Wisconsin population, ancestry and age

A record population, after a dip in 2021

The Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 5,972,787, is the largest population Wisconsin has had. Among its neighbors it is larger than Iowa and Minnesota; smaller than Illinois and Michigan. It holds 1.75%¹ of the US total. The 2020 Census counted 5,893,718, which ranked the state 20th largest⁶; in the 2025 estimates it ranks one place lower.

The annual estimates rose every year from 2000 to 2020, then fell once: from 5,897,371 in July 2020 to 5,882,128 in July 2021. In that year natural change was −2,022, meaning more deaths than births, and net domestic migration, arrivals from other states minus departures, was −18,299. The total has grown each year since, to 5,930,350 in 2023 and 5,972,787¹ in 2025.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population rose 3.6%, 3.8 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%)⁶. The 1900 Census counted 2,069,042 people; the 2025 population is 2.9 times¹ that figure. From 1900 through 1940 Wisconsin ranked 13th of 51⁹ at every census.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Wisconsin
1820	1,444
1830	3,635
1840	30,945
1850	305,391
1860	775,881
1870	1,054,670
1880	1,315,497
1890	1,693,330
1900	2,069,042
1910	2,333,860
1920	2,632,067
1930	2,939,006
1940	3,137,587
1950	3,434,575
1960	3,951,777
1970	4,417,731
1980	4,705,767
1990	4,891,769
2000	5,363,675
2010	5,686,986
2020	5,893,718
2021	5,882,128
2022	5,903,472
2023	5,930,350
2024	5,957,168
2025	5,972,787

What percent of Wisconsin is German, Polish or Norwegian

In the 2025 survey, 33.4% of Wisconsin residents reported German ancestry (±0.45 percentage points), about 2.0 million¹⁰ people. Ancestry is self-reported and each person can give up to two, so the shares below overlap and do not add to a total.

In the 2020–2024 five-year data, which cover every state on the same basis, Wisconsin's German share of 35.8% is the highest in the country, followed by North Dakota (34.5%), South Dakota (33.1%) and Nebraska (31.0%). By number of people rather than share, Wisconsin ranks 5th largest¹¹.

German is not the only group where Wisconsin leads:

• Polish: 7.1% in 2025. In the five-year data the share, 7.6%, is the highest of any state, just ahead of Michigan (7.2%).
• Belgian: 35,600 people in 2025. Wisconsin has both the largest number and the highest share in the country; its five-year share, 0.71%, is close to double that of Michigan (0.38%).
• Swiss: 0.74% in 2025, the 2nd highest share after Utah.
• Norwegian, Dutch and Finnish: 6.0%, 1.9% and 0.53%¹⁰, the 5th highest, 4th highest and 5th highest¹¹ shares respectively.

Some ancestries common elsewhere are rarer here. The English share, 6.0%, is the 7th lowest in the country, and Scotch-Irish ancestry (0.40%¹⁰) is the 3rd lowest¹¹.

German ancestry is far more common than the German language. In 2025, 21,330 residents aged 5 and older spoke German at home (0.38%), still the 5th highest¹³ share among the states; 22.6%¹² of them speak English less than "very well".

Where the growth comes from: half from other states, half from abroad

Between July 2024 and July 2025 the population grew by 15,619. Net international migration added 7,260, net migration from other states 6,984 and natural change, births minus deaths, only 1,161. Measured as shares of that year's growth, those are 46%, 45% and 7%¹.

Births+59,167

Deaths−58,006

Net domestic migration+6,984

Net international migration+7,260

Residual (estimation adjustment)+214

Total change+15,619

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	59,167
Deaths	−58,006
Net domestic migration	6,984
Net international migration	7,260
Residual (estimation adjustment)	214
Total change	15,619

Natural change is close to zero over the whole period since the 2020 Census. Wisconsin recorded 314,862 births and 313,840 deaths between April 2020 and June 2025, a gain of 1,022. The birth rate in the year to June 2025 was 9.9 per 1,000 residents, 7% below the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents), while the death rate was 9.7 per 1,000 residents, 7% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents)¹.

Most of the 78,464 residents added since April 2020 therefore came through migration: 67,661 net from abroad and 9,667 net from other states. Wisconsin is one of 26 states that gained more residents from other states than they lost between April 2020 and June 2025. Arrivals from abroad were lower in the latest year than in any of the three before it: 7,260, down from 19,395¹ in the year to June 2024.

Movers: an exchange with Minnesota and Illinois

The Census Bureau's 2024 survey of movers counted 116,098 people who moved to Wisconsin from another state and 106,414 who moved the other way. The survey's net figure, 9,684 (±11,310¹⁴), is smaller than its own margin of error, so it cannot show on its own whether the state gained or lost; the population estimates above show a net gain.

