Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2020, at 26,968. Menominee County had the lowest, at 112. The median was 1,068 and the figure for Wisconsin was 178,133. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest26,968Milwaukee County
Median1,06872 counties
Wisconsin178,133History

Map of counties, 2020

Adams County: 342 countAshland County: 597 countBarron County: 1,506 countBayfield County: 523 countBrown County: 7,185 countBuffalo County: 377 countBurnett County: 430 countCalumet County: 843 countChippewa County: 1,719 countClark County: 919 countColumbia County: 1,692 countCrawford County: 480 countDane County: 16,211 countDodge County: 1,929 countDoor County: 1,315 countDouglas County: 1,146 countDunn County: 1,074 countEau Claire County: 2,896 countFlorence County: 131 countFond du Lac County: 2,415 countForest County: 286 countGrant County: 1,421 countGreen County: 1,061 countGreen Lake County: 496 countIowa County: 669 countIron County: 223 countJackson County: 475 countJefferson County: 2,147 countJuneau County: 663 countKenosha County: 3,720 countKewaunee County: 543 countLa Crosse County: 3,259 countLafayette County: 459 countLanglade County: 632 countLincoln County: 765 countManitowoc County: 1,870 countMarathon County: 3,618 countMarinette County: 1,203 countMarquette County: 370 countMenominee County: 112 countMilwaukee County: 26,968 countMonroe County: 1,205 countOconto County: 808 countOneida County: 1,440 countOutagamie County: 5,561 countOzaukee County: 3,006 countPepin County: 276 countPierce County: 968 countPolk County: 1,208 countPortage County: 1,810 countPrice County: 462 countRacine County: 4,665 countRichland County: 480 countRock County: 3,588 countRusk County: 369 countSt. Croix County: 2,433 countSauk County: 2,066 countSawyer County: 681 countShawano County: 1,051 countSheboygan County: 2,824 countTaylor County: 517 countTrempealeau County: 814 countVernon County: 712 countVilas County: 987 countWalworth County: 3,042 countWashburn County: 603 countWashington County: 3,591 countWaukesha County: 13,647 countWaupaca County: 1,351 countWaushara County: 516 countWinnebago County: 3,916 countWood County: 2,058 count
  • Under 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 1,700
  • 1,700 to 3,100
  • 3,100 and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

Milwaukee County: 26,968 countMilwaukee County26,968Dane County: 16,211 countDane County16,211Waukesha County: 13,647 countWaukesha County13,647Brown County: 7,185 countBrown County7,185Outagamie County: 5,561 countOutagamie County5,561Racine County: 4,665 countRacine County4,665Winnebago County: 3,916 countWinnebago County3,916Kenosha County: 3,720 countKenosha County3,720Marathon County: 3,618 countMarathon County3,618Washington County: 3,591 countWashington County3,591Rock County: 3,588 countRock County3,588La Crosse County: 3,259 countLa Crosse County3,259Walworth County: 3,042 countWalworth County3,042Ozaukee County: 3,006 countOzaukee County3,006Eau Claire County: 2,896 countEau Claire County2,896Sheboygan County: 2,824 countSheboygan County2,824St. Croix County: 2,433 countSt. Croix County2,433Fond du Lac County: 2,415 countFond du Lac County2,415Jefferson County: 2,147 countJefferson County2,147Sauk County: 2,066 countSauk County2,066Wood County: 2,058 countWood County2,058Dodge County: 1,929 countDodge County1,929Manitowoc County: 1,870 countManitowoc County1,870Portage County: 1,810 countPortage County1,810Chippewa County: 1,719 countChippewa County1,719Columbia County: 1,692 countColumbia County1,692Barron County: 1,506 countBarron County1,506Oneida County: 1,440 countOneida County1,440Grant County: 1,421 countGrant County1,421Waupaca County: 1,351 countWaupaca County1,351Door County: 1,315 countDoor County1,315Polk County: 1,208 countPolk County1,208Monroe County: 1,205 countMonroe County1,205Marinette County: 1,203 countMarinette County1,203Douglas County: 1,146 countDouglas County1,146Dunn County: 1,074 countDunn County1,074Green County: 1,061 countGreen County1,061Shawano County: 1,051 countShawano County1,051Vilas County: 987 countVilas County987Pierce County: 968 countPierce County968Milwaukee County: 26,968 countMilwaukee County26,968Dane County: 16,211 countDane County16,211Waukesha County: 13,647 countWaukesha County13,647Brown County: 7,185 countBrown County7,185Outagamie County: 5,561 countOutagamie County5,561Racine County: 4,665 countRacine County4,665Winnebago County: 3,916 countWinnebago County3,916Kenosha County: 3,720 countKenosha County3,720Marathon County: 3,618 countMarathon County3,618Washington County: 3,591 countWashington County3,591Rock County: 3,588 countRock County3,588La Crosse County: 3,259 countLa Crosse County3,259Walworth County: 3,042 countWalworth County3,042Ozaukee County: 3,006 countOzaukee County3,006Eau Claire County: 2,896 countEau Claire County2,896Sheboygan County: 2,824 countSheboygan County2,824St. Croix County: 2,433 countSt. Croix County2,433Fond du Lac County: 2,415 countFond du Lac County2,415Jefferson County: 2,147 countJefferson County2,147Sauk County: 2,066 countSauk County2,066Wood County: 2,058 countWood County2,058Dodge County: 1,929 countDodge County1,929Manitowoc County: 1,870 countManitowoc County1,870Portage County: 1,810 countPortage County1,810Chippewa County: 1,719 countChippewa County1,719Columbia County: 1,692 countColumbia County1,692Barron County: 1,506 countBarron County1,506Oneida County: 1,440 countOneida County1,440Grant County: 1,421 countGrant County1,421Waupaca County: 1,351 countWaupaca County1,351Door County: 1,315 countDoor County1,315Polk County: 1,208 countPolk County1,208Monroe County: 1,205 countMonroe County1,205Marinette County: 1,203 countMarinette County1,203Douglas County: 1,146 countDouglas County1,146Dunn County: 1,074 countDunn County1,074Green County: 1,061 countGreen County1,061Shawano County: 1,051 countShawano County1,051Vilas County: 987 countVilas County987Pierce County: 968 countPierce County968
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

