Counties in Wisconsin by business establishments (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2023, at 28,053. Menominee County had the lowest, at 109. The median was 1,114 and the figure for Wisconsin was 199,130. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest28,053Milwaukee County
Median1,11472 counties
Wisconsin199,130History

Map of counties, 2023

Adams County: 399 countAshland County: 629 countBarron County: 1,520 countBayfield County: 547 countBrown County: 7,313 countBuffalo County: 387 countBurnett County: 447 countCalumet County: 937 countChippewa County: 1,855 countClark County: 937 countColumbia County: 1,739 countCrawford County: 504 countDane County: 17,236 countDodge County: 1,957 countDoor County: 1,359 countDouglas County: 1,179 countDunn County: 1,094 countEau Claire County: 3,142 countFlorence County: 136 countFond du Lac County: 2,483 countForest County: 293 countGrant County: 1,494 countGreen County: 1,133 countGreen Lake County: 516 countIowa County: 705 countIron County: 232 countJackson County: 473 countJefferson County: 2,221 countJuneau County: 715 countKenosha County: 4,088 countKewaunee County: 546 countLa Crosse County: 3,412 countLafayette County: 484 countLanglade County: 616 countLincoln County: 764 countManitowoc County: 1,922 countMarathon County: 3,771 countMarinette County: 1,229 countMarquette County: 368 countMenominee County: 109 countMilwaukee County: 28,053 countMonroe County: 1,286 countOconto County: 886 countOneida County: 1,435 countOutagamie County: 5,780 countOzaukee County: 3,049 countPepin County: 268 countPierce County: 986 countPolk County: 1,260 countPortage County: 1,896 countPrice County: 433 countRacine County: 4,922 countRichland County: 516 countRock County: 3,757 countRusk County: 369 countSt. Croix County: 2,563 countSauk County: 2,121 countSawyer County: 675 countShawano County: 1,037 countSheboygan County: 2,918 countTaylor County: 518 countTrempealeau County: 819 countVernon County: 779 countVilas County: 971 countWalworth County: 3,244 countWashburn County: 597 countWashington County: 3,721 countWaukesha County: 13,909 countWaupaca County: 1,345 countWaushara County: 552 countWinnebago County: 4,140 countWood County: 2,092 count
  • Under 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 1,900
  • 1,900 to 3,300
  • 3,300 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Milwaukee County: 28,053 countMilwaukee County28,053Dane County: 17,236 countDane County17,236Waukesha County: 13,909 countWaukesha County13,909Brown County: 7,313 countBrown County7,313Outagamie County: 5,780 countOutagamie County5,780Racine County: 4,922 countRacine County4,922Winnebago County: 4,140 countWinnebago County4,140Kenosha County: 4,088 countKenosha County4,088Marathon County: 3,771 countMarathon County3,771Rock County: 3,757 countRock County3,757Washington County: 3,721 countWashington County3,721La Crosse County: 3,412 countLa Crosse County3,412Walworth County: 3,244 countWalworth County3,244Eau Claire County: 3,142 countEau Claire County3,142Ozaukee County: 3,049 countOzaukee County3,049Sheboygan County: 2,918 countSheboygan County2,918St. Croix County: 2,563 countSt. Croix County2,563Fond du Lac County: 2,483 countFond du Lac County2,483Jefferson County: 2,221 countJefferson County2,221Sauk County: 2,121 countSauk County2,121Wood County: 2,092 countWood County2,092Dodge County: 1,957 countDodge County1,957Manitowoc County: 1,922 countManitowoc County1,922Portage County: 1,896 countPortage County1,896Chippewa County: 1,855 countChippewa County1,855Columbia County: 1,739 countColumbia County1,739Barron County: 1,520 countBarron County1,520Grant County: 1,494 countGrant County1,494Oneida County: 1,435 countOneida County1,435Door County: 1,359 countDoor County1,359Waupaca County: 1,345 countWaupaca County1,345Monroe County: 1,286 countMonroe County1,286Polk County: 1,260 countPolk County1,260Marinette County: 1,229 countMarinette County1,229Douglas County: 1,179 countDouglas County1,179Green County: 1,133 countGreen County1,133Dunn County: 1,094 countDunn County1,094Shawano County: 1,037 countShawano County1,037Pierce County: 986 countPierce County986Vilas County: 971 countVilas County971Milwaukee County: 28,053 countMilwaukee County28,053Dane County: 17,236 countDane County17,236Waukesha County: 13,909 countWaukesha County13,909Brown County: 7,313 countBrown County7,313Outagamie County: 5,780 countOutagamie County5,780Racine County: 4,922 countRacine County4,922Winnebago County: 4,140 countWinnebago County4,140Kenosha County: 4,088 countKenosha County4,088Marathon County: 3,771 countMarathon County3,771Rock County: 3,757 countRock County3,757Washington County: 3,721 countWashington County3,721La Crosse County: 3,412 countLa Crosse County3,412Walworth County: 3,244 countWalworth County3,244Eau Claire County: 3,142 countEau Claire County3,142Ozaukee County: 3,049 countOzaukee County3,049Sheboygan County: 2,918 countSheboygan County2,918St. Croix County: 2,563 countSt. Croix County2,563Fond du Lac County: 2,483 countFond du Lac County2,483Jefferson County: 2,221 countJefferson County2,221Sauk County: 2,121 countSauk County2,121Wood County: 2,092 countWood County2,092Dodge County: 1,957 countDodge County1,957Manitowoc County: 1,922 countManitowoc County1,922Portage County: 1,896 countPortage County1,896Chippewa County: 1,855 countChippewa County1,855Columbia County: 1,739 countColumbia County1,739Barron County: 1,520 countBarron County1,520Grant County: 1,494 countGrant County1,494Oneida County: 1,435 countOneida County1,435Door County: 1,359 countDoor County1,359Waupaca County: 1,345 countWaupaca County1,345Monroe County: 1,286 countMonroe County1,286Polk County: 1,260 countPolk County1,260Marinette County: 1,229 countMarinette County1,229Douglas County: 1,179 countDouglas County1,179Green County: 1,133 countGreen County1,133Dunn County: 1,094 countDunn County1,094Shawano County: 1,037 countShawano County1,037Pierce County: 986 countPierce County986Vilas County: 971 countVilas County971
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

