County · Wisconsin

Sawyer County, Wisconsin

Sawyer County, Wisconsin. Sawyer County had 18,846 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than Wisconsin (+1.3%). It holds 26 places (5 cities, villages and boroughs, 16 towns and townships and 5 census-designated) and 8 census tracts. GEOID 55113.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

18,846

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 18,074 · ACS 2020-2024: 18,476

Median household income

$60,801

±$3,776 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $77,485

Median home value

$236,200

±$7,775 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $266,500

Median gross rent

$712

±$48 (90% margin)
Wisconsin: $1,087

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

The 2020 Census counted 18,074 residents in Sawyer County. The Census Bureau estimates 18,846 for July 1, 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than Wisconsin (+1.3%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 18,476 over 1,258 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +101 (18,223)
2021→2022 +333 (18,556)
2022→2023 +31 (18,587)
2023→2024 +204 (18,791)
2024→2025 +55 (18,846)

Sawyer County in Wisconsin. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Sawyer County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	18,476	5,914,872	+2,077
Households	8,810±272	2,479,480	+1,014
Average household size	2.04±0.06	2.33	no clear change
Housing units	16,250±105	2,778,572	no clear change

Sawyer County's population since 2000

From 16,196 in 2000 to 18,846 in 2025: up 16.4%. 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 16,196
2005 (estimate) 16,652
2010 Census 16,557
2015 (estimate) 16,297
2020 Census 18,074
2025 (estimate) 18,846

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 Sawyer County?

Sawyer County holds 26 places: 5 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 16 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 5 census-designated places. The largest is Town of Hayward with 3,928 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 Sawyer County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Hayward (town)	town	3,765	3,854±40	$66,615	$241,600	15.9%	100%
Bass Lake (town), Sawyer County	town	2,731	2,839±59	$56,071	$267,000	21.6%	100%
Hayward	city	2,533	2,555±21	$45,665	$184,700	22.1%	100%
Lenroot (town)	town	1,337	1,436±186	$64,250	$300,700	9.5%	100%
Little Round Lake	CDP	1,242	1,295±189	$37,535	not published	28.0%	100%
Round Lake (town)	town	1,081	1,160±154	$62,011	$397,600	5.8%	100%
Winter (town)	town	1,000	1,035±127	$72,250	$221,800	10.8%	100%
Sand Lake (town), Sawyer County	town	901	1,077±181	$78,077	$297,200	10.4%	100%
Hunter (town)	town	779	902±116	$49,712	$291,700	10.6%	100%
Chief Lake	CDP	582	660±165	$70,833	$215,000	23.3%	100%
Edgewater (town)	town	565	442±66	$91,477	$282,300	12.0%	100%
Spider Lake (town)	town	487	538±121	$87,805	$304,800	1.5%	100%
Radisson (town)	town	445	535±119	$58,864	$186,300	14.8%	100%
Couderay (town)	town	393	278±96	$45,625	$233,300	17.6%	100%
Reserve	CDP	349	252±62	$38,036	$216,700	27.0%	100%
Winter	village	325	285±67	$41,204	$87,900	25.3%	100%
Weirgor (town)	town	311	257±38	$58,958	$225,000	10.2%	100%
Ojibwa (town)	town	307	249±52	$52,500	$234,200	29.7%	100%
New Post	CDP	302	340±83	$50,000	$326,600	11.2%	100%
Radisson	village	273	234±79	$41,625	$80,700	35.6%	100%
Draper (town)	town	241	230±39	$52,917	$187,500	11.6%	100%
Exeland	village	229	193±58	$31,713	$110,400	29.0%	100%
Meteor (town)GEOID 5511351425	town	156	93±22	$72,500	$252,500	1.1%	100%
Meadowbrook (town)GEOID 5511350300	town	134	166±59	$53,125	$217,300	13.3%	100%
Stone LakeGEOID 5577625	CDP	186	127±39	$43,393	$193,400	21.3%	65%
Couderay	village	81	118±36	$54,271	$78,000	19.5%	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 Sawyer County?

