Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2022, at 27,814. Menominee County had the lowest, at 106. The median was 1,091 and the figure for Wisconsin was 197,207. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest27,814Milwaukee County
Median1,09172 counties
Wisconsin197,207History

Map of counties, 2022

Adams County: 348 countAshland County: 606 countBarron County: 1,517 countBayfield County: 531 countBrown County: 7,188 countBuffalo County: 378 countBurnett County: 432 countCalumet County: 834 countChippewa County: 1,772 countClark County: 945 countColumbia County: 1,736 countCrawford County: 506 countDane County: 17,120 countDodge County: 1,947 countDoor County: 1,338 countDouglas County: 1,164 countDunn County: 1,068 countEau Claire County: 3,031 countFlorence County: 125 countFond du Lac County: 2,417 countForest County: 290 countGrant County: 1,503 countGreen County: 1,113 countGreen Lake County: 495 countIowa County: 701 countIron County: 231 countJackson County: 466 countJefferson County: 2,190 countJuneau County: 685 countKenosha County: 3,889 countKewaunee County: 550 countLa Crosse County: 3,296 countLafayette County: 482 countLanglade County: 610 countLincoln County: 765 countManitowoc County: 1,888 countMarathon County: 3,659 countMarinette County: 1,211 countMarquette County: 368 countMenominee County: 106 countMilwaukee County: 27,814 countMonroe County: 1,256 countOconto County: 826 countOneida County: 1,421 countOutagamie County: 5,716 countOzaukee County: 3,022 countPepin County: 266 countPierce County: 990 countPolk County: 1,235 countPortage County: 1,842 countPrice County: 439 countRacine County: 4,818 countRichland County: 491 countRock County: 3,694 countRusk County: 365 countSt. Croix County: 2,473 countSauk County: 2,099 countSawyer County: 677 countShawano County: 1,045 countSheboygan County: 2,874 countTaylor County: 507 countTrempealeau County: 823 countVernon County: 753 countVilas County: 959 countWalworth County: 3,139 countWashburn County: 600 countWashington County: 3,653 countWaukesha County: 13,751 countWaupaca County: 1,334 countWaushara County: 530 countWinnebago County: 4,042 countWood County: 2,097 count
  • Under 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 1,800
  • 1,800 to 3,200
  • 3,200 and over
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Milwaukee County: 27,814 countMilwaukee County27,814Dane County: 17,120 countDane County17,120Waukesha County: 13,751 countWaukesha County13,751Brown County: 7,188 countBrown County7,188Outagamie County: 5,716 countOutagamie County5,716Racine County: 4,818 countRacine County4,818Winnebago County: 4,042 countWinnebago County4,042Kenosha County: 3,889 countKenosha County3,889Rock County: 3,694 countRock County3,694Marathon County: 3,659 countMarathon County3,659Washington County: 3,653 countWashington County3,653La Crosse County: 3,296 countLa Crosse County3,296Walworth County: 3,139 countWalworth County3,139Eau Claire County: 3,031 countEau Claire County3,031Ozaukee County: 3,022 countOzaukee County3,022Sheboygan County: 2,874 countSheboygan County2,874St. Croix County: 2,473 countSt. Croix County2,473Fond du Lac County: 2,417 countFond du Lac County2,417Jefferson County: 2,190 countJefferson County2,190Sauk County: 2,099 countSauk County2,099Wood County: 2,097 countWood County2,097Dodge County: 1,947 countDodge County1,947Manitowoc County: 1,888 countManitowoc County1,888Portage County: 1,842 countPortage County1,842Chippewa County: 1,772 countChippewa County1,772Columbia County: 1,736 countColumbia County1,736Barron County: 1,517 countBarron County1,517Grant County: 1,503 countGrant County1,503Oneida County: 1,421 countOneida County1,421Door County: 1,338 countDoor County1,338Waupaca County: 1,334 countWaupaca County1,334Monroe County: 1,256 countMonroe County1,256Polk County: 1,235 countPolk County1,235Marinette County: 1,211 countMarinette County1,211Douglas County: 1,164 countDouglas County1,164Green County: 1,113 countGreen County1,113Dunn County: 1,068 countDunn County1,068Shawano County: 1,045 countShawano County1,045Pierce County: 990 countPierce County990Vilas County: 959 countVilas County959Milwaukee County: 27,814 countMilwaukee County27,814Dane County: 17,120 countDane County17,120Waukesha County: 13,751 countWaukesha County13,751Brown County: 7,188 countBrown County7,188Outagamie County: 5,716 countOutagamie County5,716Racine County: 4,818 countRacine County4,818Winnebago County: 4,042 countWinnebago County4,042Kenosha County: 3,889 countKenosha County3,889Rock County: 3,694 countRock County3,694Marathon County: 3,659 countMarathon County3,659Washington County: 3,653 countWashington County3,653La Crosse County: 3,296 countLa Crosse County3,296Walworth County: 3,139 countWalworth County3,139Eau Claire County: 3,031 countEau Claire County3,031Ozaukee County: 3,022 countOzaukee County3,022Sheboygan County: 2,874 countSheboygan County2,874St. Croix County: 2,473 countSt. Croix County2,473Fond du Lac County: 2,417 countFond du Lac County2,417Jefferson County: 2,190 countJefferson County2,190Sauk County: 2,099 countSauk County2,099Wood County: 2,097 countWood County2,097Dodge County: 1,947 countDodge County1,947Manitowoc County: 1,888 countManitowoc County1,888Portage County: 1,842 countPortage County1,842Chippewa County: 1,772 countChippewa County1,772Columbia County: 1,736 countColumbia County1,736Barron County: 1,517 countBarron County1,517Grant County: 1,503 countGrant County1,503Oneida County: 1,421 countOneida County1,421Door County: 1,338 countDoor County1,338Waupaca County: 1,334 countWaupaca County1,334Monroe County: 1,256 countMonroe County1,256Polk County: 1,235 countPolk County1,235Marinette County: 1,211 countMarinette County1,211Douglas County: 1,164 countDouglas County1,164Green County: 1,113 countGreen County1,113Dunn County: 1,068 countDunn County1,068Shawano County: 1,045 countShawano County1,045Pierce County: 990 countPierce County990Vilas County: 959 countVilas County959
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