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Milwaukee County28,053+0.9%
2Dane County17,236+0.7%
3Waukesha County13,909+1.1%
4Brown County7,313+1.7%
5Outagamie County5,780+1.1%
6Racine County4,922+2.2%
7Winnebago County4,140+2.4%
8Kenosha County4,088+5.1%
9Marathon County3,771+3.1%
10Rock County3,757+1.7%
11Washington County3,721+1.9%
12La Crosse County3,412+3.5%
13Walworth County3,244+3.3%
14Eau Claire County3,142+3.7%
15Ozaukee County3,049+0.9%
16Sheboygan County2,918+1.5%
17St. Croix County2,563+3.6%
18Fond du Lac County2,483+2.7%
19Jefferson County2,221+1.4%
20Sauk County2,121+1%
21Wood County2,092-0.2%
22Dodge County1,957+0.5%
23Manitowoc County1,922+1.8%
24Portage County1,896+2.9%
25Chippewa County1,855+4.7%
26Columbia County1,739+0.2%
27Barron County1,520+0.2%
28Grant County1,494-0.6%
29Oneida County1,435+1%
30Door County1,359+1.6%
31Waupaca County1,345+0.8%
32Monroe County1,286+2.4%
33Polk County1,260+2%
34Marinette County1,229+1.5%
35Douglas County1,179+1.3%
36Green County1,133+1.8%
37Dunn County1,094+2.4%
38Shawano County1,037-0.8%
39Pierce County986-0.4%
40Vilas County971+1.3%
41Calumet County937+12.4%
41Clark County937-0.8%
43Oconto County886+7.3%
44Trempealeau County819-0.5%
45Vernon County779+3.5%
46Lincoln County764-0.1%
47Juneau County715+4.4%
48Iowa County705+0.6%
49Sawyer County675-0.3%
50Ashland County629+3.8%
51Langlade County616+1%
52Washburn County597-0.5%
53Waushara County552+4.2%
54Bayfield County547+3%
55Kewaunee County546-0.7%
56Taylor County518+2.2%
57Green Lake County516+4.2%
57Richland County516+5.1%
59Crawford County504-0.4%
60Lafayette County484+0.4%
61Jackson County473+1.5%
62Burnett County447+3.5%
63Price County433-1.4%
64Adams County399+14.7%
65Buffalo County387+2.4%
66Rusk County369+1.1%
67Marquette County3680%
68Forest County293+1%
69Pepin County268+0.8%
70Iron County232+0.4%
71Florence County136+8.8%
72Menominee County109+2.8%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/wisconsin-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/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 28,053 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Menominee County, with 109 in 2023.

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