Wisconsin is part of the Great Lakes region in the northern Midwest region of the United States. Its 2023 population is estimated to be 5,995,737, which ranks as the 21st-most in the U.S. and amounts to 1.76% of the total U.S. population. Wisconsin is also the 23rd-largest state by area, with a territory that covers 65,497.82 square miles (mi²).
Wisconsin's population grew by 4.73% from 2010 to 2023, the country's 34th-highest/17th-lowest percentage of population growth during that time frame. With a population of 571,939, Milwaukee is Wisconsin's largest city. This is followed by Madison, the state's capital, with a community of 280,829, then by Green Bay (108,397), Kenosha (100,217), and Racine (77,504). Milwaukee County and Dane County have 937,014 and 583,533 residents, respectively, which make them Wisconsin's largest counties. Wisconsin is perhaps most famous for its cheese production—one of the state's nicknames is the "Cheese State." If Wisconsin were an independent country, its cheese production would rank fourth globally. Wisconsin gained statehood in May 1848. Primarily Republican through 1928, the state (like most) turned Democratic during the Great Depression and World War II. From the mid-1940s through 1984, the state voted Republican more often than not. Democrats won the seven elections from 1988 through 2012, although the 2000 and 2004 races were extremely close. This streak was broken in 2016 when Donald Trump won the state by 0.7% over Hillary Clinton. The victory came even though, of the dozens of polls tracked in the months leading up to the election, not one had him winning here. The state returned to the Democratic fold in 2020, as Biden narrowly won over Trump.
The state's biggest city by far is Milwaukee, with a population exceeding 600,000. This is followed by Madison (pop 248,000), Green Bay (pop 105,207), and Kenosha (pop 99,858). The Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis Metropolitan Statistical Area has an estimated population of 1.55 million.
The state's most populated counties are Milwaukee and Dane counties, with populations of 952,085 and 536,416.
According to a 2022 study from the U.S. Census Bureau, this state's local governments consist of 72 counties, 1,850 cities, towns, and villages, and 703 special districts.
The median age of the population residing in Wisconsin is approximately 39.1 years of age. Regarding the ratio of females to males, females lead at 50.3%, and males represent 49.7% of the population.
Regarding preferred religions, 71% of the Wisconsin population is affiliated with Christian-based faiths, 4% with non-Christian faiths, and 25% are not affiliated with any faith.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Wisconsin was:
White: 83.35%
Black or African American: 6.34%
Two or more races: 4.42%
Asian: 2.84%
Other race: 2.22%
Native American: 0.78%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.05%
Muslims have a population of under 100,00 or 1.2%
Comments