State bird
American robin
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeMadison ·
U.S. States / Midwest · Card 050
Wisconsin
The Badger State
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore includes islands and mainland shore along Lake Superior.
Wisconsin and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Wisconsin.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Madison
- Postal abbreviation
- WI
- Population
- 5,972,787July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 169,635 km²65,496 square miles · land and water
- Statehood
- May 29, 1848State number 30
- Region
- Midwest
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
On, Wisconsin!
Sources: Designation & background
State pastry
Kringle
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota.
02
Landscape & places
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore includes islands and mainland shore along Lake Superior. Waves shape sandstone sea caves, while forests, beaches and historic lighthouses show different aspects of the lakeshore.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 140,268 km² of land and 29,367 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
The state coat of arms on blue, with Wisconsin above and 1848 below.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Apostle Islands
How the landscape works
Lake Superior waves shape the Apostle Islands’ sandstone sea caves. Islands, mainland shore, forests, beaches, and lighthouses form a connected lakeshore landscape. Lighthouses also point to the human need to navigate these waters. Physical processes and transportation history can be read together rather than placed in separate stories.
History
What the Wisconsin Idea meant for government
Rapid industrial growth created new concerns about working conditions, corporate influence and political corruption. Wisconsin reformers, including Robert La Follette and his allies, argued that government should use evidence and expertise to address public problems.
University researchers worked with legislators to study issues and draft laws. The Legislative Reference Library made research available to lawmakers, and university extension brought knowledge beyond the campus. This approach became associated with the Wisconsin Idea: public institutions should use their expertise to serve people across the state. The reforms involved many participants and were debated rather than accepted unanimously.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
The Wisconsin Idea connected university expertise with public needs and government. The principle was that research and education should benefit people beyond the campus. Applying expertise to policy does not mean every policy choice becomes automatic: elected officials and the public still decide among goals and tradeoffs.
Key dates
-
Wisconsin Territory organized
-
Iowa Territory separated
-
Statehood · State number 30
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa provides a present-day tribal perspective from northern Wisconsin. Lake Superior is a cultural and political setting as well as a place of cliffs, islands, and navigation routes.
Continue with Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Wisconsin and Illinois
| Measure | Wisconsin | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 5,972,787 | 12,719,141 |
| Land area (km²) | 140,268 | 143,793 |
| People per km² of land | 42.6 | 88.5 |
Illinois has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Illinois.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, manufacturing was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included real estate and rental and leasing, professional and business services, and educational services, health care, and social assistance.
Total economic output was $473.0 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Manufacturing: 15.6%
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 12.2%
- Professional and business services: 10.1%
- Educational services, health care, and social assistance: 10.0%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people5.972025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 5,897,371 |
| 2021 | 5,882,128 |
| 2022 | 5,903,472 |
| 2023 | 5,930,350 |
| 2024 | 5,957,168 |
| 2025 | 5,972,787 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars359.602025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 287,652.9 |
| 2011 | 293,664.0 |
| 2012 | 299,007.6 |
| 2013 | 301,550.5 |
| 2014 | 309,425.8 |
| 2015 | 315,687.8 |
| 2016 | 319,272.3 |
| 2017 | 321,886.8 |
| 2018 | 328,832.4 |
| 2019 | 333,256.8 |
| 2020 | 324,014.4 |
| 2021 | 334,848.6 |
| 2022 | 341,875.2 |
| 2023 | 347,108.2 |
| 2024 | 354,382.1 |
| 2025 | 359,603.1 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Wisconsin’s population increased by about 1.3% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 102024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 82020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Wisconsin
Show a hint
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.