Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2017, at 26,025. Menominee County had the lowest, at 102. The median was 1,021 and the figure for Wisconsin was 171,716. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest26,025Milwaukee County
Median1,02172 counties
Wisconsin171,716History

Map of counties, 2017

Adams County: 335 countAshland County: 590 countBarron County: 1,451 countBayfield County: 500 countBrown County: 6,838 countBuffalo County: 369 countBurnett County: 406 countCalumet County: 783 countChippewa County: 1,598 countClark County: 862 countColumbia County: 1,616 countCrawford County: 456 countDane County: 15,422 countDodge County: 1,827 countDoor County: 1,271 countDouglas County: 1,102 countDunn County: 999 countEau Claire County: 2,763 countFlorence County: 140 countFond du Lac County: 2,331 countForest County: 290 countGrant County: 1,377 countGreen County: 1,006 countGreen Lake County: 501 countIowa County: 661 countIron County: 222 countJackson County: 490 countJefferson County: 2,071 countJuneau County: 647 countKenosha County: 3,314 countKewaunee County: 538 countLa Crosse County: 3,072 countLafayette County: 444 countLanglade County: 615 countLincoln County: 753 countManitowoc County: 1,866 countMarathon County: 3,460 countMarinette County: 1,182 countMarquette County: 350 countMenominee County: 102 countMilwaukee County: 26,025 countMonroe County: 1,101 countOconto County: 778 countOneida County: 1,448 countOutagamie County: 5,237 countOzaukee County: 2,856 countPepin County: 273 countPierce County: 899 countPolk County: 1,165 countPortage County: 1,724 countPrice County: 478 countRacine County: 4,350 countRichland County: 450 countRock County: 3,375 countRusk County: 358 countSt. Croix County: 2,307 countSauk County: 1,985 countSawyer County: 671 countShawano County: 1,036 countSheboygan County: 2,813 countTaylor County: 499 countTrempealeau County: 764 countVernon County: 694 countVilas County: 959 countWalworth County: 2,806 countWashburn County: 583 countWashington County: 3,369 countWaukesha County: 12,975 countWaupaca County: 1,326 countWaushara County: 511 countWinnebago County: 3,725 countWood County: 1,983 count
  • Under 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,700
  • 1,700 to 2,900
  • 2,900 and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

Milwaukee County: 26,025 countMilwaukee County26,025Dane County: 15,422 countDane County15,422Waukesha County: 12,975 countWaukesha County12,975Brown County: 6,838 countBrown County6,838Outagamie County: 5,237 countOutagamie County5,237Racine County: 4,350 countRacine County4,350Winnebago County: 3,725 countWinnebago County3,725Marathon County: 3,460 countMarathon County3,460Rock County: 3,375 countRock County3,375Washington County: 3,369 countWashington County3,369Kenosha County: 3,314 countKenosha County3,314La Crosse County: 3,072 countLa Crosse County3,072Ozaukee County: 2,856 countOzaukee County2,856Sheboygan County: 2,813 countSheboygan County2,813Walworth County: 2,806 countWalworth County2,806Eau Claire County: 2,763 countEau Claire County2,763Fond du Lac County: 2,331 countFond du Lac County2,331St. Croix County: 2,307 countSt. Croix County2,307Jefferson County: 2,071 countJefferson County2,071Sauk County: 1,985 countSauk County1,985Wood County: 1,983 countWood County1,983Manitowoc County: 1,866 countManitowoc County1,866Dodge County: 1,827 countDodge County1,827Portage County: 1,724 countPortage County1,724Columbia County: 1,616 countColumbia County1,616Chippewa County: 1,598 countChippewa County1,598Barron County: 1,451 countBarron County1,451Oneida County: 1,448 countOneida County1,448Grant County: 1,377 countGrant County1,377Waupaca County: 1,326 countWaupaca County1,326Door County: 1,271 countDoor County1,271Marinette County: 1,182 countMarinette County1,182Polk County: 1,165 countPolk County1,165Douglas County: 1,102 countDouglas County1,102Monroe County: 1,101 countMonroe County1,101Shawano County: 1,036 countShawano County1,036Green County: 1,006 countGreen County1,006Dunn County: 999 countDunn County999Vilas County: 959 countVilas County959Pierce County: 899 countPierce County899Milwaukee County: 26,025 countMilwaukee County26,025Dane County: 15,422 countDane County15,422Waukesha County: 12,975 countWaukesha County12,975Brown County: 6,838 countBrown County6,838Outagamie County: 5,237 countOutagamie County5,237Racine County: 4,350 countRacine County4,350Winnebago County: 3,725 countWinnebago County3,725Marathon County: 3,460 countMarathon County3,460Rock County: 3,375 countRock County3,375Washington County: 3,369 countWashington County3,369Kenosha County: 3,314 countKenosha County3,314La Crosse County: 3,072 countLa Crosse County3,072Ozaukee County: 2,856 countOzaukee County2,856Sheboygan County: 2,813 countSheboygan County2,813Walworth County: 2,806 countWalworth County2,806Eau Claire County: 2,763 countEau Claire County2,763Fond du Lac County: 2,331 countFond du Lac County2,331St. Croix County: 2,307 countSt. Croix County2,307Jefferson County: 2,071 countJefferson County2,071Sauk County: 1,985 countSauk County1,985Wood County: 1,983 countWood County1,983Manitowoc County: 1,866 countManitowoc County1,866Dodge County: 1,827 countDodge County1,827Portage County: 1,724 countPortage County1,724Columbia County: 1,616 countColumbia County1,616Chippewa County: 1,598 countChippewa County1,598Barron County: 1,451 countBarron County1,451Oneida County: 1,448 countOneida County1,448Grant County: 1,377 countGrant County1,377Waupaca County: 1,326 countWaupaca County1,326Door County: 1,271 countDoor County1,271Marinette County: 1,182 countMarinette County1,182Polk County: 1,165 countPolk County1,165Douglas County: 1,102 countDouglas County1,102Monroe County: 1,101 countMonroe County1,101Shawano County: 1,036 countShawano County1,036Green County: 1,006 countGreen County1,006Dunn County: 999 countDunn County999Vilas County: 959 countVilas County959Pierce County: 899 countPierce County899
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

