• county
  • FIPS 55107
  • Largest town: Ladysmith

Rusk County, Wisconsin

Rusk County had 14,168 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 913.5 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 18th by land area.

Population
14,168
#65 of 72 in Wisconsin · #2,151 in US
Area
913.5 sq mi
#18 of 72 in Wisconsin · #812 in US
Density
16 / sq mi
#64 of 72 in Wisconsin · #2,378 in US
Median household income
$58,513
#67 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,987 in US

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

Rusk County within Wisconsin. Pin: Madison.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Rusk County

Rusk County population, land area and income

Rusk County had 14,168 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 913.5 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 18th by land area. That works out to 15.5 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 Rusk County has 34% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $58,513 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

14,168

3144th1st

2151st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

914 sq mi

3144th1st

812th of 3,144 (US)

Density

15.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

2378th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$58,513

3143rd1st

1987th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Wisconsin (72)

Population

14,168

72nd1st

65th of 72 (WI)

Land area

914 sq mi

72nd1st

18th of 72 (WI)

Density

15.5 / sq mi

72nd1st

64th of 72 (WI)

Median household income

$58,513

72nd1st

67th of 72 (WI)

How Rusk County's population changed since 2020

Rusk County lost 13 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.1%. That ranks 61st 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, Rusk County recorded 527 births and 847 deaths, a natural change of -320. Net international migration added +42 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +243. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 320 people.

14.2k202014.1k202114.2k202214.3k202314.2k2024
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
527
Deaths
847
Net international migration
+42
Net domestic migration
+243
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-84

Where Rusk County is

The Census internal point of Rusk County is at 45.472700, -91.136700. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Wisconsin's 72 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Rusk 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: Rusk County internal point. Dark pin: Madison.

Internal point

Decimal
45.472700, -91.136700
DMS
45°28'21.72"N 91°08'12.12"W
UTM
15N 645643.6E 5037152.2N
Geohash
cbp4wnh38
Plus code
86QCFVF7+38

Towns in Rusk County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Rusk County, 3,187 people together, or 22% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Rusk County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Ladysmith with 3,187.

  1. 01Ladysmith3,187
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Rusk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Rusk County. The most populous is Chippewa County, WI, with 67,323 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Madison and the nearest big city

Madison is 187.0 miles SSE of Rusk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is St. Paul, MN (population 307,465), 102.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Chippewa Falls, WI (population 15,075), 39.1 miles away.

Rusk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Rusk County is 55107: state code 55 for Wisconsin plus county code 107. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $58,513.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Rusk County, Wisconsin?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 14,168. That is down 13 people (0.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 14,181.

What is the FIPS code of Rusk County?

55107. The first two digits (55) are Wisconsin; the last three (107) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Rusk County?

Ladysmith, with 3,187 residents inside Rusk County in 2024.

Which counties border Rusk County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Chippewa County, WI; Barron County, WI; Taylor County, WI; Sawyer County, WI; Washburn County, WI; Price 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.