Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW)

Milwaukee County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 72 counties in 2022, at 463,797 jobs. Florence County had the lowest, at 964 jobs. The median was 15,308 jobs and the figure for Wisconsin was 2,877,343 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest463,797Milwaukee County
Median15,30872 counties
Wisconsin2,877,343History

Map of counties, 2022

Adams County: 3,912 jobsAshland County: 7,708 jobsBarron County: 21,446 jobsBayfield County: 3,985 jobsBrown County: 155,653 jobsBuffalo County: 3,735 jobsBurnett County: 4,689 jobsCalumet County: 15,513 jobsChippewa County: 25,380 jobsClark County: 11,248 jobsColumbia County: 21,803 jobsCrawford County: 6,686 jobsDane County: 344,839 jobsDodge County: 35,453 jobsDoor County: 13,503 jobsDouglas County: 16,242 jobsDunn County: 17,716 jobsEau Claire County: 58,017 jobsFlorence County: 964 jobsFond du Lac County: 46,031 jobsForest County: 3,064 jobsGrant County: 17,628 jobsGreen County: 15,103 jobsGreen Lake County: 5,599 jobsIowa County: 10,196 jobsIron County: 1,653 jobsJackson County: 7,864 jobsJefferson County: 33,978 jobsJuneau County: 9,216 jobsKenosha County: 71,037 jobsKewaunee County: 6,595 jobsLa Crosse County: 68,584 jobsLafayette County: 4,507 jobsLanglade County: 7,275 jobsLincoln County: 10,319 jobsManitowoc County: 32,956 jobsMarathon County: 70,592 jobsMarinette County: 17,818 jobsMarquette County: 3,856 jobsMenominee County: 1,932 jobsMilwaukee County: 463,797 jobsMonroe County: 20,909 jobsOconto County: 8,784 jobsOneida County: 16,179 jobsOutagamie County: 106,604 jobsOzaukee County: 40,190 jobsPepin County: 2,307 jobsPierce County: 10,713 jobsPolk County: 15,911 jobsPortage County: 32,878 jobsPrice County: 5,148 jobsRacine County: 73,803 jobsRichland County: 5,620 jobsRock County: 66,349 jobsRusk County: 4,839 jobsSt. Croix County: 35,341 jobsSauk County: 34,666 jobsSawyer County: 6,938 jobsShawano County: 12,134 jobsSheboygan County: 59,381 jobsTaylor County: 7,843 jobsTrempealeau County: 12,544 jobsVernon County: 8,724 jobsVilas County: 7,934 jobsWalworth County: 42,443 jobsWashburn County: 5,660 jobsWashington County: 57,009 jobsWaukesha County: 243,193 jobsWaupaca County: 18,554 jobsWaushara County: 6,004 jobsWinnebago County: 92,071 jobsWood County: 36,779 jobs
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 15K
  • 15K to 28K
  • 28K to 58K
  • 58K and over
jobs, 2022. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Milwaukee County: 463,797 jobsMilwaukee County463,797Dane County: 344,839 jobsDane County344,839Waukesha County: 243,193 jobsWaukesha County243,193Brown County: 155,653 jobsBrown County155,653Outagamie County: 106,604 jobsOutagamie County106,604Winnebago County: 92,071 jobsWinnebago County92,071Racine County: 73,803 jobsRacine County73,803Kenosha County: 71,037 jobsKenosha County71,037Marathon County: 70,592 jobsMarathon County70,592La Crosse County: 68,584 jobsLa Crosse County68,584Rock County: 66,349 jobsRock County66,349Sheboygan County: 59,381 jobsSheboygan County59,381Eau Claire County: 58,017 jobsEau Claire County58,017Washington County: 57,009 jobsWashington County57,009Fond du Lac County: 46,031 jobsFond du Lac County46,031Walworth County: 42,443 jobsWalworth County42,443Ozaukee County: 40,190 jobsOzaukee County40,190Wood County: 36,779 jobsWood County36,779Dodge County: 35,453 jobsDodge County35,453St. Croix County: 35,341 jobsSt. Croix County35,341Sauk County: 34,666 jobsSauk County34,666Jefferson County: 33,978 jobsJefferson County33,978Manitowoc County: 32,956 jobsManitowoc County32,956Portage County: 32,878 jobsPortage County32,878Chippewa County: 25,380 jobsChippewa County25,380Columbia County: 21,803 jobsColumbia County21,803Barron County: 21,446 jobsBarron County21,446Monroe County: 20,909 jobsMonroe County20,909Waupaca County: 18,554 jobsWaupaca County18,554Marinette County: 17,818 jobsMarinette County17,818Dunn County: 17,716 jobsDunn County17,716Grant County: 17,628 jobsGrant County17,628Douglas County: 16,242 jobsDouglas County16,242Oneida County: 16,179 jobsOneida County16,179Polk County: 15,911 jobsPolk County15,911Calumet County: 15,513 jobsCalumet County15,513Green County: 15,103 jobsGreen County15,103Door County: 13,503 jobsDoor County13,503Trempealeau County: 12,544 jobsTrempealeau County12,544Shawano County: 12,134 jobsShawano County12,134Milwaukee County: 463,797 jobsMilwaukee County463,797Dane County: 344,839 jobsDane County344,839Waukesha County: 243,193 jobsWaukesha County243,193Brown County: 155,653 jobsBrown County155,653Outagamie County: 106,604 jobsOutagamie County106,604Winnebago County: 92,071 jobsWinnebago County92,071Racine County: 73,803 jobsRacine County73,803Kenosha County: 71,037 jobsKenosha County71,037Marathon County: 70,592 jobsMarathon County70,592La Crosse County: 68,584 jobsLa Crosse County68,584Rock County: 66,349 jobsRock