Counties in Wisconsin by wages and salaries paid

Milwaukee County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 72 counties in 2021, at $31.46 billion. Florence County had the lowest, at $34.73 million. The median was $765.18 million and the figure for Wisconsin was $168.51 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest31,459.5Milwaukee County
Lowest34.7Florence County
Median765.272 counties
Wisconsin168,506.1History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 180.5 USD millionAshland County: 378 USD millionBarron County: 1,038.8 USD millionBayfield County: 181.1 USD millionBrown County: 9,667.3 USD millionBuffalo County: 193.3 USD millionBurnett County: 204.4 USD millionCalumet County: 784.3 USD millionChippewa County: 1,279.7 USD millionClark County: 549 USD millionColumbia County: 1,138.9 USD millionCrawford County: 312.5 USD millionDane County: 23,984.2 USD millionDodge County: 1,987.3 USD millionDoor County: 624.8 USD millionDouglas County: 896 USD millionDunn County: 929.7 USD millionEau Claire County: 3,379.1 USD millionFlorence County: 34.7 USD millionFond du Lac County: 2,660.7 USD millionForest County: 135.7 USD millionGrant County: 877.8 USD millionGreen County: 789.9 USD millionGreen Lake County: 276.5 USD millionIowa County: 576.7 USD millionIron County: 68.7 USD millionJackson County: 389.9 USD millionJefferson County: 1,782 USD millionJuneau County: 431.1 USD millionKenosha County: 4,023 USD millionKewaunee County: 298 USD millionLa Crosse County: 3,995.8 USD millionLafayette County: 217.9 USD millionLanglade County: 326.6 USD millionLincoln County: 528.7 USD millionManitowoc County: 1,753.4 USD millionMarathon County: 4,067 USD millionMarinette County: 927.1 USD millionMarquette County: 171.4 USD millionMenominee County: 86.7 USD millionMilwaukee County: 31,459.5 USD millionMonroe County: 1,120.1 USD millionOconto County: 407.3 USD millionOneida County: 840.6 USD millionOutagamie County: 6,468.3 USD millionOzaukee County: 2,429.8 USD millionPepin County: 120.4 USD millionPierce County: 522.6 USD millionPolk County: 746 USD millionPortage County: 1,964.6 USD millionPrice County: 242.8 USD millionRacine County: 4,336.4 USD millionRichland County: 257.6 USD millionRock County: 3,843.1 USD millionRusk County: 218.7 USD millionSt. Croix County: 1,929.2 USD millionSauk County: 1,713.7 USD millionSawyer County: 322.6 USD millionShawano County: 543.6 USD millionSheboygan County: 3,551 USD millionTaylor County: 394.6 USD millionTrempealeau County: 659 USD millionVernon County: 423.3 USD millionVilas County: 361.6 USD millionWalworth County: 2,143.5 USD millionWashburn County: 259.6 USD millionWashington County: 3,268.9 USD millionWaukesha County: 16,963.4 USD millionWaupaca County: 895 USD millionWaushara County: 261.1 USD millionWinnebago County: 5,690.4 USD millionWood County: 2,020.4 USD million
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 400
  • 400 to 800
  • 800 to 1,400
  • 1,400 to 3,400
  • 3,400 and over
USD million, 2021. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Milwaukee County: 31,459.5 USD millionMilwaukee County31,459.5Dane County: 23,984.2 USD millionDane County23,984.2Waukesha County: 16,963.4 USD millionWaukesha County16,963.4Brown County: 9,667.3 USD millionBrown County9,667.3Outagamie County: 6,468.3 USD millionOutagamie County6,468.3Winnebago County: 5,690.4 USD millionWinnebago County5,690.4Racine County: 4,336.4 USD millionRacine County4,336.4Marathon County: 4,067 USD millionMarathon County4,067Kenosha County: 4,023 USD millionKenosha County4,023La Crosse County: 3,995.8 USD millionLa Crosse County3,995.8Rock County: 3,843.1 USD millionRock County3,843.1Sheboygan