Two neighbors lead in both directions. The largest numbers of arrivals came from Illinois (24,045) and Minnesota (23,463); the Illinois flow is not statistically different from the flow from Minnesota. The largest number of departures went to Minnesota (20,316), followed by Illinois (14,131) and Florida (8,210¹⁴). More people moved from Illinois to Wisconsin than from Wisconsin to Illinois, a gap larger than the margins of error; with Minnesota the two directions are close.

Moved to Wisconsin from

Illinois24,045 ±3,201

Minnesota23,463 ±3,257

Texas7,520 ±1,983

Michigan6,713 ±1,680

California6,062 ±2,235

Florida5,624 ±1,397

Left Wisconsin for

Minnesota20,316 ±3,235

Illinois14,131 ±2,749

Florida8,210 ±2,433

Texas5,934 ±2,517

Michigan5,826 ±1,911

Arizona5,018 ±1,728

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Illinois	24,045 ±3,201	14,131 ±2,749
Minnesota	23,463 ±3,257	20,316 ±3,235
Texas	7,520 ±1,983	5,934 ±2,517
Michigan	6,713 ±1,680	5,826 ±1,911
California	6,062 ±2,235	4,050 ±1,636
Florida	5,624 ±1,397	8,210 ±2,433
Arizona	3,156 ±1,446	5,018 ±1,728

Where residents were born points the same way. In 2025, 69.2% were born in Wisconsin, the 5th highest share of any state (between 4th and 7th once sampling error is allowed for). Another 15.9% were born elsewhere in the Midwest, 9.0 percentage points above the US figure (6.9%), while those born in the South (3.7%) and the West (3.1%¹⁵) are well below the national shares.

Wisconsin's population by age: more retirees than children

On July 1, 2025, Wisconsin had 1,241,547 residents aged 65 and older and 1,222,107 under 18. The older group has grown by 174,012 (16.3%) since 2020, while the number of children fell by 59,899 (4.7%). Residents 65 and over are now 20.8% of the population, 1.9 percentage points above the US figure (18.9%), and the share is higher than every bordering state (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota)¹⁶.

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

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Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	2.59	2.48	2.76	2.65
5-9	2.87	2.74	2.96	2.83
10-14	3.05	2.91	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.35	3.17	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.48	3.33	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.15	2.94	3.46	3.37
30-34	3.16	3.06	3.41	3.38
35-39	3.25	3.18	3.38	3.40
40-44	3.19	3.15	3.21	3.27
45-49	2.94	2.88	2.93	3.03
50-54	2.77	2.76	2.83	2.96
55-59	3.00	3.04	2.86	3.02
60-64	3.33	3.47	2.96	3.21
65-69	3.19	3.37	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.63	2.85	2.26	2.64
75-79	1.89	2.16	1.71	2.08
80-84	1.08	1.37	1.00	1.32
85+	0.85	1.39	0.78	1.28

The median age in the 2025 survey was 41.3 years (±0.2 years), 1.8 years above the US figure (39.5 years) and older than every bordering state (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota). That is up from 40.7 years in 2024; in 2005 it was 37.9 years¹⁷. The state ranks tied for 11th oldest, somewhere between 8th and 15th³ once sampling error is allowed for.

Wisconsin41.3 ±0.2

Michigan40.9 ±0.2

Illinois39.7 ±0.1

Minnesota39.5 ±0.3

United States39.5 ±0.1

Iowa39.4 ±0.2

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B01002. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error. Period: 2025.

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State	Median age	MOE
Wisconsin	41.3	±0.2
Michigan	40.9	±0.2
Illinois	39.7	±0.1
Minnesota	39.5	±0.3
United States	39.5	±0.1
Iowa	39.4	±0.2

The old-age dependency ratio (residents 65 and older per 100 aged 18 to 64) is 35.4, 12% above the US figure (31.5) and up from 30.1 in 2020¹⁶. The total fertility rate in 2024, 1.60 children per woman, was the same as the US figure (1.60)¹⁸.

Men make up 49.8% of residents, 0.7 percentage points above the US figure (49.1%), which gives the state 99.0 men per 100 women, a ratio that ranks tied for 13th highest¹⁶.

Race and ethnicity, with Hmong and Native detail

Non-Hispanic white residents made up 76.5% of the population in the 2025 survey, 21.5 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%), and the share was down from 77.8% in 2024. Hispanic or Latino residents were 8.7%, up from 8.4% in 2024; most are of Mexican origin (5.4% of all residents), followed by Puerto Rican (1.1%¹⁹). People of two or more races rose to 4.6%, up from 3.9% in 2024².

