that the pattern of Wisconsin population growth is going to slow down, and therefore, by the time of the next census in 2020, it is possible that the Wisconsin population will have exceeded its next major landmark of 6 million people.

Projections currently show Wisconsin will reach 6.375 million residents by 2030, growing 19.5% between 2000 and 2030. The amount of senior citizens in the state is expected to climb from its current 13% to 21% by that time. 70 of Wisconsin's 72 counties are projected to grow over the next 20 years, although not at a fast pace.

[Wisconsin's largest ancestry groups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin) include: German (42.6%), Irish (10.9%), Polish (9.3%), Norwegian (8.5%) and English (6.5%). Wisconsin has more people of Polish ancestry than any other state in terms of percentage. The Norwegian population originally settled in the farming and lumbering areas, while African Americans came to the state from the 1940s on. Interestingly, Menominee County is the only county on the eastern part of the country with an American Indian majority population.

About 86% of Wisconsin's African American population lives in Kenosha, Beloit, Racine and Milwaukee. Only Detroit and Cleveland have higher percentages of African Americans in the Great Lakes region of the United States. In terms of the state's Asian American and African American population, the state falls squarely in the middle when compared to other states, ranking 26th and 30th out of 50, respectively.

Wisconsin Growth Rate

Wisconsin Population Rank

Wisconsin Population 2024

Wisconsin Facts

Population

100K

200K

300K

400K

500K

600K

700K

800K

900K

The state of Wisconsin has many counties, and of these counties, significant population losses and gains have been recorded based on 2010 data from the Census and estimates taken by the Census Bureau in 2015. This data shows that the highest gain in population was recorded in Menominee County, with a population growth rate of 7.22% during the 5-year period. Dane County's 7.04% growth rate was the 2nd highest in the state. There were multiple other counties that posted growth in populations from 2010 to 2015, albeit at smaller rates. These counties include Vernon, Brown, Eau Claire, and St. Croix, just to name a few.

There were other states that had declines in their populations during the same period of 2010 to 2015. The highest loss happened in Rusk County, with a 4.04%. This was followed by Langlade County of 3.61%, Adams County at 3.43%, and others including Richland, Lincoln, and Forest. Smaller losses were recorded in counties including Douglas, Sawyer, Wood, and others.

Wisconsin Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White4,894,01983.35%
Black or African American372,4396.34%
Two or more races259,4774.42%
Asian166,6702.84%
Other race130,3632.22%
Native American45,8310.78%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander2,8620.05%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Wisconsin Population by Race

Wisconsin Population Pyramid 2024

Wisconsin Median Age

39.6

Total

38.8

Male

40.5

Female

Wisconsin Adults

There are 4,578,717 adults, (997,078 of whom are seniors) in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Age Dependency

63.9

Age Dependency Ratio

27.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

36.1

Child Dependency Ratio

Wisconsin Sex Ratio

Female2,934,04049.97%
Male2,937,62150.03%

Wisconsin Population by Age

Wisconsin Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All2,401,8182.3967.432.6
Married1,151,2013.0287.112.9
Non Family912,0901.2849.250.8
Female229,2553.2245.754.3
Male109,2723.257.642.4

2.98

Average Family Size

2.39

Average Household Size

67.4%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Wisconsin Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Wisconsin Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Wisconsin Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.91%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 50.08%.

Wisconsin Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$44,812

Average Earnings

$52,699

Average Male

$37,858

Average Female

Wisconsin Earnings by Educational Attainment

Wisconsin Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Wisconsin Language

91.38% of Wisconsin residents speak only English, while 8.62% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.64% of the population.

Wisconsin Language

Wisconsin Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White4,603,131373,9588.12%
Black351,633102,61429.18%
Hispanic413,92777,02518.61%
Multiple252,25642,01416.66%
Other127,94525,51619.94%
Asian162,73323,04814.16%
Native43,94010,26223.35%
Islander2,70356120.75%

10.66%

Overall Poverty Rate

9.59%

Male Poverty Rate

11.73%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Wisconsin

The race most likely to be in poverty in Wisconsin is Black, with 29.18% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Wisconsin is White, with 8.12% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.1%. Among those working part-time, it was 14.94%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 17.89%.

Wisconsin Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade21.98%
High School11.03%
Some College7.59%
Bachelors or Greater3.44%

Wisconsin Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed29.99%
Male Unemployed25.73%
Female Employed6.87%
Male Employed4.42%

Wisconsin Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Wisconsin Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Wisconsin Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

50.7%

Male Marriage Rate

49.1%

Female Marriage Rate

Wisconsin Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Wisconsin Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Wisconsin Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Wisconsin Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

315,815

Number of Veterans

291,652

Male Veterans

24,163

Female Veterans

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Wisconsin Veterans by War

count

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Wisconsin Veterans by Age

count

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Wisconsin Veterans by Race

Wisconsin Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

5.88%

Veteran Poverty Rate

27.91%

Veteran Disability Rate

Wisconsin Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

66.1%

Labor Force Participation

63.7%

Employment Rate

3.5%

Unemployment Rate

Wisconsin Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Wisconsin Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Wisconsin Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

70.98%

Born in Wisconsin

94.97%

Native Born

5.03%

Foreign Born

2.65%

Non Citizen

2.38%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

94.97% of Wisconsin residents were born in the United States, with 70.98% having been born in Wisconsin. 2.65% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Wisconsin Place of Birth

  1. Demographic Services Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources