How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 5.97 million people living in Wisconsin. That makes Wisconsin the 21st-most populous state, home to 1.7% of people living in the US.

5.97M

population of Wisconsin (2025)

1.7%

Wisconsin share of the US population (2025)
The population of Wisconsin was about 2.9 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of Wisconsin grew by about 15,600 people.

About 5.97 million people lived in Wisconsin in 2025. That's about 2.9 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are Wisconsin's age demographics?

About 1.17 million Wisconsin residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 19.6% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 1.24 million Wisconsin residents, or 20.8% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A higher share of Wisconsin's population is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are Wisconsin's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 79% of Wisconsin’s population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Wisconsin also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (0.88%) than the US overall (0.72%).
In contrast, Wisconsin’s non-Hispanic Black or African American population accounted for 6.3%, below the 12.6% share nationwide. The Hispanic population makes up 8.4% of the state, compared with 20% nationally.

A higher share of Wisconsin's population is non-Hispanic white than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are Wisconsin's most populous counties?

In 2024, nine out of 72 counties accounted for over half of Wisconsin's population:
  • Milwaukee County, 924,700 (15.5% of the population)
  • Dane County, 588,300 (9.9%)
  • Waukesha County, 417,000 (7%)
  • Brown County, 273,900 (4.6%)
  • Racine County, 198,700 (3.3%)
  • Outagamie County, 195,400 (3.3%)
  • Winnebago County, 173,300 (2.9%)
  • Kenosha County, 168,800 (2.8%)
  • Rock County, 165,500 (2.8%)

In 2024, Milwaukee County was the most populous county in Wisconsin.

Population estimates

What are Wisconsin's most populous cities?

The largest city in Wisconsin is Milwaukee with about 563,500 residents in 2024.

Cities and counties in Wisconsin ranked by population

Cities and counties in Wisconsin ranked by population
1.

Milwaukee 

563,531
2.

Madison 

285,300
3.

Green Bay

106,311
4.

Kenosha 

99,578
5.

Racine 

78,057
6.

Appleton 

75,344
7.

Eau Claire

72,331
8.

Waukesha 

71,461
9.

Oshkosh 

67,242
10.

Janesville 

66,428

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.