County · Wisconsin

Adams County, Wisconsin

Adams County, Wisconsin. Adams County had 21,752 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 5.3% since 2020, faster than Wisconsin (+1.3%). It holds 27 places (3 cities, villages and boroughs, 17 towns and townships and 7 census-designated) and 8 census tracts. GEOID 55001.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

21,752

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 20,654 · ACS 2020-2024: 21,123

Median household income

$59,442

±$2,974 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $77,485

Median home value

$200,800

±$8,327 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $266,500

Median gross rent

$828

±$76 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $1,087

How many people live in Adams County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 20,654 residents in Adams County. The Census Bureau estimates 21,752 for July 1, 2025, up 5.3% since 2020, faster than Wisconsin (+1.3%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 21,123 over 646 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +160 (20,847)
2021→2022 +429 (21,276)
2022→2023 +446 (21,722)
2023→2024 −157 (21,565)
2024→2025 +187 (21,752)

Adams County in Wisconsin. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Adams County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	21,123	5,914,872	+1,029
Households	9,517±286	2,479,480	+455
Average household size	2.14±0.06	2.33	no clear change
Housing units	17,008±80	2,778,572	−718

Adams County's population since 2000

From 18,643 in 2000 to 21,752 in 2025: up 16.7%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 18,643
2005 (estimate) 21,211
2010 Census 20,875
2015 (estimate) 20,027
2020 Census 20,654
2025 (estimate) 21,752

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Adams County?

Adams County holds 27 places: 3 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 17 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 7 census-designated places. The largest is Town of Rome with 3,420 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Adams County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Rome (town)	town	3,025	3,184±27	$79,728	$293,500	4.7%	100%
New Chester (town)	town	1,960	1,394±151	$49,028	$151,900	25.7%	100%
Adams	city	1,761	2,050±265	$43,364	$102,500	25.7%	100%
Dell Prairie (town)	town	1,631	1,579±229	$88,516	$267,900	9.2%	100%
Adams (town), Adams County	town	1,378	1,347±172	$68,571	$165,100	10.7%	100%
Preston (town), Adams County	town	1,377	1,375±178	$49,219	$160,400	20.9%	100%
Springville (town)	town	1,283	1,306±188	$62,667	$189,700	9.7%	100%
Quincy (town)	town	1,159	1,209±178	$42,448	$201,900	9.0%	100%
Strongs Prairie (town)	town	1,145	1,318±197	$65,500	$215,900	10.6%	100%
Jackson (town), Adams County	town	1,141	938±115	$59,500	$203,200	15.9%	100%
Easton (town), Adams County	town	1,062	967±159	$54,405	$187,500	19.5%	100%
Big Flats (town)	town	948	1,279±240	$48,036	$100,400	13.5%	100%
Lake ArrowheadGEOID 5541160	CDP	946	969±193	$83,086	$310,300	4.3%	100%
Lake Camelot	CDP	895	1,162±182	$95,125	$310,900	1.6%	100%
New Haven (town), Adams County	town	680	851±155	$68,897	$207,700	6.6%	100%
Friendship	village	648	813±152	$48,631	$115,100	34.9%	100%
Dellwood	CDP	579	661±124	$43,750	$200,500	11.6%	100%
Monroe (town), Adams County	town	391	418±70	$50,833	$210,300	19.4%	100%
Lake SherwoodGEOID 5541772	CDP	357	369±100	$84,911	$259,400	5.1%	100%
Lincoln (town), Adams County	town	320	327±75	$68,125	$246,000	17.2%	100%
Leola (town)	town	287	275±78	$54,375	$159,700	11.6%	100%
Colburn (town), Adams County	town	215	335±74	$67,045	$209,200	11.3%	100%
ArkdaleGEOID 5502725	CDP	201	186±68	$70,417	$123,200	8.1%	100%
Richfield (town), Adams CountyGEOID 5500167425	town	138	158±42	not published	$252,400	11.4%	100%
Grand MarshGEOID 5530100	CDP	110	141±69	$31,731	$89,400	20.6%	100%
Wisconsin Dells	city	2,942	2,547±408	$54,688	$207,100	11.3%	4%
EastonGEOID 5521975	CDP	86	46±25	not published	$246,400	37.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Adams County?

