Largest Cities in Wisconsin: Ranked by Population

The largest city in Wisconsin in our data is Milwaukee, WI, with an estimated 1,365,787 people, followed by Madison, WI (447,245) and Appleton, WI (220,570). This list ranks the top 50 places among the 155 Wisconsin communities with at least 5,000 residents.

What are the top 50 in Wisconsin?

How big are the largest cities in Wisconsin?

Of the 155 places with pages, 8 have more than 100,000 residents, 26 have between 25,000 and 100,000, and 121 have fewer than 25,000. The median place has about 12,664 people. The ten largest places account for about 54% of the combined population of all pages, which shows how concentrated the state's population is across communities. Milwaukee County contributes 7 of the top 50.

Which counties do the top 50 belong to?

The 50 places on this list are spread across 23 counties of Wisconsin. Milwaukee County has 7 (Milwaukee, West Allis, Wauwatosa, Greenfield, Oak Creek, Franklin, South Milwaukee); Waukesha County has 6 (Waukesha, New Berlin, Brookfield, Menomonee Falls, Muskego, Mukwonago); Dane County has 4 (Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Middleton). Counties with several entries are usually centers of a metropolitan area, where one large city is surrounded by many suburbs that each pass the 5,000-resident threshold.

How does Wisconsin compare with the rest of the country?

The median Wisconsin place with a page has about 12,664 residents, compared with about 13,459 nationwide, so the state's typical community is about the same size as the national typical place. Milwaukee, WI ranks 41st among all US places by estimated population in our data. The state has 773 communities in total, of which 155 reach 5,000 residents. See the national ranking of the largest cities for comparison.

Quick answers about Wisconsin cities

• Which is the largest city in Wisconsin? Milwaukee (1,365,787 people).
• How many Wisconsin cities have more than 100,000 people? 8 in our data.
• How many have 25,000 to 100,000? 26.
• What is the typical size? About 12,664 residents for a place with a page.

How is this ranking made?

The data comes from the SimpleMaps US Cities Database, which gives each place an estimated population and a density in people per square kilometer. We convert density to people per square mile and rank the places with at least 5,000 residents. Boundaries matter: a city that includes large parks or farmland scores lower on density than a compact city of the same size, and population estimates can include areas that share a city's ZIP codes. Read why population figures differ and how density is calculated before you quote a number.

Where to go next

Rankings use dataset estimates, not official counts.