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic76.5% 86.9%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)8.7%

Black, not Hispanic5.8% 7.8%

Two or more races, not Hispanic4.6%

Asian, not Hispanic3.2% 4.3%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.8% 2.7%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.3%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.1%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	76.5%	±0.1	86.9%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8.7%		–
Black, not Hispanic	5.8%	±0.1	7.8%
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.6%	±0.2	–
Asian, not Hispanic	3.2%	±0.1	4.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.8%	±0.1	2.7%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.3%	±0.1	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%		0.1%

Counting everyone who reported a race alone or with another, 7.8%²⁰ of residents are Black, 4.3%²¹ Asian and 2.7%²² American Indian or Alaska Native. On the diversity index, the chance that two people chosen at random belong to different race or ethnic groups, Wisconsin scores 40.1, the 12th least diverse²³ state.

The largest Asian group is Hmong. The 2025 survey counted 65,972 Hmong residents (±7,469²⁴). In the five-year data Wisconsin has the 3rd largest Hmong population, after California and Minnesota, and the 2nd highest share, after Minnesota²⁵. Hmong is also the most common language spoken at home after English and Spanish; 37.4%¹² of its speakers speak English less than "very well".

At the 2020 Census, 45,828 Wisconsin residents reported American Indian as their only race and 111,107 reported it alone or with another race. The most common responses were Chippewa (11,835), Menominee Indian Tribe (10,409) and Cherokee (9,855²⁷). The Census Bureau tabulates general answers such as "Oneida" separately from specific ones such as "Oneida Nation", and one person can be counted in several groups, so these figures should not be added together.

Density, land and water

Wisconsin averages 110.3 people per square mile, the 26th most densely populated state; it is denser than Iowa and Minnesota; less dense than Illinois and Michigan²⁸. At the 2020 Census 32.9% of residents lived in rural areas, 12.9 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%). The rural share is higher than Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota; lower than Iowa²⁹.

Water covers 17.3% of the state's total area, the 9th highest share among the states and 10.2 percentage points above the US figure (7.1%). On land alone Wisconsin is smaller than every bordering state (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota)³⁰.

Most workers drive to work alone (74.9%), 5.1 percentage points above the US figure (69.8%), and only 1.2%³¹ use public transit. The average one-way commute, 23.2 minutes, is 4.2 minutes below the US figure (27.4 minutes)³².

Incomes in the middle, poverty below average

The median household income was $80,213 in 2025 (±$703), $4,567 (5%) below the US figure ($84,780) and not statistically different from $79,527 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars). It is higher than Iowa and Michigan; lower than Illinois and Minnesota⁴.

Incomes are bunched toward the middle. Households with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 are 31.0% of the total, 3.2 percentage points above the US figure (27.8%), while those with $200,000 or more are 10.7%, 4.1 percentage points below the US figure (14.8%)³³. The Gini index of income inequality, 0.449, is 7% below the US figure (0.482); ranked from most to least unequal, Wisconsin falls between 34th and 50th³⁴.

WisconsinUnited States

Under $25,00012.9% 14.0%

$25,000–$49,99916.8% 15.4%

$50,000–$99,99931.0% 27.8%

$100,000–$199,99928.7% 28.0%

$200,000 or more10.7% 14.8%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001. Share of households in each band of income in the past 12 months, in 2025 dollars.

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Household income	Wisconsin	MOE	United States
Under $25,000	12.9%	±0.4	14.0%
$25,000–$49,999	16.8%	±0.5	15.4%
$50,000–$99,999	31.0%	±0.6	27.8%
$100,000–$199,999	28.7%	±0.5	28.0%
$200,000 or more	10.7%	±0.3	14.8%

The official poverty rate was 10.3% (±0.4 percentage points), 1.5 percentage points below the US figure (11.8%), and child poverty 12.4%⁵. The Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure, which accounts for taxes, benefits such as SNAP, and local housing costs, puts Wisconsin's rate for 2023–2025 at 7.9% (±1.2 percentage points), 5.1 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%). Only Maine (6.4%) and Nebraska (7.5%) have lower published rates, and Minnesota³⁵ has the same one, but the survey's margins of error are too wide to separate most of the low-poverty states.

Vermont8.9% ±1.2

Wyoming8.7% ±1.1

Iowa8.3% ±1.1

Kansas8.1% ±1.0

New Hampshire8.0% ±1.3

South Dakota8.0% ±1.1

Minnesota7.9% ±1.0

Wisconsin7.9% ±1.2

Nebraska7.5% ±1.0

Maine6.4% ±1.1

Source: Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2023-2025.

