County · Wisconsin

Barron County, Wisconsin

Barron County, Wisconsin. Barron County had 46,484 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.5% since 2020, while Wisconsin grew 1.3%. It holds 37 places (11 cities, villages and boroughs, 25 towns and townships and 1 census-designated) and 12 census tracts. GEOID 55005.

Barron County is the county of the Rice Lake, WI micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

46,484

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 46,711 · ACS 2020-2024: 46,797

Median household income

$65,933

±$2,114 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $77,485

Median home value

$216,600

±$6,615 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $266,500

Median gross rent

$879

±$37 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $1,087

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

The 2020 Census counted 46,711 residents in Barron County. The Census Bureau estimates 46,484 for July 1, 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, while Wisconsin grew 1.3%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 46,797 over 863 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −33 (46,686)
2021→2022 +90 (46,776)
2022→2023 +110 (46,886)
2023→2024 −175 (46,711)
2024→2025 −227 (46,484)

Barron County in Wisconsin. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Barron County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	46,797	5,914,872	+1,568
Households	19,955±283	2,479,480	+1,048
Average household size	2.31±0.03	2.33	no clear change
Housing units	24,067±59	2,778,572	no clear change

Barron County's population since 2000

From 44,963 in 2000 to 46,484 in 2025: up 3.4%. 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 44,963
2005 (estimate) 45,808
2010 Census 45,870
2015 (estimate) 45,375
2020 Census 46,711
2025 (estimate) 46,484

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 Barron County?

Barron County holds 37 places: 11 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 25 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Rice Lake with 8,882 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 Barron County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Rice Lake	city	9,040	9,030±25	$52,417	$193,800	12.9%	100%
Barron	city	3,733	3,681±39	$47,469	$121,600	17.7%	100%
Rice Lake (town)	town	2,813	2,823±38	$87,635	$237,000	2.8%	100%
Stanley (town)	town	2,570	2,549±29	$68,333	$249,100	8.4%	100%
Cumberland	city	2,274	2,282±377	$49,479	$181,100	37.1%	100%
Chetek	city	2,172	2,177±250	$64,141	$171,200	13.2%	100%
Cameron	village	1,872	1,686±272	$61,518	$190,000	8.9%	100%
Chetek (town)	town	1,726	1,670±215	$95,357	$317,600	3.2%	100%
Prairie Lake (town)	town	1,648	1,520±175	$71,250	$279,700	9.2%	100%
Cedar Lake (town)	town	1,076	904±125	$85,417	$267,100	6.1%	100%
Oak Grove (town), Barron County	town	960	964±159	$62,917	$228,000	7.8%	100%
Turtle Lake, Barron County	village	1,037	960±139	$61,250	$157,500	5.3%	92%
Lakeland (town)	town	938	857±109	$63,750	$267,500	6.7%	100%
Almena (town)	town	887	753±98	$79,583	$322,600	7.6%	100%
Maple Grove (town), Barron County	town	877	1,000±146	$59,000	$206,400	12.0%	100%
Clinton (town), Barron County	town	870	1,009±228	$78,611	$221,900	5.1%	100%
Maple Plain (town)	town	844	779±127	$66,667	$336,400	11.1%	100%
Dovre (town)	town	825	865±161	$58,889	$201,100	7.3%	100%
Cumberland (town)	town	818	830±117	$81,691	$247,700	4.0%	100%
Barron (town)	town	813	891±206	$80,909	$200,800	9.7%	100%
Crystal Lake (town), Barron County	town	743	858±116	$83,750	$242,300	6.5%	100%
Arland (town)	town	712	722±107	$70,865	$196,300	17.3%	100%
Almena	village	705	641±115	$48,333	$116,300	14.1%	100%
Stanfold (town)	town	701	979±258	$103,594	$282,200	3.6%	100%
Sumner (town), Barron County	town	699	729±151	$79,286	$302,100	4.0%	100%
Vance Creek (town)	town	689	499±87	$58,750	$231,500	6.0%	100%
Bear Lake (town)	town	670	789±105	$82,083	$263,700	7.2%	100%
Sioux Creek (town)	town	667	678±105	$65,000	$259,300	12.4%	100%
Turtle Lake (town)	town	640	797±194	$85,758	$259,600	5.2%	100%
Dallas (town)	town	570	638±153	$84,750	$239,800	8.3%	100%
Prairie Farm (town)	town	566	483±92	$71,500	$235,400	10.4%	100%
Prairie Farm	village	494	423±79	$45,313	$138,500	22.8%	100%
Doyle (town)	town	490	712±214	$108,750	$341,200	6.4%	100%
Dallas	village	359	359±61	$48,542	$135,700	16.2%	100%
HaugenGEOID 5533225	village	266	284±55	$76,250	$144,200	8.5%	100%
BarronettGEOID 5504925	CDP	103	42±30	$50,625	$68,800	26.2%	100%
New Auburn	village	562	531±107	$66,932	$169,900	11.8%	4%

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 Barron County?

