List of counties in Wisconsin

There are 72 counties in the U.S. 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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] Iowa County was formed in 1829 from the Crawford County land south of the Wisconsin River.[1] Brown County's southern portion was used to form Milwaukee County in 1834.[1] The state of Wisconsin was created from Wisconsin Territory on May 29, 1848, with 28 counties.

Counties of Wisconsin
LocationState of Wisconsin
Number72
Populations4,197 (Menominee) – 918,661 (Milwaukee)
Areas231.98 square miles (600.8 km2) (Pepin) – 1,544.91 square miles (4,001.3 km2) (Marathon)
Government
Subdivisions
  • cities, villages, towns

The most populous county in the state is Milwaukee County at 918,661 people at the 2022 Census estimate.[2] The county with the least population is Menominee County with 4,197 residents; the Menominee Indian Reservation is co-extensive with the county.[2] Pepin County is the smallest in area, with 231.98 square miles (600.8 km2); Marathon is the largest, having 1,544.91 square miles (4,001.3 km2).[2]

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.[3] 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.[4]

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 In most counties, elected coroners have been replaced by appointed medical examiners.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.[5] 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.[6]

List of counties
County
 FIPS code[4] County seat[7] Est.[8] Formed from[9] Etymology[9] Population[2] Area[2] Map
Adams County 001 Friendship1848Portage CountyJohn Quincy Adams (1767–1848), President of the United States (1825–29) 21,226 645.65 sq mi
(1,672 km2)		State map highlighting Adams County
Ashland County 003 Ashland1860La Pointe CountyAshland, Henry Clay's estate in Kentucky 16,039 1,045.04 sq mi
(2,707 km2)		State map highlighting Ashland County
Barron County 005 Barron1859Polk CountyHenry D. Barron, state senator and circuit court judge. 46,843 862.71 sq mi
(2,234 km2)		State map highlighting Barron County
Bayfield County 007 Washburn1845St. Croix CountyHenry Bayfield, Royal naval officer and first to survey Great Lakes area 16,608 1,477.86 sq mi
(3,828 km2)		State map highlighting Bayfield County
Brown County 009 Green Bay1818unorganized territoryMajor General Jacob Brown (1775–1828), commanding general of the United States Army during the War of 1812 270,036 529.71 sq mi
(1,372 km2)		State map highlighting Brown County
Buffalo County 011 Alma1853Trempealeau CountyThe Buffalo River, which flows through the county. 13,391 671.64 sq mi
(1,740 km2)		State map highlighting Buffalo County
Burnett County 013 Siren1856Polk CountyThomas P. Burnett, state legislator 17,036 821.85 sq mi
(2,129 km2)		State map highlighting Burnett County
Calumet County 015 Chilton1836Brown County, WisconsinThe French word for a Menominee Ceremonial pipe. 52,718 318.24 sq mi
(824 km2)		State map highlighting Calumet County
Chippewa County 017 Chippewa Falls1845Crawford CountyChippewa Indians 66,807 1,008.37 sq mi
(2,612 km2)		State map highlighting Chippewa County
Clark County 019 Neillsville1853Crawford CountyGeorge Rogers Clark (1752–1812), Revolutionary War general 34,691 1,209.82 sq mi
(3,133 km2)		State map highlighting Clark County
Columbia County 021 Portage1846Portage CountyChristopher Columbus (1451–1506), navigator and explorer 58,193 765.53 sq mi
(1,983 km2)		State map highlighting Columbia County
Crawford County 023 Prairie du Chien1818unorganized territoryWilliam Harris Crawford (1772–1834), United States Senator from Georgia (1807–13) and Secretary of the Treasury (1816–25) 16,007 570.66 sq mi
(1,478 km2)		State map highlighting Crawford County
