There are 72 counties in the US state of Wisconsin. The land that eventually became Wisconsin was transferred from British to American control with the 1783 signing of the Treaty of Paris. It was an unorganized part of the Northwest Territory until 1802 when all of the land from St. Louis north to the Canadian border was organized as St. Clair County. When Illinois was admitted to the union in 1818, Wisconsin became part of the Territory of Michigan and divided into two counties: Brown County in the northeast along Lake Michigan and Crawford County in the southwest along the Mississippi River. Iowa County was formed in 1829 from the Crawford County land south of the Wisconsin River. Brown County's southern portion was used to form Milwaukee County in 1834. The state of Wisconsin was created from Wisconsin Territory on May 29, 1848, with 28 counties.
The most populous county in the state is Milwaukee County at 924,216 people at the 2025 Census estimate. The county with the least population is Menominee County with 4,199 residents; the Menominee Indian Reservation is co-extensive with the county. Pepin County is the smallest in area, with ; Marathon is the largest, having .
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. Wisconsin's code is 55, which when combined with any county code would be written as 55XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.
Governance Each county has a county seat, often a populous or centrally located community, where the county's governmental offices are located. Some of the services provided by the county include: law enforcement, circuit courts, social services, vital records and deed registration, road maintenance, and snow removal. County officials include sheriffs, district attorneys, clerks, treasurers, coroners, surveyors, registers of deeds, and clerks of circuit court; these officers are elected for four-year terms. In most counties, elected coroners have been replaced by appointed medical examiners. State law permits counties to appoint a registered land surveyor in place of electing a surveyor.
Counties in Wisconsin are governed by county boards, headed by a chairperson. Counties with a population of 500,000 or more must also have a county executive. Smaller counties may have either a county executive or a county administrator.Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 2011–2012 Blue Book . Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 2011, p. 736. As of 2011, 13 counties had elected county executives: Brown, Chippewa, Dane, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Portage, Racine, Sawyer, Waukesha, and Winnebago. 23 had an appointed county administrator, 34 had an appointed administrative coordinator, and 2 had neither an executive nor an administrator. Waukesha County had both an executive and an administrator.Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 2011–2012 Blue Book . Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 2011, p. 732.
List of counties
|}Comma Separated List of Wisconsin Counties:
Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood
Racial / Ethnic Profile of counties in Wisconsin (2020 Census) Racial / Ethnic Profile of counties in Wisconsin (2020 Census) Following is a table of counties in Wisconsin by race/ethnicity. The majority racial/ethnic group is coded per the key below.
Majority minority with no dominant groupMajority WhiteMajority BlackMajority HispanicMajority AsianMajority Native American