County: 3,551 USD millionSheboygan County3,551Eau Claire County: 3,379.1 USD millionEau Claire County3,379.1Washington County: 3,268.9 USD millionWashington County3,268.9Fond du Lac County: 2,660.7 USD millionFond du Lac County2,660.7Ozaukee County: 2,429.8 USD millionOzaukee County2,429.8Walworth County: 2,143.5 USD millionWalworth County2,143.5Wood County: 2,020.4 USD millionWood County2,020.4Dodge County: 1,987.3 USD millionDodge County1,987.3Portage County: 1,964.6 USD millionPortage County1,964.6St. Croix County: 1,929.2 USD millionSt. Croix County1,929.2Jefferson County: 1,782 USD millionJefferson County1,782Manitowoc County: 1,753.4 USD millionManitowoc County1,753.4Sauk County: 1,713.7 USD millionSauk County1,713.7Chippewa County: 1,279.7 USD millionChippewa County1,279.7Columbia County: 1,138.9 USD millionColumbia County1,138.9Monroe County: 1,120.1 USD millionMonroe County1,120.1Barron County: 1,038.8 USD millionBarron County1,038.8Dunn County: 929.7 USD millionDunn County929.7Marinette County: 927.1 USD millionMarinette County927.1Douglas County: 896 USD millionDouglas County896Waupaca County: 895 USD millionWaupaca County895Grant County: 877.8 USD millionGrant County877.8Oneida County: 840.6 USD millionOneida County840.6Green County: 789.9 USD millionGreen County789.9Calumet County: 784.3 USD millionCalumet County784.3Polk County: 746 USD millionPolk County746Trempealeau County: 659 USD millionTrempealeau County659Door County: 624.8 USD millionDoor County624.8Iowa County: 576.7 USD millionIowa County576.7Milwaukee County: 31,459.5 USD millionMilwaukee County31,459.5Dane County: 23,984.2 USD millionDane County23,984.2Waukesha County: 16,963.4 USD millionWaukesha County16,963.4Brown County: 9,667.3 USD millionBrown County9,667.3Outagamie County: 6,468.3 USD millionOutagamie County6,468.3Winnebago County: 5,690.4 USD millionWinnebago County5,690.4Racine County: 4,336.4 USD millionRacine County4,336.4Marathon County: 4,067 USD millionMarathon County4,067Kenosha County: 4,023 USD millionKenosha County4,023La Crosse County: 3,995.8 USD millionLa Crosse County3,995.8Rock County: 3,843.1 USD millionRock County3,843.1Sheboygan County: 3,551 USD millionSheboygan County3,551Eau Claire County: 3,379.1 USD millionEau Claire County3,379.1Washington County: 3,268.9 USD millionWashington County3,268.9Fond du Lac County: 2,660.7 USD millionFond du Lac County2,660.7Ozaukee County: 2,429.8 USD millionOzaukee County2,429.8Walworth County: 2,143.5 USD millionWalworth County2,143.5Wood County: 2,020.4 USD millionWood County2,020.4Dodge County: 1,987.3 USD millionDodge County1,987.3Portage County: 1,964.6 USD millionPortage County1,964.6St. Croix County: 1,929.2 USD millionSt. Croix County1,929.2Jefferson County: 1,782 USD millionJefferson County1,782Manitowoc County: 1,753.4 USD millionManitowoc County1,753.4Sauk County: 1,713.7 USD millionSauk County1,713.7Chippewa County: 1,279.7 USD millionChippewa County1,279.7Columbia County: 1,138.9 USD millionColumbia County1,138.9Monroe County: 1,120.1 USD millionMonroe County1,120.1Barron County: 1,038.8 USD millionBarron County1,038.8Dunn County: 929.7 USD millionDunn County929.7Marinette County: 927.1 USD millionMarinette County927.1Douglas County: 896 USD millionDouglas County896Waupaca County: 895 USD millionWaupaca County895Grant County: 877.8 USD millionGrant County877.8Oneida County: 840.6 USD millionOneida County840.6Green County: 789.9 USD millionGreen County789.9Calumet County: 784.3 USD millionCalumet County784.3Polk County: 746 USD millionPolk County746Trempealeau County: 659 USD millionTrempealeau County659Door County: 624.8 USD millionDoor County624.8Iowa County: 576.7 USD millionIowa County576.7