The median resident of Barron County is 44.9 years old; 21.1% are under 18 and 23.6% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 90.8%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 3.4%. 2.0% 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	Barron County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	44.9±0.2	40.2	+0.7
Under 18 years	21.1%	21.4%	–
65 years and over	23.6%±0.1 pts	18.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3.2%	8.0%	+0.7 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	90.8%±0.3 pts	78.6%	−2.5 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.3%±0.3 pts	5.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.1 pts	2.9%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.1 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	3.4%±0.4 pts	3.7%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	2.0%±0.4 pts	5.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	4.0%±0.5 pts	9.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.2%±0.7 pts	6.2%	–
With a disability	14.4%±0.9 pts	12.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.2%±1.0 pts	5.2%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	91.7%±0.7 pts	93.6%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	23.2%±1.3 pts	33.4%	+2.6 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	7.9%±0.8 pts	11.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.0%±0.5 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 Barron County earn?

Half of Barron County's 19,955 households earn less than $65,933 a year (±$2,114), against $77,485 in Wisconsin. In 2015-2019 it was $64,861 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 11.0% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Barron County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$65,933±$2,114	$77,485	no clear change
Mean household income	$87,099±$2,914	$101,466	–
Per capita income	$37,913±$1,166	$43,373	no clear change
People below the poverty line	11.0%±1.3 pts	10.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	15.5%±3.8 pts	12.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	11.5%±1.3 pts	11.1%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	85.0%±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 Barron County?

Owners occupy 77.4% of Barron County's occupied homes and renters 22.6%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $216,600 by its owner (±$6,615). The median renter pays $879 a month including utilities, and 29.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Barron County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$216,600±$6,615	$266,500	+$28,058
Median gross rent	$879±$37	$1,087	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	29.6%±5.0 pts	35.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,457±$43	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	77.4%±1.8 pts	67.8%	+2.7 pts
Housing units	24,067±59	2,778,572	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.9%±0.4 pts	0.5%	–
Rental vacancy rate	3.7%±1.7 pts	4.5%	–
Single-family detached homes	80.0%±1.3 pts	66.2%	–
Mobile homes	5.0%±0.7 pts	3.1%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.3%±0.3 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	17.5%±1.2 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 Barron County building?

Builders took permits for 152 new housing units across Barron County in 2025 (144 single-family), 3.3 per 1,000 residents.

2019 170 units
2020 138 units
2021 160 units
2022 145 units
2023 165 units
2024 161 units
2025 152 units

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

How do people in Barron County get to work?

74.8% of Barron County's workers drive alone and 8.5% work from home. The average trip to work takes 20.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.8%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Barron County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	62.1%±1.0 pts	65.3%	–
Unemployment rate	2.8%±0.7 pts	3.2%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	74.8%±2.4 pts	74.4%	–
Carpooled	12.0%±1.9 pts	7.3%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.1 pts	1.1%	–
Walked	3.3%±0.8 pts	2.6%	–
Worked from home	8.5%±0.9 pts	13.1%	+2.2 pts
Mean travel time to work	20.9 min±0.9	22.2 min	no clear change

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 Barron County's census tracts?

Barron County is divided into 12 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $52,000 (Tract 6.01) to $87,202 (Tract 10.03).

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

Tract 155005000100	Haugen (7%)	3,931	3,754±235	$75,292	$247,800	$846	6.7%
Tract 255005000200	Cumberland (39%)	4,079	4,123±382	$64,331	$232,200	$911	24.2%
Tract 355005000300	Turtle Lake (17%)	4,182	4,175±248	$71,071	$214,100	$797	6.7%
Tract 455005000400	Barron (50%)	5,669	5,879±386	$65,240	$163,300	$923	13.3%
Tract 555005000500	Rice Lake (87%)	4,677	5,102±405	$57,264	$185,100	$752	11.6%
Tract 6.0155005000601	Rice Lake (81%)	2,466	2,272±243	$52,000	$223,000	$1,035	13.5%
Tract 6.0255005000602	Rice Lake (82%)	3,689	3,486±327	$61,705	$197,500	$871	8.1%
Tract 855005000800	Cameron (29%)	5,527	5,679±375	$73,519	$249,800	$937	8.0%
Tract 955005000900	Prairie Farm (7%)	4,961	4,929±305	$67,540	$211,600	$858	12.2%
Tract 10.0155005001001	Chetek (2%)	1,935	1,968±231	$71,111	$258,000	$1,134	9.1%
Tract 10.0355005001003	Chetek (57%)	1,607	1,490±206	$87,202	$233,200	$1,115	4.8%
Tract 10.0455005001004	Chetek (30%)	3,988	3,940±237	$64,464	$214,900	$820	9.1%

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

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

Barron County's rank among Wisconsin's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	30th of 72
Growth 2020-2025	64th of 72
Residents per square mile	34th of 72
Median household income	56th of 72
Median home value	42nd of 72
Median gross rent	35th of 72
Poverty rate	28th of 72
Bachelor's degree or higher	41st of 72
Median age	30th 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 Barron 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.