Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2019, at 27,245. Menominee County had the lowest, at 103. The median was 1,045 and the figure for Wisconsin was 176,205. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest27,245Milwaukee County
Median1,04572 counties
Wisconsin176,205History

Map of counties, 2019

Adams County: 345 countAshland County: 599 countBarron County: 1,490 countBayfield County: 515 countBrown County: 7,151 countBuffalo County: 380 countBurnett County: 423 countCalumet County: 826 countChippewa County: 1,678 countClark County: 898 countColumbia County: 1,668 countCrawford County: 455 countDane County: 16,109 countDodge County: 1,896 countDoor County: 1,303 countDouglas County: 1,145 countDunn County: 1,044 countEau Claire County: 2,877 countFlorence County: 139 countFond du Lac County: 2,392 countForest County: 291 countGrant County: 1,410 countGreen County: 1,033 countGreen Lake County: 500 countIowa County: 661 countIron County: 228 countJackson County: 491 countJefferson County: 2,134 countJuneau County: 658 countKenosha County: 3,654 countKewaunee County: 556 countLa Crosse County: 3,192 countLafayette County: 461 countLanglade County: 631 countLincoln County: 777 countManitowoc County: 1,882 countMarathon County: 3,572 countMarinette County: 1,199 countMarquette County: 361 countMenominee County: 103 countMilwaukee County: 27,245 countMonroe County: 1,172 countOconto County: 810 countOneida County: 1,438 countOutagamie County: 5,496 countOzaukee County: 2,970 countPepin County: 276 countPierce County: 944 countPolk County: 1,191 countPortage County: 1,801 countPrice County: 467 countRacine County: 4,608 countRichland County: 473 countRock County: 3,562 countRusk County: 361 countSt. Croix County: 2,435 countSauk County: 2,041 countSawyer County: 690 countShawano County: 1,046 countSheboygan County: 2,842 countTaylor County: 510 countTrempealeau County: 806 countVernon County: 716 countVilas County: 990 countWalworth County: 3,000 countWashburn County: 597 countWashington County: 3,557 countWaukesha County: 13,594 countWaupaca County: 1,348 countWaushara County: 515 countWinnebago County: 3,908 countWood County: 2,042 count
  • Under 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,700
  • 1,700 to 3,000
  • 3,000 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Milwaukee County: 27,245 countMilwaukee County27,245Dane County: 16,109 countDane County16,109Waukesha County: 13,594 countWaukesha County13,594Brown County: 7,151 countBrown County7,151Outagamie County: 5,496 countOutagamie County5,496Racine County: 4,608 countRacine County4,608Winnebago County: 3,908 countWinnebago County3,908Kenosha County: 3,654 countKenosha County3,654Marathon County: 3,572 countMarathon County3,572Rock County: 3,562 countRock County3,562Washington County: 3,557 countWashington County3,557La Crosse County: 3,192 countLa Crosse County3,192Walworth County: 3,000 countWalworth County3,000Ozaukee County: 2,970 countOzaukee County2,970Eau Claire County: 2,877 countEau Claire County2,877Sheboygan County: 2,842 countSheboygan County2,842St. Croix County: 2,435 countSt. Croix County2,435Fond du Lac County: 2,392 countFond du Lac County2,392Jefferson County: 2,134 countJefferson County2,134Wood County: 2,042 countWood County2,042Sauk County: 2,041 countSauk County2,041Dodge County: 1,896 countDodge County1,896Manitowoc County: 1,882 countManitowoc County1,882Portage County: 1,801 countPortage County1,801Chippewa County: 1,678 countChippewa County1,678Columbia County: 1,668 countColumbia County1,668Barron County: 1,490 countBarron County1,490Oneida County: 1,438 countOneida County1,438Grant County: 1,410 countGrant County1,410Waupaca County: 1,348 countWaupaca County1,348Door County: 1,303 countDoor County1,303Marinette County: 1,199 countMarinette County1,199Polk County: 1,191 countPolk County1,191Monroe County: 1,172 countMonroe County1,172Douglas County: 1,145 countDouglas County1,145Shawano County: 1,046 countShawano County1,046Dunn County: 1,044 countDunn County1,044Green County: 1,033 