RankCounties2022
count
Change on 2021
1Milwaukee County27,814+0.5%
2Dane County17,120+3.8%
3Waukesha County13,751+0.2%
4Brown County7,188-0.3%
5Outagamie County5,716+0.9%
6Racine County4,818+1%
7Winnebago County4,042+1.5%
8Kenosha County3,889+2%
9Rock County3,694+1.1%
10Marathon County3,659+0.4%
11Washington County3,653-0.2%
12La Crosse County3,296+0.5%
13Walworth County3,139+0.6%
14Eau Claire County3,031+1.5%
15Ozaukee County3,022+1.1%
16Sheboygan County2,874+0.8%
17St. Croix County2,473+0.3%
18Fond du Lac County2,417-0.6%
19Jefferson County2,1900%
20Sauk County2,099+1.7%
21Wood County2,097+0.4%
22Dodge County1,947+0.6%
23Manitowoc County1,888-0.7%
24Portage County1,842+1.2%
25Chippewa County1,772+1%
26Columbia County1,736+1%
27Barron County1,517-0.4%
28Grant County1,503+2.5%
29Oneida County1,421-1.1%
30Door County1,338+0.3%
31Waupaca County1,334-0.9%
32Monroe County1,256+1.8%
33Polk County1,235+0.4%
34Marinette County1,211-0.6%
35Douglas County1,164-0.9%
36Green County1,113+3%
37Dunn County1,068-1.1%
38Shawano County1,045+0.3%
39Pierce County990+0.3%
40Vilas County959-3.3%
41Clark County945+1%
42Calumet County834-1.2%
43Oconto County826+0.9%
44Trempealeau County823-0.4%
45Lincoln County765-0.9%
46Vernon County753+3.2%
47Iowa County701+3.2%
48Juneau County685+0.1%
49Sawyer County677+0.6%
50Langlade County610-1.6%
51Ashland County606+0.2%
52Washburn County600-2%
53Kewaunee County550+0.9%
54Bayfield County531+1.9%
55Waushara County530+1.9%
56Taylor County507-2.1%
57Crawford County506+1.6%
58Green Lake County4950%
59Richland County491+1.9%
60Lafayette County482+2.1%
61Jackson County466-1.3%
62Price County439-3.7%
63Burnett County432-3.1%
64Buffalo County378+0.3%
65Marquette County368-0.3%
66Rusk County365-4.7%
67Adams County348+1.2%
68Forest County290+0.3%
69Pepin County266-2.9%
70Iron County231+2.7%
71Florence County125-1.6%
72Menominee County106-5.4%

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/2022/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), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/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), 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2022. 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), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2022.

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), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2022,
  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), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2022. 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/2022/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), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2022.
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/2022/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 27,814 in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Menominee County, with 106 in 2022.

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