• county
  • FIPS 55041
  • Largest town: Crandon

Forest County, Wisconsin

Forest County had 9,506 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,014.3 square miles of land. It ranks 68th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 12th by land area.

Population
9,506
#68 of 72 in Wisconsin · #2,450 in US
Area
1,014.3 sq mi
#12 of 72 in Wisconsin · #661 in US
Density
9.4 / sq mi
#71 of 72 in Wisconsin · #2,588 in US
Median household income
$59,190
#64 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,912 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Forest County within Wisconsin. Pin: Madison.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Forest County

Forest County population, land area and income

Forest County had 9,506 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,014.3 square miles of land. It ranks 68th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 12th by land area. That works out to 9.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Wisconsin has 41,821 residents, so Forest County has 23% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $59,190 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

9,506

3144th1st

2450th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,014 sq mi

3144th1st

661st of 3,144 (US)

Density

9.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

2588th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$59,190

3143rd1st

1912th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Wisconsin (72)

Population

9,506

72nd1st

68th of 72 (WI)

Land area

1,014 sq mi

72nd1st

12th of 72 (WI)

Density

9.4 / sq mi

72nd1st

71st of 72 (WI)

Median household income

$59,190

72nd1st

64th of 72 (WI)

How Forest County's population changed since 2020

Forest County gained 338 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.7%. That ranks 6th of 72 in Wisconsin for growth. The median Wisconsin county changed by +1.0%, and the state as a whole by +1.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Forest County recorded 384 births and 557 deaths, a natural change of -173. Net international migration added +16 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +501. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 501 people.

9,16820209,44820219,34420229,38120239,5062024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
384
Deaths
557
Net international migration
+16
Net domestic migration
+501
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+125

Where Forest County is

The Census internal point of Forest County is at 45.666900, -88.773300. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Wisconsin's 72 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Forest County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Barron County: +0.2%Green County: +0.4%Dunn County: +1.5%Jefferson County: +0.0%Lincoln County: +0.1%Rusk County: -0.1%Fond du Lac County: +0.1%Marquette County: +1.0%Outagamie County: +2.3%Waupaca County: -1.2%Oneida County: +0.8%Eau Claire County: +2.8%Washington County: +1.4%Portage County: +2.3%Menominee County: +0.7%Clark County: +0.5%Monroe County: +0.2%Milwaukee County: -1.5%Buffalo County: +1.1%Lafayette County: +4.2%Ozaukee County: +2.5%Rock County: +1.0%Sheboygan County: +0.2%Green Lake County: +1.8%Waukesha County: +2.3%Calumet County: +2.1%Dodge County: -0.8%Wood County: -0.3%Winnebago County: +0.9%Sawyer County: +4.0%Dane County: +4.6%Sauk County: +1.1%Pepin County: +2.9%Adams County: +3.2%Price County: +0.4%Taylor County: +1.1%Grant County: +0.7%Trempealeau County: -0.0%Vernon County: +2.1%Waushara County: +2.2%Iowa County: +1.0%Crawford County: -0.5%Kenosha County: -0.3%Shawano County: +1.1%Juneau County: -0.7%Jackson County: -0.3%Vilas County: +3.7%Bayfield County: +3.7%Chippewa County: +1.5%Iron County: +1.5%Racine County: +0.3%Door County: +1.3%Ashland County: +1.1%Kewaunee County: +0.9%Polk County: +1.8%Florence County: +2.4%Douglas County: -0.2%Forest County: +3.7%Columbia County: -0.7%Walworth County: +0.7%La Crosse County: +0.1%Manitowoc County: +0.1%Oconto County: +2.5%Langlade County: +0.4%Marathon County: +0.7%Washburn County: +2.2%Brown County: +1.8%Richland County: -0.9%Marinette County: +1.1%St. Croix County: +4.3%Pierce County: +2.7%Burnett County: +3.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.1%
  2. < +0.7%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +2.3%
  5. ≥ +2.3%
no data

Orange pin: Forest County internal point. Dark pin: Madison.

Internal point

Decimal
45.666900, -88.773300
DMS
45°40'0.84"N 88°46'23.88"W
UTM
16N 361868.1E 5058568.1N
Geohash
f00ggcmkb
Plus code
86QHM68G+QM

Towns in Forest County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Forest County, 1,737 people together, or 18% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Forest County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Crandon with 1,737.

  1. 01Crandon1,737
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Forest County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Forest County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Marinette County, WI, with 42,343 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Madison and the nearest big city

Madison is 181.6 miles S of Forest County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Green Bay, WI (population 106,311), 87.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Wausau, WI (population 40,262), 64.6 miles away.

Forest County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Forest County is 55041: state code 55 for Wisconsin plus county code 041. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $59,190.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Forest County, Wisconsin?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 9,506. That is up 338 people (3.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 9,168.

What is the FIPS code of Forest County?

55041. The first two digits (55) are Wisconsin; the last three (041) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Forest County?

Crandon, with 1,737 residents inside Forest County in 2024.

Which counties border Forest County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Marinette County, WI; Oconto County, WI; Oneida County, WI; Vilas County, WI; Langlade County, WI; Iron County, MI; Florence County, WI.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.