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Milwaukee County26,025+2.4%
2Dane County15,422+3.2%
3Waukesha County12,975+2%
4Brown County6,838+2%
5Outagamie County5,237+1.4%
6Racine County4,350+3.3%
7Winnebago County3,725+1.2%
8Marathon County3,460+0.8%
9Rock County3,375+2.5%
10Washington County3,369+3%
11Kenosha County3,314+4.2%
12La Crosse County3,072+1.5%
13Ozaukee County2,856+2.3%
14Sheboygan County2,813+0.9%
15Walworth County2,806+3%
16Eau Claire County2,763+2.3%
17Fond du Lac County2,331+0.2%
18St. Croix County2,307+1.5%
19Jefferson County2,071+2.2%
20Sauk County1,985+0.7%
21Wood County1,983+2%
22Manitowoc County1,866+1.3%
23Dodge County1,827+1.6%
24Portage County1,724+1.5%
25Columbia County1,616+3.4%
26Chippewa County1,598+1.7%
27Barron County1,451+3.2%
28Oneida County1,448-1%
29Grant County1,377+0.3%
30Waupaca County1,326+0.9%
31Door County1,271+0.6%
32Marinette County1,182+0.5%
33Polk County1,165+1.7%
34Douglas County1,102+1.4%
35Monroe County1,101+1.4%
36Shawano County1,036-1.1%
37Green County1,006+0.6%
38Dunn County999+2.7%
39Vilas County959+0.5%
40Pierce County899+2.2%
41Clark County862+2.6%
42Calumet County783+0.1%
43Oconto County778+1.2%
44Trempealeau County764+3.4%
45Lincoln County753+2.4%
46Vernon County694+3%
47Sawyer County671+1.7%
48Iowa County661+3.3%
49Juneau County647+3.9%
50Langlade County615+2.3%
51Ashland County590-1.2%
52Washburn County583+1.7%
53Kewaunee County538+0.4%
54Waushara County511+0.4%
55Green Lake County501+1.8%
56Bayfield County500-0.4%
57Taylor County499+0.8%
58Jackson County490-1%
59Price County478-1.6%
60Crawford County456+2.7%
61Richland County450+0.9%
62Lafayette County444+3%
63Burnett County406+2%
64Buffalo County369-0.5%
65Rusk County358+1.1%
66Marquette County350+2.6%
67Adams County335-2%
68Forest County290-1.4%
69Pepin County273+1.1%
70Iron County222+2.8%
71Florence County140-4.8%
72Menominee County102+1%

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/2017/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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2017. 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/2017/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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2017.
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/2017/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 26,025 in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Menominee County, with 102 in 2017.

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