+ Racial and ethnic composition of counties in Wisconsin (2020 Census)(NH = Non-Hispanic) County Locationof County Total Population White alone (NH) % Black orAfrican American alone (NH) % Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) % Asian alone (NH) % Pacific Islander alone (NH) % Other race alone (NH) % Mixed race orMultiracial (NH) % Hispanic or Latino(any race) %Adams20,65418,37288.95%5932.87%1650.80%840.41%80.04%600.29%5752.78%7973.86%Ashland16,02712,67879.10%1120.70%1,99912.47%820.51%90.06%220.14%7424.63%3832.39%Barron46,71142,21090.36%8131.74%4360.93%3450.74%50.01%990.21%1,5263.27%1,2772.73%Bayfield16,22013,44582.89%540.33%1,6129.94%360.22%20.01%560.35%7364.54%2791.72%Brown268,740208,44077.56%8,1543.03%6,3292.36%8,4453.14%1140.04%6370.24%10,4053.87%26,2169.76%Buffalo13,31712,57794.44%430.32%310.23%190.14%120.09%80.06%3002.25%3272.46%Burnett16,52614,65888.70%650.39%6974.22%530.32%100.06%320.19%7574.58%2541.54%Calumet52,44246,05687.82%4190.80%1890.36%1,2692.42%420.08%1240.24%1,4862.83%2,8575.45%Chippewa66,29760,39191.09%1,0401.57%3230.49%9591.45%140.02%1530.23%2,1603.26%1,2571.90%Clark34,65931,56691.08%1030.30%1170.34%1060.31%40.01%720.21%5931.71%2,0986.05%Columbia58,49053,03790.68%8661.48%2700.46%3760.64%110.02%1220.21%1,6692.85%2,1393.66%Crawford16,11315,01893.20%2651.64%410.25%680.42%10.01%340.21%4262.64%2601.61%Dane561,504426,72176.00%29,7425.30%1,2750.23%35,5926.34%2140.04%2,1030.37%23,9034.26%41,9547.47%Dodge89,39677,84587.08%2,7013.02%3710.42%5110.57%110.01%2040.23%2,2632.53%5,4906.14%Door30,06627,52491.55%1400.47%1220.41%1360.45%00.00%760.25%9303.09%1,1383.79%Douglas44,29539,41788.99%5761.30%7631.72%2860.65%180.04%1390.31%2,3285.26%7681.73%Dunn45,44040,91290.04%3880.85%1570.35%1,4513.19%130.03%880.19%1,3963.07%1,0352.28%Eau Claire105,71092,35487.37%1,2131.15%4400.42%4,3654.13%830.08%2510.24%3,8863.68%3,1182.95%Florence4,5584,29694.25%90.20%300.66%50.11%40.09%110.24%1373.01%661.45%Fond du Lac104,15490,15086.55%2,3212.23%3550.34%1,2411.19%310.03%2140.21%3,1253.00%6,7176.45%Forest9,1797,37180.30%320.35%1,18712.93%170.19%70.08%30.03%4074.43%1551.69%Grant51,93848,32593.04%6791.31%950.18%4110.79%80.02%580.11%1,1262.17%1,2362.38%Green37,09333,96091.55%2010.54%490.13%1700.46%30.01%760.20%1,1343.06%1,5004.04%Green Lake19,01817,25590.73%1060.56%490.26%1010.53%00.00%390.21%4892.57%9795.15%Iowa23,70922,20393.65%1140.48%260.11%1780.75%120.05%500.21%6712.83%4551.92%Iron6,1375,80994.66%110.18%631.03%130.21%00.00%270.44%1422.31%721.17%Jackson21,14517,93984.84%4402.08%1,3196.24%730.35%00.00%450.21%6513.08%6783.21%Jefferson84,90073,32586.37%8641.02%2060.24%6460.76%190.02%2020.24%2,5703.03%7,0688.33%Juneau26,71824,00889.86%5482.05%3551.33%1470.55%10.00%520.19%8803.29%7272.72%Kenosha169,151121,93672.09%11,4806.79%3710.22%2,7931.65%670.04%5280.31%7,4304.39%24,54614.51%Kewaunee20,56318,99292.36%570.28%550.27%640.31%20.01%410.20%5182.52%8344.06%La Crosse120,784105,30787.19%1,9271.60%4400.36%5,5994.64%160.01%3850.32%4,0593.36%3,0512.53%Lafayette16,61115,08190.79%270.16%200.12%360.22%40.02%190.11%3352.02%1,0896.56%Langlade19,49117,96092.15%1050.54%2351.21%670.34%40.02%360.18%6253.21%4592.35%Lincoln28,41526,73494.08%1480.52%1080.38%1170.41%20.01%350.12%7422.61%5291.86%Manitowoc81,35970,95187.21%1,0271.26%3710.46%2,2472.76%150.02%2120.26%2,4863.06%4,0504.98%Marathon138,013118,78386.07%1,1410.83%5460.40%8,4316.11%290.02%3400.25%4,2903.11%4,4533.23%Marinette41,87238,75492.55%1920.46%2030.48%1800.43%80.02%960.23%1,3603.25%1,0792.58%Marquette15,59214,47792.85%440.28%600.38%510.33%50.03%450.29%4222.71%4883.13%Menominee4,25548311.35%20.05%3,54983.41%20.05%20.05%00.00%811.90%1363.20%Milwaukee939,489456,52048.59%240,41625.59%3,8780.41%45,9894.90%2620.03%4,2270.45%35,1803.74%153,01716.29%Monroe46,27440,60887.76%6201.34%4931.07%3520.76%630.14%1110.24%1,4673.17%2,5605.53%Oconto38,96536,17092.83%910.23%4631.19%1100.28%00.00%660.17%1,2173.12%8482.18%Oneida37,84535,26493.18%2050.54