Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW), 2025

Milwaukee County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2025, at 29,369. Menominee County had the lowest, at 104. The median was 1,180 and the figure for Wisconsin was 204,200. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest29,369Milwaukee County
Median1,18072 counties
Wisconsin204,200History

Map of counties, 2025

Adams County: 494 countAshland County: 622 countBarron County: 1,608 countBayfield County: 584 countBrown County: 7,708 countBuffalo County: 415 countBurnett County: 479 countCalumet County: 1,056 countChippewa County: 2,040 countClark County: 961 countColumbia County: 1,788 countCrawford County: 498 countDane County: 18,541 countDodge County: 2,026 countDoor County: 1,434 countDouglas County: 1,247 countDunn County: 1,185 countEau Claire County: 3,350 countFlorence County: 136 countFond du Lac County: 2,541 countForest County: 301 countGrant County: 1,553 countGreen County: 1,174 countGreen Lake County: 537 countIowa County: 741 countIron County: 227 countJackson County: 494 countJefferson County: 2,357 countJuneau County: 738 countKenosha County: 4,457 countKewaunee County: 585 countLa Crosse County: 3,627 countLafayette County: 513 countLanglade County: 660 countLincoln County: 819 countManitowoc County: 2,013 countMarathon County: 4,072 countMarinette County: 1,253 countMarquette County: 396 countMenominee County: 104 countMilwaukee County: 29,369 countMonroe County: 1,349 countOconto County: 929 countOneida County: 1,518 countOutagamie County: 6,128 countOzaukee County: 3,208 countPepin County: 270 countPierce County: 1,014 countPolk County: 1,324 countPortage County: 1,961 countPrice County: 430 countRacine County: 5,224 countRichland County: 530 countRock County: 4,028 countRusk County: 411 countSt. Croix County: 2,962 countSauk County: 2,270 countSawyer County: 722 countShawano County: 1,091 countSheboygan County: 3,095 countTaylor County: 537 countTrempealeau County: 828 countVernon County: 840 countVilas County: 1,048 countWalworth County: 3,489 countWashburn County: 610 countWashington County: 3,966 countWaukesha County: 14,859 countWaupaca County: 1,417 countWaushara County: 574 countWinnebago County: 4,514 countWood County: 2,136 count
  • Under 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,500
  • 3,500 and over
count, 2025. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2025

