County · Wisconsin

Richland County, Wisconsin

Richland County, Wisconsin. Richland County had 17,036 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.6% since 2020, while Wisconsin grew 1.3%. It holds 24 places (6 cities, villages and boroughs, 16 towns and townships and 2 census-designated) and 5 census tracts. GEOID 55103.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

17,036

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 17,304 · ACS 2020-2024: 17,205

Median household income

$66,420

±$3,100 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $77,485

Median home value

$197,500

±$9,132 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $266,500

Median gross rent

$771

±$53 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $1,087

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

The 2020 Census counted 17,304 residents in Richland County. The Census Bureau estimates 17,036 for July 1, 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, while Wisconsin grew 1.3%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 17,205 over 586 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −78 (17,203)
2021→2022 −36 (17,167)
2022→2023 +103 (17,270)
2023→2024 −141 (17,129)
2024→2025 −93 (17,036)

Richland County in Wisconsin. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Richland County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	17,205	5,914,872	−254
Households	7,250±172	2,479,480	−288
Average household size	2.32±0.06	2.33	no clear change
Housing units	8,532±47	2,778,572	−450

Richland County's population since 2000

From 17,924 in 2000 to 17,036 in 2025: down 5.0%. 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 17,924
2005 (estimate) 18,256
2010 Census 18,021
2015 (estimate) 17,568
2020 Census 17,304
2025 (estimate) 17,036

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 Richland County?

Richland County holds 24 places: 6 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 16 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 2 census-designated places. The largest is Richland Center with 5,020 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 Richland County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Richland Center	city	5,114	5,109±25	$51,932	$158,300	16.0%	100%
Buena Vista (town), Richland County	town	1,807	1,583±145	$73,281	$195,400	10.8%	100%
Richland (town), Richland County	town	1,175	1,341±186	$94,167	$264,100	9.9%	100%
Lone Rock	village	829	734±120	$60,375	$115,900	11.9%	100%
Dayton (town), Richland County	town	763	648±107	$60,625	$242,400	12.5%	100%
Rockbridge (town)	town	697	760±148	$71,875	$277,300	5.3%	100%
Ithaca (town)	town	633	645±167	$96,080	$228,900	12.0%	100%
Orion (town)	town	541	424±75	$73,500	$236,400	11.7%	100%
Marshall (town), Richland County	town	540	519±101	$63,958	$237,500	16.0%	100%
Bloom (town)	town	538	514±125	$66,042	$231,300	11.9%	100%
Richwood (town)	town	527	617±160	$69,063	$223,300	36.6%	100%
Westford (town), Richland County	town	516	641±146	$51,397	$242,900	30.6%	100%
Sylvan (town)	town	516	588±185	$66,667	$206,800	22.0%	100%
Willow (town)	town	496	378±73	$63,125	$235,300	5.6%	100%
Eagle (town), Richland County	town	492	582±160	$86,000	$234,400	15.6%	100%
Sextonville	CDP	476	459±95	$72,063	$190,500	11.3%	100%
Viola	village	676	551±91	$88,214	$103,900	8.6%	65%
Henrietta (town)	town	435	585±136	$87,600	$236,500	13.2%	100%
Akan (town)	town	391	372±85	$74,318	$260,400	14.2%	100%
Cazenovia	village	363	267±50	$73,750	$144,400	9.0%	94%
Forest (town), Richland County	town	333	359±64	$67,813	$171,300	8.4%	100%
GothamGEOID 5529950	CDP	189	177±75	$78,125	$151,400	9.0%	100%
BoazGEOID 5508600	village	129	116±36	$63,438	$113,800	10.3%	100%
YubaGEOID 5589625	village	53	54±28	$29,188	$315,800	9.3%	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 Richland County?