%4411.17%1950.52%180.05%1170.31%1,0302.72%5751.52%Outagamie190,705161,87984.88%2,9291.54%2,7431.44%6,5883.45%1120.06%4150.22%6,6163.47%9,4234.94%Ozaukee91,50381,41088.97%1,4831.62%1670.18%2,2832.50%140.02%3430.37%2,7052.96%3,0983.39%Pepin7,3186,86693.82%200.27%330.45%220.30%00.00%70.10%2132.91%1572.15%Pierce42,21238,53591.29%4020.95%2090.50%2890.68%100.02%1390.33%1,4083.34%1,2202.89%Polk44,97741,77292.87%1590.35%3700.82%2050.46%70.02%1300.29%1,3873.08%9472.11%Portage70,37762,21288.40%9031.28%2420.34%2,2523.20%160.02%1420.20%1,9902.83%2,6203.72%Price14,05413,15793.62%310.22%830.59%670.48%1240.88%380.27%3742.66%1801.28%Racine197,727135,33368.44%22,53111.40%5380.27%2,2611.14%470.02%7920.40%8,3144.20%27,91114.12%Richland17,30416,01492.55%920.53%420.24%950.55%00.00%240.14%5112.95%5263.04%Rock163,687129,79679.30%8,0604.92%3860.24%2,0221.24%500.03%5230.32%7,0504.31%15,8009.65%Rusk14,18813,28793.65%440.31%580.41%530.37%50.04%360.25%4553.21%2501.76%St. Croix93,53685,45791.36%6350.68%2330.25%9841.05%330.04%3090.33%3,2063.43%2,6792.86%Sauk65,76357,86887.99%5780.88%7641.16%3940.60%150.02%1480.23%1,9462.96%4,0506.16%Sawyer18,07413,81776.45%960.53%2,86115.83%630.35%20.01%540.30%8234.55%3581.98%Shawano40,88134,40484.16%1170.29%3,3098.09%1650.40%60.01%590.14%1,6454.02%1,1762.88%Sheboygan118,03495,83781.19%2,4342.06%3620.31%6,8755.82%210.02%3600.30%3,4832.95%8,6627.34%Taylor19,91318,71393.97%640.32%390.20%620.31%50.03%140.07%4492.25%5672.85%Trempealeau30,76025,83083.97%810.26%820.27%1090.35%00.00%520.17%6492.11%3,95712.86%Vernon30,71429,17995.00%1210.39%410.13%890.29%90.03%960.31%7152.33%4641.51%Vilas23,04719,56984.91%490.21%2,1819.46%570.25%00.00%610.26%6712.91%4591.99%Walworth106,47888,10482.74%1,1661.10%2290.22%1,0020.94%100.01%2680.25%3,1492.96%12,55011.79%Washburn16,62315,34892.33%300.18%1821.09%590.35%40.02%360.22%6654.00%2991.80%Washington136,761123,85590.56%1,6721.22%2720.20%1,9431.42%280.02%4070.30%3,7572.75%4,8273.53%Waukesha406,978347,92285.49%6,6481.63%8070.20%15,6163.84%1210.03%1,1380.28%12,8913.17%21,8355.37%Waupaca51,81247,78492.23%2020.39%2420.47%2540.49%40.01%1050.20%1,3572.62%1,8643.60%Waushara24,52021,55287.90%3891.59%1210.49%980.40%140.06%500.20%6032.46%1,6936.90%Winnebago171,730145,58184.77%4,9312.87%9350.54%5,5603.24%530.03%3620.21%5,9803.48%8,3284.85%Wood74,20767,05590.36%5470.74%5490.74%1,3821.86%290.04%1900.26%2,0792.80%2,3763.20%
Renamed counties Five counties in Wisconsin have been renamed, but otherwise kept their same borders.
Bad Axe County existed from 1851 to 1862. It was named after the Bad Axe River and the Battle of Bad Axe. It was renamed to Vernon County in 1862. (Bad Ax County). Other editions available: and Google Books Dallas County existed for 10 years, from 1859 to 1869. It was named after George M. Dallas, the 11th vice president of the United States. It was named to Barron County in 1869. Gates County existed from 1901 to 1905. It was named after Milwaukee land speculator James L. Gates. It was renamed to Rusk County in 1905.Rusk County Museum La Pointe County existed from 1845 to 1866. In 1848, when Wisconsin achieved statehood, La Pointe County was split between Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was renamed to Bayfield County in 1866. New County existed briefly between 1879 and 1880. It was formed from part of Oconto County. It was renamed to Langlade County in 1880.'History of Langlade County, Wisconsin from U.S. Government Survey to Present Time, With Biographical Sketches,' Robert Dessueran, Bernier Bros Publishing Co., Antigo, Wisconsin: 1922, History of Langlade County, Chapter V: Organization of Langlade County, pg. 12
Proposed counties Two proposed counties were ultimately not established.