USD million. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
USD million
Change on 2020
1Milwaukee County31,459.5+6.6%
2Dane County23,984.2+8.7%
3Waukesha County16,963.4+7%
4Brown County9,667.3+5.4%
5Outagamie County6,468.3+7.6%
6Winnebago County5,690.4+5.9%
7Racine County4,336.4+6.3%
8Marathon County4,067+6.4%
9Kenosha County4,023+12.8%
10La Crosse County3,995.8+8.3%
11Rock County3,843.1+6.5%
12Sheboygan County3,551+5.1%
13Eau Claire County3,379.1+7.7%
14Washington County3,268.9+9.4%
15Fond du Lac County2,660.7+7.4%
16Ozaukee County2,429.8+5.5%
17Walworth County2,143.5+9%
18Wood County2,020.4+2.9%
19Dodge County1,987.3+9.6%
20Portage County1,964.6+6.3%
21St. Croix County1,929.2+10.4%
22Jefferson County1,782+9.7%
23Manitowoc County1,753.4+8.8%
24Sauk County1,713.7+7.3%
25Chippewa County1,279.7+6.4%
26Columbia County1,138.9+2.6%
27Monroe County1,120.1+6.4%
28Barron County1,038.8+7%
29Dunn County929.7+7.7%
30Marinette County927.1+7.8%
31Douglas County896+9.9%
32Waupaca County895+8.4%
33Grant County877.8+5.7%
34Oneida County840.6+9.6%
35Green County789.9+9.3%
36Calumet County784.3+11.5%
37Polk County746+7%
38Trempealeau County659+3.9%
39Door County624.8+10.2%
40Iowa County576.7+14.2%
41Clark County549+7%
42Shawano County543.6+3.6%
43Lincoln County528.7+4.3%
44Pierce County522.6+5.8%
45Juneau County431.1+7.2%
46Vernon County423.3+7.9%
47Oconto County407.3+10.5%
48Taylor County394.6+3.6%
49Jackson County389.9+0.9%
50Ashland County378+6.1%
51Vilas County361.6+6.9%
52Langlade County326.6+6.7%
53Sawyer County322.6+11%
54Crawford County312.5+6%
55Kewaunee County298+5.3%
56Green Lake County276.5+7%
57Waushara County261.1+8.9%
58Washburn County259.6+7.7%
59Richland County257.6+3.3%
60Price County242.8+8.5%
61Rusk County218.7+5.6%
62Lafayette County217.9+9.6%
63Burnett County204.4+9.5%
64Buffalo County193.3+8.7%
65Bayfield County181.1+17.5%
66Adams County180.5-0.7%
67Marquette County171.4+3.8%
68Forest County135.7+4.8%
69Pepin County120.4+13.3%
70Menominee County86.7+10.6%
71Iron County68.7+8.7%
72Florence County34.7+5.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.

Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.

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 Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. 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 Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in Wisconsin by wages and salaries paid, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip

MLA 9

CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Wisconsin by wages and salaries paid, 2021. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/wisconsin-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in Wisconsin by wages and salaries paid, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/wisconsin-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Wisconsin by wages and salaries paid, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/wisconsin-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_wisconsin_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Wisconsin by wages and salaries paid, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/wisconsin-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Wisconsin by wages and salaries paid, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/wisconsin-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/wisconsin-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Milwaukee County, with $31.46 billion in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

Florence County, with $34.73 million in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Wages and salaries paid: other rankings

Counties in Wisconsin: more rankings