The median resident of Richland County is 46.6 years old; 21.2% are under 18 and 25.0% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 92.1%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 3.3%. 2.6% 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	Richland County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	46.6±0.6	40.2	+1.3
Under 18 years	21.2%±0.4 pts	21.4%	–
65 years and over	25.0%±0.2 pts	18.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3.3%	8.0%	+1.0 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	92.1%±0.5 pts	78.6%	−2.5 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.3 pts	5.9%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.9%±0.2 pts	2.9%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±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	2.8%±0.5 pts	3.7%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.4 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	2.6%±0.5 pts	5.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	6.8%±1.3 pts	9.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.6%±1.0 pts	6.2%	–
With a disability	14.6%±1.5 pts	12.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	7.0%±1.3 pts	5.2%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.7%±1.2 pts	93.6%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	21.2%±1.7 pts	33.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.3%±1.0 pts	11.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.7%±0.9 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 Richland County earn?

Half of Richland County's 7,250 households earn less than $66,420 a year (±$3,100), against $77,485 in Wisconsin. In 2015-2019 it was $63,931 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Richland County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$66,420±$3,100	$77,485	no clear change
Mean household income	$84,420±$4,130	$101,466	–
Per capita income	$36,484±$1,725	$43,373	+$2,521
People below the poverty line	14.5%±2.3 pts	10.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	21.0%±5.5 pts	12.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	14.3%±2.1 pts	11.1%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	81.4%±2.4 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 Richland County?

Owners occupy 73.9% of Richland County's occupied homes and renters 26.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $197,500 by its owner (±$9,132). The median renter pays $771 a month including utilities, and 23.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Richland County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$197,500±$9,132	$266,500	+$25,326
Median gross rent	$771±$53	$1,087	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	23.1%±5.8 pts	35.0%	−11.9 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,385±$53	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	73.9%±2.5 pts	67.8%	no clear change
Housing units	8,532±47	2,778,572	−450
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Rental vacancy rate	5.2%±3.6 pts	4.5%	–
Single-family detached homes	80.6%±1.8 pts	66.2%	–
Mobile homes	4.9%±1.0 pts	3.1%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.5%±0.2 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	28.3%±2.1 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 Richland County building?

Builders took permits for 92 new housing units across Richland County in 2025 (86 single-family), 5.4 per 1,000 residents.

2019 25 units
2020 42 units
2021 75 units
2022 39 units
2023 43 units
2024 27 units
2025 92 units

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

How do people in Richland County get to work?

79.5% of Richland County's workers drive alone and 8.9% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.4 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.6%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Richland County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	60.1%±1.5 pts	65.3%	–
Unemployment rate	3.6%±1.1 pts	3.2%	+1.3 pts
Drove alone to work	79.5%±2.3 pts	74.4%	–
Carpooled	7.9%±1.5 pts	7.3%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.1 pts	1.1%	–
Walked	2.3%±0.7 pts	2.6%	–
Worked from home	8.9%±1.5 pts	13.1%	+3.5 pts
Mean travel time to work	24.4 min±2.0	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 Richland County's census tracts?

Richland County is divided into 5 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $48,284 (Tract 9704) to $74,583 (Tract 9702).

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

Tract 970155103970100	Viola (8%)	2,763	2,978±237	$66,591	$189,400	$846	15.1%
Tract 970255103970200	Boaz (3%)	4,572	4,421±264	$74,583	$234,400	$1,148	12.1%
Tract 970355103970300	Richland Center (86%)	2,468	2,366±198	$71,758	$159,200	$760	11.6%
Tract 970455103970400	Richland Center (80%)	3,454	3,524±239	$48,284	$183,900	$663	17.8%
Tract 970555103970500	Lone Rock (19%)	4,047	3,916±248	$69,427	$203,600	$904	15.9%

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

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

Richland County's rank among Wisconsin's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	57th of 72
Growth 2020-2025	71st of 72
Residents per square mile	53rd of 72
Median household income	55th of 72
Median home value	53rd of 72
Median gross rent	63rd of 72
Poverty rate	5th of 72
Bachelor's degree or higher	52nd of 72
Median age	22nd 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 Richland 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.