RankCounties2020
count
Change on 2019
1Milwaukee County26,968-1%
2Dane County16,211+0.6%
3Waukesha County13,647+0.4%
4Brown County7,185+0.5%
5Outagamie County5,561+1.2%
6Racine County4,665+1.2%
7Winnebago County3,916+0.2%
8Kenosha County3,720+1.8%
9Marathon County3,618+1.3%
10Washington County3,591+1%
11Rock County3,588+0.7%
12La Crosse County3,259+2.1%
13Walworth County3,042+1.4%
14Ozaukee County3,006+1.2%
15Eau Claire County2,896+0.7%
16Sheboygan County2,824-0.6%
17St. Croix County2,433-0.1%
18Fond du Lac County2,415+1%
19Jefferson County2,147+0.6%
20Sauk County2,066+1.2%
21Wood County2,058+0.8%
22Dodge County1,929+1.7%
23Manitowoc County1,870-0.6%
24Portage County1,810+0.5%
25Chippewa County1,719+2.4%
26Columbia County1,692+1.4%
27Barron County1,506+1.1%
28Oneida County1,440+0.1%
29Grant County1,421+0.8%
30Waupaca County1,351+0.2%
31Door County1,315+0.9%
32Polk County1,208+1.4%
33Monroe County1,205+2.8%
34Marinette County1,203+0.3%
35Douglas County1,146+0.1%
36Dunn County1,074+2.9%
37Green County1,061+2.7%
38Shawano County1,051+0.5%
39Vilas County987-0.3%
40Pierce County968+2.5%
41Clark County919+2.3%
42Calumet County843+2.1%
43Trempealeau County814+1%
44Oconto County808-0.2%
45Lincoln County765-1.5%
46Vernon County712-0.6%
47Sawyer County681-1.3%
48Iowa County669+1.2%
49Juneau County663+0.8%
50Langlade County632+0.2%
51Washburn County603+1%
52Ashland County597-0.3%
53Kewaunee County543-2.3%
54Bayfield County523+1.6%
55Taylor County517+1.4%
56Waushara County516+0.2%
57Green Lake County496-0.8%
58Crawford County480+5.5%
58Richland County480+1.5%
60Jackson County475-3.3%
61Price County462-1.1%
62Lafayette County459-0.4%
63Burnett County430+1.7%
64Buffalo County377-0.8%
65Marquette County370+2.5%
66Rusk County369+2.2%
67Adams County342-0.9%
68Forest County286-1.7%
69Pepin County2760%
70Iron County223-2.2%
71Florence County131-5.8%
72Menominee County112+8.7%

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/2020/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), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/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), 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2020. 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), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2020.

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), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2020,
  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), 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2020. 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/2020/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), 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2020.
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/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"establishments_qcew","level":"province","within":"Wisconsin","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=establishments_qcew&level=province&within=Wisconsin&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Milwaukee County, with 26,968 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Menominee County, with 112 in 2020.

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