Dane County 025 Madison1836Crawford, Iowa, and Milwaukee CountesNathan Dane (1752–1835), delegate to the First Continental Congress (1785–88) 568,203 1,197.24 sq mi
(3,101 km2)		State map highlighting Dane County
Dodge County 027 Juneau1836Brown and Milwaukee CountiesHenry Dodge (1782–1867), Territorial Governor of Wisconsin (1845–48) 88,282 875.63 sq mi
(2,268 km2)		State map highlighting Dodge County
Door County 029 Sturgeon Bay1851Brown CountyA dangerous water passage near Door Peninsula known as Porte des Morts or "door of the dead" in French 30,526 481.98 sq mi
(1,248 km2)		State map highlighting Door County
Douglas County 031 Superior1854La Pointe CountyStephen Douglas (1813–61), United States Senator from Illinois (1847–61) 44,144 1,304.14 sq mi
(3,378 km2)		State map highlighting Douglas County
Dunn County 033 Menomonie1854Chippewa CountyCharles Dunn, state senator and chief justice of Wisconsin Territory 45,651 850.11 sq mi
(2,202 km2)		State map highlighting Dunn County
Eau Claire County 035 Eau Claire1856Chippewa CountyCity of Eau Claire French for "clear water" 106,837 637.98 sq mi
(1,652 km2)		State map highlighting Eau Claire County
Florence County 037 Florence1881Marinette and Oconto CountiesFlorence Hulst, the first white woman to settle in the area 4,688 488.20 sq mi
(1,264 km2)		State map highlighting Florence County
Fond du Lac County 039 Fond du Lac1836Brown CountyFrench for "bottom of the lake" 103,836 719.55 sq mi
(1,864 km2)		State map highlighting Fond du Lac County
Forest County 041 Crandon1885Langlade and Oconto CountiesForest which covered the area when it was settled 9,381 1,014.07 sq mi
(2,626 km2)		State map highlighting Forest County
Grant County 043 Lancaster1837Iowa CountyProbably a trader named Grant who made contact with area natives in 1810 but about whom little else is known 51,276 1,146.85 sq mi
(2,970 km2)		State map highlighting Grant County
Green County 045 Monroe1837Iowa County and unorganized territoryNathanael Greene (1742–86), quartermaster general during the American Revolutionary War 36,816 583.96 sq mi
(1,512 km2)		State map highlighting Green County
Green Lake County 047 Green Lake1858Marquette CountyGreen Lake located within the county 19,220 349.44 sq mi
(905 km2)		State map highlighting Green Lake County
Iowa County 049 Dodgeville1829Crawford CountyIowa tribe of Indians 23,865 762.58 sq mi
(1,975 km2)		State map highlighting Iowa County
Iron County 051 Hurley1893Ashland and Oneida CountiesLocal iron deposits 6,224 758.17 sq mi
(1,964 km2)		State map highlighting Iron County
Jackson County 053 Black River Falls1853La Crosse CountyAndrew Jackson (1767–1845), President of the United States (1829–37) 20,836 987.72 sq mi
(2,558 km2)		State map highlighting Jackson County
Jefferson County 055 Jefferson1836Milwaukee CountyThomas Jefferson (1743–1826), President of the United States (1801–09) 85,784 556.47 sq mi
(1,441 km2)		State map highlighting Jefferson County
Juneau County 057 Mauston1856Adams CountySolomon Juneau (1793–1856), founder of what would become Milwaukee 26,866 766.93 sq mi
(1,986 km2)		State map highlighting Juneau County
Kenosha County 059 Kenosha1850Racine CountyIndian word meaning "place of the pike" 167,817 271.99 sq mi
(704 km2)		State map highlighting Kenosha County
Kewaunee County 061 Kewaunee1852Door CountyEither a Potawatomi word meaning "river of the lost" or an Ojibwe word meaning "prairie hen" "wild duck" or "to go around" 20,623 342.52 sq mi
(887 km2)		State map highlighting Kewaunee County
La Crosse County 063 La Crosse1851Crawford CountyIndian game of lacrosse 120,294 451.69 sq mi
(1,170 km2)		State map highlighting La Crosse County