The median resident of Adams County is 55.7 years old; 13.5% are under 18 and 32.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 87.6%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.4%. 3.3% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Adams County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	55.7±0.2	40.2	+1.9
Under 18 years	13.5%±0.1 pts	21.4%	–
65 years and over	32.2%±0.2 pts	18.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4.4%	8.0%	+0.5 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	87.6%±0.7 pts	78.6%	−2.8 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	2.0%±0.4 pts	5.9%	−0.7 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.1 pts	2.9%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.3%±0.8 pts	3.7%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.4 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	3.3%±0.6 pts	5.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	4.2%±0.6 pts	9.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	10.3%±1.0 pts	6.2%	–
With a disability	21.7%±1.3 pts	12.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.6%±0.7 pts	5.2%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	89.4%±1.2 pts	93.6%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	17.5%±1.4 pts	33.4%	+3.6 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	4.3%±0.6 pts	11.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.0%±0.4 pts	2.0%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Adams County earn?

Half of Adams County's 9,517 households earn less than $59,442 a year (±$2,974), against $77,485 in Wisconsin. In 2015-2019 it was $57,066 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.1% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Adams County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$59,442±$2,974	$77,485	no clear change
Mean household income	$76,078±$2,453	$101,466	–
Per capita income	$35,863±$1,301	$43,373	+$2,338
People below the poverty line	14.1%±1.6 pts	10.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	19.3%±4.6 pts	12.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	14.6%±1.4 pts	11.1%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	84.2%±1.7 pts	90.3%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Adams County?

Owners occupy 86.2% of Adams County's occupied homes and renters 13.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $200,800 by its owner (±$8,327). The median renter pays $828 a month including utilities, and 29.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Adams County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$200,800±$8,327	$266,500	+$39,456
Median gross rent	$828±$76	$1,087	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	29.1%±5.9 pts	35.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,361±$51	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	86.2%±1.6 pts	67.8%	+2.9 pts
Housing units	17,008±80	2,778,572	−718
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.6%±0.7 pts	0.5%	–
Rental vacancy rate	6.8%±4.8 pts	4.5%	–
Single-family detached homes	74.5%±1.7 pts	66.2%	–
Mobile homes	18.1%±1.5 pts	3.1%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.6%±0.6 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	6.2%±0.8 pts	17.8%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Adams County building?

Builders took permits for 168 new housing units across Adams County in 2025 (166 single-family), 7.7 per 1,000 residents.

2019 88 units
2020 104 units
2021 140 units
2022 148 units
2023 158 units
2024 127 units
2025 168 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Adams County get to work?

78.7% of Adams County's workers drive alone and 9.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 30.7 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.5%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Adams County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	47.6%±1.5 pts	65.3%	–
Unemployment rate	4.5%±1.3 pts	3.2%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	78.7%±2.0 pts	74.4%	–
Carpooled	8.9%±1.5 pts	7.3%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.2 pts	1.1%	–
Walked	1.2%±0.5 pts	2.6%	–
Worked from home	9.8%±1.5 pts	13.1%	+3.3 pts
Mean travel time to work	30.7 min±1.7	22.2 min	+2.8 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Adams County's census tracts?

Adams County is divided into 8 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $43,510 (Tract 9505.01) to $79,286 (Tract 9501).

Census tracts of Adams County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 950155001950100	Lake Arrowhead (16%)	3,242	3,415±81	$79,286	$280,800	$1,411	5.2%
Tract 9502.0155001950201	Arkdale (8%)	1,386	1,564±129	$60,688	$176,200	$767	17.8%
Tract 9502.0355001950203	–	935	1,089±113	$59,444	$158,100	$1,131	13.8%
Tract 9502.0455001950204	Arkdale (4%)	1,646	2,060±229	$46,458	$175,900	$995	14.6%
Tract 950455001950400	Adams (33%)	4,491	4,753±293	$50,504	$147,500	$766	21.3%
Tract 9505.0155001950501	Dellwood (49%)	1,418	1,534±207	$43,510	$189,000	$1,135	13.6%
Tract 9505.0255001950502	Grand Marsh (9%)	3,775	3,128±210	$55,542	$172,000	$753	15.8%
Tract 950755001950700	Wisconsin Dells (7%)	3,761	3,580±275	$72,986	$230,100	$1,255	10.6%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Adams County compare with Wisconsin's other counties?

Adams County's rank among Wisconsin's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	50th of 72
Growth 2020-2025	1st of 72
Residents per square mile	49th of 72
Median household income	71st of 72
Median home value	51st of 72
Median gross rent	47th of 72
Poverty rate	6th of 72
Bachelor's degree or higher	64th of 72
Median age	3rd of 72

Every county in Wisconsin

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Adams County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.