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State	SPM rate	MOE
Vermont	8.9%	±1.2
Wyoming	8.7%	±1.1
Iowa	8.3%	±1.1
Kansas	8.1%	±1.0
New Hampshire	8.0%	±1.3
South Dakota	8.0%	±1.1
Minnesota	7.9%	±1.0
Wisconsin	7.9%	±1.2
Nebraska	7.5%	±1.0
Maine	6.4%	±1.1

Prices are lower than the national average: the Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Wisconsin's price level at 94.1 for 2024 (US = 100), with housing at 79.3³⁶. The median home value is $316,500, $54,600 (15%) below the US figure ($371,100)³⁷, and the median rent $1,219, $338 (22%) below the US figure ($1,557)³⁸. The housing stock is old: 17.6% of homes were built before 1940, 6.3 percentage points above the US figure (11.3%)³⁹.

Catholic parishes and three Lutheran bodies

Wisconsin's largest religious body is the Catholic Church, which counted 1,237,342 adherents in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, 21.0% of residents, down from 25.1% in 2010. Three Lutheran bodies follow it among Protestant churches: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (5.4%), the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (3.6%) and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (3.0%⁴¹).

Synagogues counted 10,976 members and the mosque study estimated 68,699 people taking part in mosques. The overall adherence rate, 48.0%, is higher than Iowa and Michigan; lower than Illinois and Minnesota⁴¹. Congregations report these numbers themselves; they are not a survey of what Wisconsinites believe (about the source).

Smaller households and fewer families

The average household has 2.27 people, down from 2.29 in 2024 and smaller than every bordering state (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota)⁴². In 2005 it was 2.42. Over the same period the number of households grew faster than the population, from 2,219,571¹⁷ to 2,567,583⁴³.

WisconsinUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Wisconsin	United States
2005	2.42 ±0.01	2.60 ±0.02
2006	2.42 ±0.01	2.61 ±0.02
2007	2.43 ±0.02	2.61 ±0.01
2008	2.43 ±0.01	2.62 ±0.03
2009	2.42 ±0.03	2.63 ±0.01
2010	2.43 ±0.01	2.63 ±0.01
2011	2.44 ±0.01	2.64 ±0.01
2012	2.44 ±0.02	2.64 ±0.01
2013	2.44 ±0.02	2.65 ±0.01
2014	2.43 ±0.01	2.65 ±0.01
2015	2.42 ±0.02	2.65 ±0.01
2016	2.42 ±0.01	2.65 ±0.01
2017	2.40 ±0.02	2.65 ±0.03
2018	2.39 ±0.01	2.63 ±0.03
2019	2.38 ±0.01	2.61 ±0.01
2021	2.35 ±0.01	2.54 ±0.01
2022	2.31 ±0.01	2.50 ±0.01
2023	2.31 ±0.01	2.49 ±0.01
2024	2.29 ±0.01	2.50 ±0.01
2025	2.27 ±0.01	2.49 ±0.01

Family households are 60.5% of all households, 3.4 percentage points below the US figure (63.9%), and 31.6% of households are one person living alone. Single mothers head 9.0% of households, 3.1 percentage points below the US figure (12.1%)⁴³. In 2024 the marriage rate was 5.2 per 1,000 residents, 17% below the US figure (6.3 per 1,000 residents), and the divorce rate 2.0 per 1,000 residents, 13% below the US figure (2.3 per 1,000 residents)⁴⁴.

High school completion near the top

Public high schools graduated 90% of students within four years in the 2021–22 school year. That is tied for 2nd highest⁴⁵ among the 48 states and DC with published rates (New Mexico and Oklahoma reported none); NCES rounds the rates, so several states share each value. Among adults 25 and older, 93.9% have at least a high school diploma, 3.3 percentage points above the US figure (90.6%), and 11.3% have an associate degree as their highest degree, 2.4 percentage points above the US figure (8.9%)⁴⁶.

The share with a bachelor's degree or higher, 35.2% (±0.5 percentage points), is 2.2 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%)⁴⁶. In 2005 it was 25.0%¹⁷.

Work, health and veterans

The unemployment rate averaged 3.2% in 2025, 1.1 percentage points below the US figure (4.3%), and 64.5% of residents 16 and older were in the labor force, 2.1 percentage points above the US figure (62.4%)⁴⁷.

Life expectancy at birth was 78.1 years in 2022, 0.6 years above the US figure (77.5 years)⁴⁸. The share of residents without health insurance was 5.9% in 2025, 2.5 percentage points below the US figure (8.4%) but up from 5.3% in 2024⁴⁹. Adult obesity, 37.4% in 2024, is higher than every bordering state (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota)⁵⁰.

Wisconsin has 271,392 veterans (5.7%⁵¹ of civilian adults). Of these, 38.2% served in the Vietnam era, 7.3 percentage points above the US figure (30.9%), while the post-9/11 share, 23.2%, is 8.2 percentage points below the US figure (31.4%)⁵².