Milwaukee County: 29,369 countMilwaukee County29,369Dane County: 18,541 countDane County18,541Waukesha County: 14,859 countWaukesha County14,859Brown County: 7,708 countBrown County7,708Outagamie County: 6,128 countOutagamie County6,128Racine County: 5,224 countRacine County5,224Winnebago County: 4,514 countWinnebago County4,514Kenosha County: 4,457 countKenosha County4,457Marathon County: 4,072 countMarathon County4,072Rock County: 4,028 countRock County4,028Washington County: 3,966 countWashington County3,966La Crosse County: 3,627 countLa Crosse County3,627Walworth County: 3,489 countWalworth County3,489Eau Claire County: 3,350 countEau Claire County3,350Ozaukee County: 3,208 countOzaukee County3,208Sheboygan County: 3,095 countSheboygan County3,095St. Croix County: 2,962 countSt. Croix County2,962Fond du Lac County: 2,541 countFond du Lac County2,541Jefferson County: 2,357 countJefferson County2,357Sauk County: 2,270 countSauk County2,270Wood County: 2,136 countWood County2,136Chippewa County: 2,040 countChippewa County2,040Dodge County: 2,026 countDodge County2,026Manitowoc County: 2,013 countManitowoc County2,013Portage County: 1,961 countPortage County1,961Columbia County: 1,788 countColumbia County1,788Barron County: 1,608 countBarron County1,608Grant County: 1,553 countGrant County1,553Oneida County: 1,518 countOneida County1,518Door County: 1,434 countDoor County1,434Waupaca County: 1,417 countWaupaca County1,417Monroe County: 1,349 countMonroe County1,349Polk County: 1,324 countPolk County1,324Marinette County: 1,253 countMarinette County1,253Douglas County: 1,247 countDouglas County1,247Dunn County: 1,185 countDunn County1,185Green County: 1,174 countGreen County1,174Shawano County: 1,091 countShawano County1,091Calumet County: 1,056 countCalumet County1,056Vilas County: 1,048 countVilas County1,048Milwaukee County: 29,369 countMilwaukee County29,369Dane County: 18,541 countDane County18,541Waukesha County: 14,859 countWaukesha County14,859Brown County: 7,708 countBrown County7,708Outagamie County: 6,128 countOutagamie County6,128Racine County: 5,224 countRacine County5,224Winnebago County: 4,514 countWinnebago County4,514Kenosha County: 4,457 countKenosha County4,457Marathon County: 4,072 countMarathon County4,072Rock County: 4,028 countRock County4,028Washington County: 3,966 countWashington County3,966La Crosse County: 3,627 countLa Crosse County3,627Walworth County: 3,489 countWalworth County3,489Eau Claire County: 3,350 countEau Claire County3,350Ozaukee County: 3,208 countOzaukee County3,208Sheboygan County: 3,095 countSheboygan County3,095St. Croix County: 2,962 countSt. Croix County2,962Fond du Lac County: 2,541 countFond du Lac County2,541Jefferson County: 2,357 countJefferson County2,357Sauk County: 2,270 countSauk County2,270Wood County: 2,136 countWood County2,136Chippewa County: 2,040 countChippewa County2,040Dodge County: 2,026 countDodge County2,026Manitowoc County: 2,013 countManitowoc County2,013Portage County: 1,961 countPortage County1,961Columbia County: 1,788 countColumbia County1,788Barron County: 1,608 countBarron County1,608Grant County: 1,553 countGrant County1,553Oneida County: 1,518 countOneida County1,518Door County: 1,434 countDoor County1,434Waupaca County: 1,417 countWaupaca County1,417Monroe County: 1,349 countMonroe County1,349Polk County: 1,324 countPolk County1,324Marinette County: 1,253 countMarinette County1,253Douglas County: 1,247 countDouglas County1,247Dunn County: 1,185 countDunn County1,185Green County: 1,174 countGreen County1,174Shawano County: 1,091 countShawano County1,091Calumet County: 1,056 countCalumet County1,056Vilas County: 1,048 countVilas County1,048
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2025
count
Change on 2024
1Milwaukee County29,369-0.2%
2Dane County18,541+2.5%
3Waukesha County14,859+1.9%
4Brown County7,708+1.2%
5Outagamie County6,128+1.2%
6Racine County5,224-0.2%
7Winnebago County4,514+3%
8Kenosha County4,457+2.7%
9Marathon County4,072+2.8%
10Rock County4,028+2.2%
11Washington County3,966+1.4%
12La Crosse County3,627+2.1%
13Walworth County3,489+2.6%
14Eau Claire County3,350+3%
15Ozaukee County3,208+1.3%
16Sheboygan County3,095+1.6%
17St. Croix County2,962+4.6%
18Fond du Lac County2,541+0.2%
19Jefferson County2,357+0.6%
20Sauk County2,270+2.3%
21Wood County2,136+0.2%
22Chippewa County2,040+3.9%
23Dodge County2,026+1.2%
24Manitowoc County2,013+1.2%
25Portage County1,961+1.1%
26Columbia County1,788+0.7%
27Barron County1,608+2.5%
28Grant County1,553+2.9%
29Oneida County1,518+1.5%
30Door County1,434+0.8%
31Waupaca County1,417+2.3%
32Monroe County1,349+1%
33Polk County1,324+1%
34Marinette County1,253-0.3%
35Douglas County1,247+2.6%
36Dunn County1,185+3%
37Green County1,174+1.6%
38Shawano County1,091+2.1%
39Calumet County1,056+4.9%
40Vilas County1,048+3.8%
41Pierce County1,014-1%
42Clark County961+0.5%
43Oconto County929-0.3%
44Vernon County840+1.4%
45Trempealeau County828-0.8%
46Lincoln County819+3.4%
47Iowa County741+2.6%
48Juneau County738+0.3%
49Sawyer County722+3%
50Langlade County660+2%
51Ashland County622-0.8%
52Washburn County610-0.2%
53Kewaunee County585+1.7%
54Bayfield County584+1%
55Waushara County574+0.5%
56Green Lake County537+0.6%
56Taylor County537-0.2%
58Richland County530-2.2%
59Lafayette County513+0.6%
60Crawford County498-1.2%
61Adams County494+11.3%
61Jackson County494+1.2%
63Burnett County479+2.1%
64Price County430-0.9%
65Buffalo County415+3.5%
66Rusk County411+6.5%
67Marquette County3960%
68Forest County3010%
69Pepin County2700%
70Iron County227-0.4%
71Florence County136-0.7%
72Menominee County104-5.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW), 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW), 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Milwaukee County, with 29,369 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Menominee County, with 104 in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Wisconsin: more rankings