Insight • Data • Economics • Analysis
51 of the State’s 72 Counties Saw Growth in Population between 2010 and 2020
Wisconsin’s population increased by 3.6% between 2010 and 2020, compared to a national growth rate of 7.4%. Twenty-one counties lost population during this period, with Richland County having the greatest percentage decline of -4.0% and Milwaukee County showing the greatest overall loss of more than 8,000 residents. Of the 51 Wisconsin counties that gained population, growth rates varied between less than 1.0% in nine counties and over 7.0% in 10 counties. Dane County had the state’s highest growth rate of 15.0% or more than 73,000 residents. Despite overall gains and declines, population change varied within individual counties and municipalities. For instance, within Milwaukee County, many census tracts gained population despite overall declines in the county. Furthermore, growth rates also varied within counties that showed significant increases, such as St. Croix, Brown, and Outagamie.
Data Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 Decennial Census of Population and Housing; IPUMS NHGIS, University of Minnesota; Color symbols: ColorBrewer2.org Estimates are based on harmonized 2020 Census Blocks created from 2010 to 2020 Census Block Crosswalks produced by IPUMS NHGIS at the University of Minnesota. Blocks were then aggregated to 2020 Census Tracts.
