Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2015, at 25,401. Menominee County had the lowest, at 106. The median was 1,029 and the figure for Wisconsin was 166,922. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest25,401Milwaukee County
Median1,02972 counties
Wisconsin166,922History

Map of counties, 2015

Adams County: 339 countAshland County: 581 countBarron County: 1,374 countBayfield County: 495 countBrown County: 6,615 countBuffalo County: 363 countBurnett County: 392 countCalumet County: 783 countChippewa County: 1,538 countClark County: 820 countColumbia County: 1,536 countCrawford County: 454 countDane County: 14,620 countDodge County: 1,756 countDoor County: 1,252 countDouglas County: 1,078 countDunn County: 953 countEau Claire County: 2,647 countFlorence County: 148 countFond du Lac County: 2,308 countForest County: 298 countGrant County: 1,359 countGreen County: 1,000 countGreen Lake County: 495 countIowa County: 638 countIron County: 218 countJackson County: 489 countJefferson County: 1,992 countJuneau County: 610 countKenosha County: 3,059 countKewaunee County: 525 countLa Crosse County: 2,962 countLafayette County: 418 countLanglade County: 594 countLincoln County: 717 countManitowoc County: 1,835 countMarathon County: 3,419 countMarinette County: 1,227 countMarquette County: 344 countMenominee County: 106 countMilwaukee County: 25,401 countMonroe County: 1,088 countOconto County: 766 countOneida County: 1,478 countOutagamie County: 5,101 countOzaukee County: 2,757 countPepin County: 258 countPierce County: 846 countPolk County: 1,126 countPortage County: 1,681 countPrice County: 496 countRacine County: 4,100 countRichland County: 431 countRock County: 3,284 countRusk County: 342 countSt. Croix County: 2,226 countSauk County: 1,973 countSawyer County: 652 countShawano County: 1,058 countSheboygan County: 2,734 countTaylor County: 489 countTrempealeau County: 732 countVernon County: 662 countVilas County: 959 countWalworth County: 2,650 countWashburn County: 556 countWashington County: 3,214 countWaukesha County: 12,572 countWaupaca County: 1,290 countWaushara County: 509 countWinnebago County: 3,611 countWood County: 1,912 count
  • Under 500
  • 500 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,600
  • 1,600 to 2,800
  • 2,800 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