Lafayette County 065 Darlington1846Iowa CountyGilbert du Motier marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834), a French general in the American Revolutionary War 16,877 633.59 sq mi
(1,641 km2)		State map highlighting Lafayette County
Langlade County 067 Antigo1879Oconto CountyCharles de Langlade (1729 – c. 1800), American Revolutionary War veteran and United States Indian Agent in Green Bay 19,559 870.64 sq mi
(2,255 km2)		State map highlighting Langlade County
Lincoln County 069 Merrill1874Marathon CountyAbraham Lincoln (1809–65), President of the United States (1861–65) 28,376 878.97 sq mi
(2,277 km2)		State map highlighting Lincoln County
Manitowoc County 071 Manitowoc1836Brown CountyMunedoo-owk, an Ojibwe word meaning "the place of the good spirit" 81,172 589.08 sq mi
(1,526 km2)		State map highlighting Manitowoc County
Marathon County 073 Wausau1850Portage CountyMarathon, Greece 137,958 1,544.98 sq mi
(4,001 km2)		State map highlighting Marathon County
Marinette County 075 Marinette1879Oconto CountyMarie Antoinette Chevalier, Indian wife of an early fur trapper 41,988 1,399.35 sq mi
(3,624 km2)		State map highlighting Marinette County
Marquette County 077 Montello1836Brown CountyJacques Marquette (1637–75), missionary and explorer 15,779 455.60 sq mi
(1,180 km2)		State map highlighting Marquette County
Menominee County 078 Keshena1959Menominee Indian Reservation, Shawano, and Oconto CountiesMenominee Indians 4,197 357.61 sq mi
(926 km2)		State map highlighting Menominee County
Milwaukee County 079 Milwaukee1834Brown CountyMahnawaukee-Seepe, an Indian word meaning "gathering place by the river" 918,661 241.40 sq mi
(625 km2)		State map highlighting Milwaukee County
Monroe County 081 Sparta1854La Crosse CountyJames Monroe (1758–1831), President of the United States (1817–25) 46,109 900.78 sq mi
(2,333 km2)		State map highlighting Monroe County
Oconto County 083 Oconto1851Brown CountyAn Indian settlement and the Oconto River, whose name means "plentiful with fish" 39,633 997.99 sq mi
(2,585 km2)		State map highlighting Oconto County
Oneida County 085 Rhinelander1885Lincoln CountyOneida Indians 38,212 1,112.97 sq mi
(2,883 km2)		State map highlighting Oneida County
Outagamie County 087 Appleton1851Brown CountyOutagamie Indians 192,127 637.52 sq mi
(1,651 km2)		State map highlighting Outagamie County
Ozaukee County 089 Port Washington1853Washington CountyThe Ojibwe word for the Sauk nation 93,009 233.08 sq mi
(604 km2)		State map highlighting Ozaukee County
Pepin County 091 Durand1858Dunn CountyPierre and Jean Pepin du Chardonnets, explorers 7,410 231.98 sq mi
(601 km2)		State map highlighting Pepin County
Pierce County 093 Ellsworth1853Saint Croix CountyFranklin Pierce (1804–69), President of the United States (1853–57) 42,532 573.75 sq mi
(1,486 km2)		State map highlighting Pierce County
Polk County 095 Balsam Lake1853Saint Croix CountyJames Polk (1795–1849), President of the United States (1845–49) 45,709 913.96 sq mi
(2,367 km2)		State map highlighting Polk County
Portage County 097 Stevens Point1836Brown, Crawford, Iowa, and Milwaukee CountiesPassage between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers 70,718 800.68 sq mi
(2,074 km2)		State map highlighting Portage County
Price County 099 Phillips1879Chippewa and Lincoln CountiesWilliam T. Price (1824–86), Representative from Wisconsin (1883–86) 14,179 1,254.38 sq mi
(3,249 km2)		State map highlighting Price County
Racine County 101 Racine1836Milwaukee CountyRacine, the French word for "root", after the Root River, which flows through the county 195,846 332.5 sq mi
(861 km2)		State map highlighting Racine County
Richland County 103 Richland Center1842Iowa CountyThe rich soil of the area 17,090 586.15 sq mi
(1,518 km2)		State map highlighting Richland County