The median resident of Sawyer County is 52.8 years old; 17.4% are under 18 and 28.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 76.9%, then non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents at 12.9%. 1.6% 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	Sawyer County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	52.8±0.3	40.2	+2.5
Under 18 years	17.4%±0.4 pts	21.4%	–
65 years and over	28.5%±0.1 pts	18.5%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2.4%	8.0%	−0.3 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	76.9%±0.8 pts	78.6%	no clear change
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±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	12.9%±0.9 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	6.2%±1.2 pts	3.7%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.4 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	1.6%±0.6 pts	5.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	3.5%±1.1 pts	9.0%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	8.7%±1.0 pts	6.2%	–
With a disability	15.9%±1.4 pts	12.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.5%±1.4 pts	5.2%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.7%±0.9 pts	93.6%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	27.4%±2.0 pts	33.4%	+3.2 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	9.7%±1.1 pts	11.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.6%±0.7 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 Sawyer County earn?

Half of Sawyer County's 8,810 households earn less than $60,801 a year (±$3,776), against $77,485 in Wisconsin. In 2015-2019 it was $58,721 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 15.6% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Sawyer County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$60,801±$3,776	$77,485	no clear change
Mean household income	$81,432±$4,449	$101,466	–
Per capita income	$38,676±$1,897	$43,373	no clear change
People below the poverty line	15.6%±1.7 pts	10.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	20.5%±5.1 pts	12.8%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	13.7%±1.7 pts	11.1%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	85.7%±2.0 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 Sawyer County?

Owners occupy 76.7% of Sawyer County's occupied homes and renters 23.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $236,200 by its owner (±$7,775). The median renter pays $712 a month including utilities, and 24.8% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Sawyer County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$236,200±$7,775	$266,500	+$28,951
Median gross rent	$712±$48	$1,087	−$127
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	24.8%±5.6 pts	35.0%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,323±$62	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	76.7%±2.2 pts	67.8%	no clear change
Housing units	16,250±105	2,778,572	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.4%±0.3 pts	0.5%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.0%±1.7 pts	4.5%	–
Single-family detached homes	86.5%±1.4 pts	66.2%	–
Mobile homes	5.2%±0.8 pts	3.1%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.5%±0.5 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	9.9%±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 Sawyer County building?

Builders took permits for 201 new housing units across Sawyer County in 2025 (179 single-family), 10.7 per 1,000 residents.

2019 154 units
2020 100 units
2021 167 units
2022 187 units
2023 210 units
2024 220 units
2025 201 units

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

How do people in Sawyer County get to work?

70.5% of Sawyer County's workers drive alone and 12.7% work from home. The average trip to work takes 21.7 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 6.0%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Sawyer County	Wisconsin	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	52.6%±1.7 pts	65.3%	–
Unemployment rate	6.0%±1.4 pts	3.2%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	70.5%±2.7 pts	74.4%	–
Carpooled	11.7%±1.7 pts	7.3%	–
Public transportation	1.1%±0.6 pts	1.1%	–
Walked	2.1%±0.8 pts	2.6%	–
Worked from home	12.7%±1.6 pts	13.1%	+7.3 pts
Mean travel time to work	21.7 min±1.2	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 Sawyer County's census tracts?

Sawyer County is divided into 8 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $41,620 (Tract 9400.01) to $81,341 (Tract 1004).

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

Tract 100355113100300	Hayward (59%)	4,925	4,982±295	$59,149	$224,100	$831	18.2%
Tract 100455113100400	Stone Lake (7%)	2,557	2,512±227	$81,341	$332,200	$1,064	11.5%
Tract 1005.0155113100501	–	1,647	1,696±163	$62,813	$321,200	$635	7.0%
Tract 1005.0255113100502	–	2,204	2,468±285	$66,625	$297,500	$1,049	11.3%
Tract 100755113100700	Radisson (10%)	1,767	1,617±146	$54,333	$156,700	$708	20.4%
Tract 100855113100800	Winter (9%)	1,753	1,729±133	$61,576	$199,500	$857	14.2%
Tract 9400.0155113940001	New Post (35%)	2,045	2,316±170	$41,620	$239,200	$466	20.8%
Tract 9400.0255113940002	Reserve (17%)	1,176	1,156±142	$55,313	$208,000	$550	20.5%

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

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

Sawyer County's rank among Wisconsin's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	56th of 72
Growth 2020-2025	6th of 72
Residents per square mile	66th of 72
Median household income	67th of 72
Median home value	28th of 72
Median gross rent	68th of 72
Poverty rate	3rd of 72
Bachelor's degree or higher	29th of 72
Median age	8th 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 Sawyer 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.