Milwaukee County: 25,401 countMilwaukee County25,401Dane County: 14,620 countDane County14,620Waukesha County: 12,572 countWaukesha County12,572Brown County: 6,615 countBrown County6,615Outagamie County: 5,101 countOutagamie County5,101Racine County: 4,100 countRacine County4,100Winnebago County: 3,611 countWinnebago County3,611Marathon County: 3,419 countMarathon County3,419Rock County: 3,284 countRock County3,284Washington County: 3,214 countWashington County3,214Kenosha County: 3,059 countKenosha County3,059La Crosse County: 2,962 countLa Crosse County2,962Ozaukee County: 2,757 countOzaukee County2,757Sheboygan County: 2,734 countSheboygan County2,734Walworth County: 2,650 countWalworth County2,650Eau Claire County: 2,647 countEau Claire County2,647Fond du Lac County: 2,308 countFond du Lac County2,308St. Croix County: 2,226 countSt. Croix County2,226Jefferson County: 1,992 countJefferson County1,992Sauk County: 1,973 countSauk County1,973Wood County: 1,912 countWood County1,912Manitowoc County: 1,835 countManitowoc County1,835Dodge County: 1,756 countDodge County1,756Portage County: 1,681 countPortage County1,681Chippewa County: 1,538 countChippewa County1,538Columbia County: 1,536 countColumbia County1,536Oneida County: 1,478 countOneida County1,478Barron County: 1,374 countBarron County1,374Grant County: 1,359 countGrant County1,359Waupaca County: 1,290 countWaupaca County1,290Door County: 1,252 countDoor County1,252Marinette County: 1,227 countMarinette County1,227Polk County: 1,126 countPolk County1,126Monroe County: 1,088 countMonroe County1,088Douglas County: 1,078 countDouglas County1,078Shawano County: 1,058 countShawano County1,058Green County: 1,000 countGreen County1,000Vilas County: 959 countVilas County959Dunn County: 953 countDunn County953Pierce County: 846 countPierce County846Milwaukee County: 25,401 countMilwaukee County25,401Dane County: 14,620 countDane County14,620Waukesha County: 12,572 countWaukesha County12,572Brown County: 6,615 countBrown County6,615Outagamie County: 5,101 countOutagamie County5,101Racine County: 4,100 countRacine County4,100Winnebago County: 3,611 countWinnebago County3,611Marathon County: 3,419 countMarathon County3,419Rock County: 3,284 countRock County3,284Washington County: 3,214 countWashington County3,214Kenosha County: 3,059 countKenosha County3,059La Crosse County: 2,962 countLa Crosse County2,962Ozaukee County: 2,757 countOzaukee County2,757Sheboygan County: 2,734 countSheboygan County2,734Walworth County: 2,650 countWalworth County2,650Eau Claire County: 2,647 countEau Claire County2,647Fond du Lac County: 2,308 countFond du Lac County2,308St. Croix County: 2,226 countSt. Croix County2,226Jefferson County: 1,992 countJefferson County1,992Sauk County: 1,973 countSauk County1,973Wood County: 1,912 countWood County1,912Manitowoc County: 1,835 countManitowoc County1,835Dodge County: 1,756 countDodge County1,756Portage County: 1,681 countPortage County1,681Chippewa County: 1,538 countChippewa County1,538Columbia County: 1,536 countColumbia County1,536Oneida County: 1,478 countOneida County1,478Barron County: 1,374 countBarron County1,374Grant County: 1,359 countGrant County1,359Waupaca County: 1,290 countWaupaca County1,290Door County: 1,252 countDoor County1,252Marinette County: 1,227 countMarinette County1,227Polk County: 1,126 countPolk County1,126Monroe County: 1,088 countMonroe County1,088Douglas County: 1,078 countDouglas County1,078Shawano County: 1,058 countShawano County1,058Green County: 1,000 countGreen County1,000Vilas County: 959 countVilas County959Dunn County: 953 countDunn County953Pierce County: 846 countPierce County846
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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Milwaukee County25,401+3.5%
2Dane County14,620+4.7%
3Waukesha County12,572+2.9%
4Brown County6,615+3.7%
5Outagamie County5,101+3.4%
6Racine County4,100+3.5%
7Winnebago County3,611+2.7%
8Marathon County3,419+2.3%
9Rock County3,284+3.5%
10Washington County3,214+3.7%
11Kenosha County3,059+4.8%
12La Crosse County2,962+3.8%
13Ozaukee County2,757+3.6%
14Sheboygan County2,734+1.9%
15Walworth County2,650+4%
16Eau Claire County2,647+3.6%
17Fond du Lac County2,308+2.2%
18St. Croix County2,226+3.6%
19Jefferson County1,992+3.3%
20Sauk County1,973+2.3%
21Wood County1,912+3.2%
22Manitowoc County1,835+2.6%
23Dodge County1,756+1.4%
24Portage County1,681+3.8%
25Chippewa County1,538+4.3%
26Columbia County1,536+4.3%
27Oneida County1,478+2.3%
28Barron County1,374+5.4%
29Grant County1,359+3.3%
30Waupaca County1,290+3.4%
31Door County1,252+2.3%
32Marinette County1,227+0.1%
33Polk County1,126+2%
34Monroe County1,088+2.8%
35Douglas County1,078+5.5%
36Shawano County1,058+2.6%
37Green County1,000+1.8%
38Vilas County959+2.2%
39Dunn County953+2.6%
40Pierce County846+7.2%
41Clark County820+3.8%
42Calumet County783-0.6%
43Oconto County766+1.9%
44Trempealeau County732+2.4%
45Lincoln County717+3.8%
46Vernon County662+4.7%
47Sawyer County652+1.2%
48Iowa County638+5.1%
49Juneau County610+2.2%
50Langlade County594+0.5%
51Ashland County581+5.1%
52Washburn County556+6.3%
53Kewaunee County525+2.1%
54Waushara County509-0.6%
55Price County496+3.3%
56Bayfield County495+3.6%
56Green Lake County495+1.9%
58Jackson County489+3.4%
58Taylor County489+3.4%
60Crawford County4540%
61Richland County431+2.9%
62Lafayette County418+3.5%
63Burnett County392+2.6%
64Buffalo County363+5.8%
65Marquette County344+3%
66Rusk County342+2.7%
67Adams County339+2.1%
68Forest County298-0.3%
69Pepin County258+4.5%
70Iron County2180%
71Florence County148+1.4%
72Menominee County106-6.2%

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/2015/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), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2015. 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), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2015.

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), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2015,
  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), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2015. 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/2015/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), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2015.
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/2015/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 25,401 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Menominee County, with 106 in 2015.

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