Rock County 105 Janesville1836Milwaukee CountyRock River, which flows through the county 164,060 718.14 sq mi
(1,860 km2)		State map highlighting Rock County
Rusk County 107 Ladysmith1901Chippewa CountyJeremiah McLain Rusk (1830–93), Governor of Wisconsin (1882–89) 14,186 913.59 sq mi
(2,366 km2)		State map highlighting Rusk County
Sauk County 111 Baraboo1840Crawford, Dane and Portage CountiesSauk Indians 65,777 830.9 sq mi
(2,152 km2)		State map highlighting Sauk County
Sawyer County 113 Hayward1883Ashland and Chippewa CountiesPhiletus Sawyer (1816–1900), Representative (1865–75) and Senator (1881–93) from Wisconsin 18,559 1,257.31 sq mi
(3,256 km2)		State map highlighting Sawyer County
Shawano County 115 Shawano1853Oconto CountyAn Ojibwe word meaning "southern" 40,886 893.06 sq mi
(2,313 km2)		State map highlighting Shawano County
Sheboygan County 117 Sheboygan1836Brown CountyShawb-wa-way-kun, an Indian word meaning "great noise underground" 117,841 511.27 sq mi
(1,324 km2)		State map highlighting Sheboygan County
St. Croix County 109 Hudson1840Crawford County, and unorganized territoryAn early French explorer named St. Croix, about whom little is known 96,017 722.33 sq mi
(1,871 km2)		State map highlighting St. Croix County
Taylor County 119 Medford1875Clark, Lincoln, Marathon and Chippewa CountiesWilliam Robert Taylor (1820–1909), Governor of Wisconsin 1874–76 19,975 974.88 sq mi
(2,525 km2)		State map highlighting Taylor County
Trempealeau County 121 Whitehall1854Crawford and La Crosse CountiesTrempealeau Mountain (from the French for "mountain with its foot in the water"), a bluff located in a bend of the Trempealeau River,[10] which flows through the county 30,899 732.97 sq mi
(1,898 km2)		State map highlighting Trempealeau County
Vernon County 123 Viroqua1851Richland and Crawford CountiesMount Vernon, home of George Washington 31,060 791.58 sq mi
(2,050 km2)		State map highlighting Vernon County
Vilas County 125 Eagle River1893Oneida CountyWilliam Vilas (1840–1908), officer in the Civil War United States Postmaster General (1885–88) United States Secretary of the Interior (1888–89) and Senator from Wisconsin (1891–97) 23,763 856.60 sq mi
(2,219 km2)		State map highlighting Vilas County
Walworth County 127 Elkhorn1836Milwaukee CountyReuben Hyde Walworth (1788–1867), jurist from New York 105,380 555.13 sq mi
(1,438 km2)		State map highlighting Walworth County
Washburn County 129 Shell Lake1883Burnett CountyCadwallader Washburn (1818–82), Governor (1872–74) and Representative from Wisconsin (1867–71) 16,911 797.11 sq mi
(2,065 km2)		State map highlighting Washburn County
Washington County 131 West Bend1836Brown and Milwaukee CountiesGeorge Washington (1732–99), American Revolutionary War leader (1775–83) and first President of the United States (1789–97) 137,688 430.70 sq mi
(1,116 km2)		State map highlighting Washington County
Waukesha County 133 Waukesha1846Milwaukee CountyWaugooshance, a Pottawatomi word meaning "little foxes" 410,434 549.57 sq mi
(1,423 km2)		State map highlighting Waukesha County
Waupaca County 135 Waupaca1851Brown and Winnebago Countieswau-pa-ka-ho-nak, a Menominee word meaning "white sand bottom" or "brave young hero" 51,488 747.71 sq mi
(1,937 km2)		State map highlighting Waupaca County
Waushara County 137 Wautoma1851Marquette CountyAn Indian word meaning "good earth" 24,999 626.15 sq mi
(1,622 km2)		State map highlighting Waushara County
Winnebago County 139 Oshkosh1840Brown, Calumet, and Fond du Lac CountiesWinnebago Indians 170,718 434.49 sq mi
(1,125 km2)		State map highlighting Winnebago County
Wood County 141 Wisconsin Rapids1856Portage CountyJoseph Wood (1809–90), state legislator (1856–58) 73,993 793.12 sq mi
(2,054 km2)		State map highlighting Wood County

