Pierce County, Wisconsin Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pierce County, WI Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
A
Health Above averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Wisconsin
-
B
Income Around averageWealthier than 86% of counties in Wisconsin
-
C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 79% of counties in Wisconsin
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pierce County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 42,584 | 5,910,864 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 71.9 | 90.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.50% | 0.34% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.8 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,867 | 2,477,189 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pierce County grew by 7.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 42,584 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pierce County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 27.4% of residents. That is 6.0 points above Wisconsin as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,653 27.4% +6.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 8,029 18.9% -1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,766 20.6% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,778 15.9% -1.9 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Wisconsin, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.1% of the people living in Pierce County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% Wisconsin 50.0%
- Men 49.9% Wisconsin 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Pierce County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pierce County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Pierce County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $93,522 | $77,698 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.74% | 4.41% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | 3.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pierce County is about 20% higher than in Wisconsin.
Housing
| Metric | Pierce County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $158,333 | $170,479 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,044 | $1,087 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.0% | 67.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pierce County is about 12.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,044 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pierce County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 197 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pierce County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.7 | 18.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.4 | 37.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 197 | 156 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,122 | $4,846 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.8% | 13.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,567 | 6,703 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 461 | 811 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Wisconsin:
Ashland County (12.8 min), Door County (13.6 min), Eau Claire County (15.3 min).
Slowest:
Oconto County (26.4 min), St. Croix County (25.3 min), Waushara County (23.9 min).
The average commute time in Pierce County is 24 minutes, longer than the 19 minutes in Wisconsin.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Pierce County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Pierce County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.7% | 29.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.52 | 2.33 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Wisconsin:
Dane County (0.4), Ozaukee County (0.4), Waukesha County (0.4).
Lowest:
Clark County (0.2), Adams County (0.2), Juneau County (0.2).
Health
Pierce County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Pierce County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.2% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.0% | 18.5% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Wisconsin:
Dane County (0.8), Waukesha County (0.8), Ozaukee County (0.8).
Lowest:
Menominee County (0.8), Clark County (0.8), Forest County (0.8).
Pierce County, WI Compared With Nearby Counties
Pierce County, WI is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 42,584 residents against a local median of 71,992. Pierce County, WI's median home price, at $158,333, runs 29% below the $222,102 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $171,329 on median home price, so Pierce County, WI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Pierce County, WI has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce County, WI | 42,584 | $93,522 #3/5 | $158,333 #4/5 | 23.7 min #4/5 |
| St. Croix County, WI | 96,041 | $103,525 | $234,911 | 25.3 min |
| Goodhue County, MN | 47,943 | $83,371 | $325,175 | 20.1 min |
| Wabasha County, MN | 21,565 | $82,094 | $153,846 | 22.8 min |
| Washington County, MN | 276,224 | $115,522 | $209,293 | 22.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pierce County, Wisconsin.
How many people live in Pierce County, Wisconsin?
About 42,584 people live in Pierce County, Wisconsin, in 15,867 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 36.8, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Pierce County, Wisconsin mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pierce County, Wisconsin has 72 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Pierce County, Wisconsin?
The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($158,333 against $93,522), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,044 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Pierce County, Wisconsin?
Unemployment in Pierce County, Wisconsin is only 3.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →