Central Wisconsin Counties Continue to See Lower Population Numbers

Thursday, September 18th, 2025 -- 9:00 AM

(Mala Pandey and Calley Gleeson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) While Wisconsin's population has grown overall since 2020, hundreds of municipalities are continuing to see post-pandemic population drops, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Administration.

According Mala Pandey and Calley Gleeson with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, some of the towns and cities losing the most people are located in central Wisconsin's Marathon, Sauk, Juneau, Adams and Lincoln counties. Each January, the agency releases statewide preliminary population estimates, followed by final estimates in October.

Final numbers are not yet available for 2025, but the preliminary numbers show Wisconsin had 6,033,500 residents as of January 2025, almost 140,000 more residents, or about a 2% increase, since 2020. For most of the approximately 1,800 towns, villages and cities in Wisconsin, that means an increase in residents since the pandemic.

Still, per final 2024 estimates, at least 800 municipalities have seen population dips since the pandemic, ranging from just a handful of residents to more than 500 fewer people.

Earlier this year, the Department of Administration also projected most Wisconsin counties would face a declining population by 2050, with an estimated statewide loss of nearly 200,000 residents.

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