Renamed counties

Five counties in Wisconsin have been renamed, but otherwise kept their same borders.[11]

  • 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.[12]
  • 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.[13]
  • Gates County existed from 1901 to 1905. It was named after Milwaukee land speculator James L. Gates.[14] It was renamed to Rusk County in 1905.[15]
  • 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.[16]
  • New County existed briefly between 1879 and 1880. It was formed from part of Oconto County. It was renamed to Langlade County in 1880.[17]

Proposed counties

Two proposed counties were ultimately not established.

  • In 1850, Tuskola County was proposed as a new subdivision of Washington County.[9] The proposed borders lie within the modern Washington and Ozaukee counties.[18]
  • In 1997, Century County was proposed, for creation after the year 2000, as a merger of Wood, Clark, and Marathon counties that would be centered around the city of Marshfield. The name was selected to represent "a new county for a new century".[19] Problems associated with Frac Sand mining rekindled the idea in 2012.[20]

See also

References
  1. Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn (1919). History of Buffalo and Pepin Counties, Wisconsin, Volume 1. Higginson Book Company. pp. 3–4. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  2. "Wisconsin QuickFacts". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2023-04-03. (2022 Census estimates)
  3. "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  4. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". US Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 2013-10-07. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  5. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 2011–2012 Blue Book Archived 2017-12-28 at the Wayback Machine. Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 2011, p. 736.
  6. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 2011–2012 Blue Book Archived 2017-12-28 at the Wayback Machine. Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 2011, p. 732.
  7. "NACo – Find a county". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  8. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 2011–2012 Blue Book Archived 2017-12-28 at the Wayback Machine. Madison: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 2011, p. 731.
  9. Carver, Jonathon (1910). Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its Fifty-Seventh Annual Meeting (1st ed.). Madison WI: Democrat Printing Company. (WV County Founding Dates and Etymology). Other editions available at ISBN 1130567257 and Google Books Archived 2023-04-04 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Elkins, Winston (1985). Trempealeau and the Mississippi River Dam. Trempealeau County, WI: Trempealeau County Historical Society.
  11. "Interactive Map of Wisconsin County Formation History". mapgeeks.org. Archived from the original on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  12. History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Viroqua, WI: Union Publishing. 1884. p. 132. (Bad Ax County). Other editions available: ISBN 1178120341 and Google Books
  13. "Dictionary of Wisconsin History". Wisconsin Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2008-08-24. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  14. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 135.
  15. Rusk County Museum Archived 2013-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "Wisconsin Historical Society-La Pointe County, Wisconsin (obsolete)". Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  17. '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
  18. Wisconsin (1850). "Acts and Resolves Passed by the Legislature of Wisconsin". Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  19. Clark, Anita (1997-09-28). "New county only solution to poor service, some say". The Journal Times. Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
  20. Kirkby, Sean (2012-03-04). "Professor advocates creating a new state county". Badger Herald. The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
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