countGreen County1,033Vilas County: 990 countVilas County990Pierce County: 944 countPierce County944Milwaukee County: 27,245 countMilwaukee County27,245Dane County: 16,109 countDane County16,109Waukesha County: 13,594 countWaukesha County13,594Brown County: 7,151 countBrown County7,151Outagamie County: 5,496 countOutagamie County5,496Racine County: 4,608 countRacine County4,608Winnebago County: 3,908 countWinnebago County3,908Kenosha County: 3,654 countKenosha County3,654Marathon County: 3,572 countMarathon County3,572Rock County: 3,562 countRock County3,562Washington County: 3,557 countWashington County3,557La Crosse County: 3,192 countLa Crosse County3,192Walworth County: 3,000 countWalworth County3,000Ozaukee County: 2,970 countOzaukee County2,970Eau Claire County: 2,877 countEau Claire County2,877Sheboygan County: 2,842 countSheboygan County2,842St. Croix County: 2,435 countSt. Croix County2,435Fond du Lac County: 2,392 countFond du Lac County2,392Jefferson County: 2,134 countJefferson County2,134Wood County: 2,042 countWood County2,042Sauk County: 2,041 countSauk County2,041Dodge County: 1,896 countDodge County1,896Manitowoc County: 1,882 countManitowoc County1,882Portage County: 1,801 countPortage County1,801Chippewa County: 1,678 countChippewa County1,678Columbia County: 1,668 countColumbia County1,668Barron County: 1,490 countBarron County1,490Oneida County: 1,438 countOneida County1,438Grant County: 1,410 countGrant County1,410Waupaca County: 1,348 countWaupaca County1,348Door County: 1,303 countDoor County1,303Marinette County: 1,199 countMarinette County1,199Polk County: 1,191 countPolk County1,191Monroe County: 1,172 countMonroe County1,172Douglas County: 1,145 countDouglas County1,145Shawano County: 1,046 countShawano County1,046Dunn County: 1,044 countDunn County1,044Green County: 1,033 countGreen County1,033Vilas County: 990 countVilas County990Pierce County: 944 countPierce County944
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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Milwaukee County27,245+0.8%
2Dane County16,109+0.7%
3Waukesha County13,594+1.6%
4Brown County7,151+0.4%
5Outagamie County5,496+1.3%
6Racine County4,608+1.8%
7Winnebago County3,908+1.3%
8Kenosha County3,654+3.9%
9Marathon County3,572+1%
10Rock County3,562+1.3%
11Washington County3,557+1.1%
12La Crosse County3,192+1.3%
13Walworth County3,000+1.8%
14Ozaukee County2,970+0.4%
15Eau Claire County2,877+0.6%
16Sheboygan County2,842-0.8%
17St. Croix County2,435+0.4%
18Fond du Lac County2,3920%
19Jefferson County2,134+1.2%
20Wood County2,042+1.2%
21Sauk County2,041+0.8%
22Dodge County1,896+1%
23Manitowoc County1,882-0.5%
24Portage County1,801+1.8%
25Chippewa County1,678+2%
26Columbia County1,668-0.1%
27Barron County1,490-0.5%
28Oneida County1,438-1.2%
29Grant County1,410+1.1%
30Waupaca County1,348+0.7%
31Door County1,303+1.2%
32Marinette County1,199+0.3%
33Polk County1,191+0.3%
34Monroe County1,172+3.2%
35Douglas County1,145+0.2%
36Shawano County1,046+0.5%
37Dunn County1,044+2.7%
38Green County1,033-0.3%
39Vilas County990+1.2%
40Pierce County944+0.2%
41Clark County898+1.2%
42Calumet County826+2%
43Oconto County810+2.1%
44Trempealeau County806+1.6%
45Lincoln County777+0.9%
46Vernon County716-0.6%
47Sawyer County690-0.1%
48Iowa County661-1.5%
49Juneau County658-1.1%
50Langlade County631+0.6%
51Ashland County599-0.5%
52Washburn County597-1.2%
53Kewaunee County556+0.9%
54Bayfield County515-0.6%
54Waushara County515-3%
56Taylor County510-0.4%
57Green Lake County500-1.6%
58Jackson County491+0.2%
59Richland County473+2.8%
60Price County467-1.9%
61Lafayette County461-0.4%
62Crawford County455-1.5%
63Burnett County423-0.2%
64Buffalo County380+0.3%
65Marquette County361+1.1%
65Rusk County361-1.9%
67Adams County345+1.5%
68Forest County2910%
69Pepin County276-1.1%
70Iron County228+2.7%
71Florence County139-1.4%
72Menominee County103-1%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 27,245 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Menominee County, with 103 in 2019.

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