County66,349Sheboygan County: 59,381 jobsSheboygan County59,381Eau Claire County: 58,017 jobsEau Claire County58,017Washington County: 57,009 jobsWashington County57,009Fond du Lac County: 46,031 jobsFond du Lac County46,031Walworth County: 42,443 jobsWalworth County42,443Ozaukee County: 40,190 jobsOzaukee County40,190Wood County: 36,779 jobsWood County36,779Dodge County: 35,453 jobsDodge County35,453St. Croix County: 35,341 jobsSt. Croix County35,341Sauk County: 34,666 jobsSauk County34,666Jefferson County: 33,978 jobsJefferson County33,978Manitowoc County: 32,956 jobsManitowoc County32,956Portage County: 32,878 jobsPortage County32,878Chippewa County: 25,380 jobsChippewa County25,380Columbia County: 21,803 jobsColumbia County21,803Barron County: 21,446 jobsBarron County21,446Monroe County: 20,909 jobsMonroe County20,909Waupaca County: 18,554 jobsWaupaca County18,554Marinette County: 17,818 jobsMarinette County17,818Dunn County: 17,716 jobsDunn County17,716Grant County: 17,628 jobsGrant County17,628Douglas County: 16,242 jobsDouglas County16,242Oneida County: 16,179 jobsOneida County16,179Polk County: 15,911 jobsPolk County15,911Calumet County: 15,513 jobsCalumet County15,513Green County: 15,103 jobsGreen County15,103Door County: 13,503 jobsDoor County13,503Trempealeau County: 12,544 jobsTrempealeau County12,544Shawano County: 12,134 jobsShawano County12,134
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
jobs
Change on 2021
1Milwaukee County463,797+1.7%
2Dane County344,839+2.5%
3Waukesha County243,193+2.2%
4Brown County155,653+2.2%
5Outagamie County106,604+2.1%
6Winnebago County92,071+1.7%
7Racine County73,803+2.1%
8Kenosha County71,037+2.4%
9Marathon County70,592+1.5%
10La Crosse County68,584+1.7%
11Rock County66,349+1.9%
12Sheboygan County59,381+1.3%
13Eau Claire County58,017+2.7%
14Washington County57,009+1.9%
15Fond du Lac County46,031+1.7%
16Walworth County42,443+2.8%
17Ozaukee County40,190+0.2%
18Wood County36,779+0.9%
19Dodge County35,453+0.5%
20St. Croix County35,341+4.2%
21Sauk County34,666+2.2%
22Jefferson County33,978+1.7%
23Manitowoc County32,956+0.9%
24Portage County32,878+1.3%
25Chippewa County25,380+2%
26Columbia County21,803+0.6%
27Barron County21,446+1.2%
28Monroe County20,909+1.4%
29Waupaca County18,554-1.4%
30Marinette County17,818-0.1%
31Dunn County17,716+2.4%
32Grant County17,628+0.4%
33Douglas County16,242+3.3%
34Oneida County16,179+2.3%
35Polk County15,911+1.8%
36Calumet County15,513+1.2%
37Green County15,103+0.9%
38Door County13,503+1%
39Trempealeau County12,544-1.7%
40Shawano County12,134-0.6%
41Clark County11,248+1.6%
42Pierce County10,713+4.4%
43Lincoln County10,319+1.5%
44Iowa County10,196+0.7%
45Juneau County9,216+1%
46Oconto County8,784+1.1%
47Vernon County8,724+0.6%
48Vilas County7,934+0.5%
49Jackson County7,864+1.6%
50Taylor County7,843-3.1%
51Ashland County7,708+1.1%
52Langlade County7,275+0.4%
53Sawyer County6,938+2.9%
54Crawford County6,686-3%
55Kewaunee County6,595+1.1%
56Waushara County6,0040%
57Washburn County5,660+0.7%
58Richland County5,620+1%
59Green Lake County5,599+0.7%
60Price County5,148+3.3%
61Rusk County4,839+2.2%
62Burnett County4,689+1.1%
63Lafayette County4,507+3.2%
64Bayfield County3,985+2%
65Adams County3,912-0.3%
66Marquette County3,856+0.7%
67Buffalo County3,735-1.7%
68Forest County3,064+4%
69Pepin County2,307+2%
70Menominee County1,932+0.8%
71Iron County1,653+0.4%
72Florence County964-2.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of 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. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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 employment, 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (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/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (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/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (QCEW), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (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/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Wisconsin by covered employment (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/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/wisconsin-counties?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, 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  - 
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 covered employment (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"covered_employment","level":"province","within":"Wisconsin","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=covered_employment&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 covered employment (QCEW)?

Milwaukee County, with 463,797 jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Florence County, with 964 jobs 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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Wisconsin: more rankings