Sauk County, Wisconsin Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sauk 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.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 70% of counties in Wisconsin
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 76% of counties in Wisconsin
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sauk County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 66,009 | 5,910,864 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 77.7 | 90.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.51% | 0.34% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.8 | 40.4 | 37.3 |
| Households | 27,987 | 2,477,189 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sauk County grew by 13.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 66,009 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sauk County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.2% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Wisconsin as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 12,438 18.8% -2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 13,643 20.7% -0.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,015 21.2% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,539 19.0% +1.1 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 Sauk 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 Sauk County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sauk County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Sauk County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,789 | $77,698 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.28% | 4.41% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.3% | 3.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sauk County is about 4% higher than in Wisconsin.
Housing
| Metric | Sauk County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $332,258 | $170,479 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,018 | $1,087 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.4% | 67.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sauk County is about 27.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,018 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sauk County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 153 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sauk County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.4 | 18.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.7 | 37.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 153 | 156 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,741 | $4,846 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 13.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,450 | 6,703 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 385 | 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 Sauk County is 18 minutes, shorter 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
Sauk County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Sauk County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.6% | 29.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.33 | 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
Sauk County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Sauk County | Wisconsin Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 79.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.3% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.0% | 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).
Sauk County, WI Compared With Nearby Counties
Sauk County, WI is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 66,009 residents against a local median of 25,278. The measure that sets Sauk County, WI apart most is median home price: $332,258, 139% above the local median of $139,054.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.4 min against a local median of 22.7 min, 19% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 19% below the local median it puts Sauk County, WI at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $64,513 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Sauk County, WI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Sauk County, WI has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sauk County, WI | 66,009 | $80,789 #3/5 | $332,258 #1/5 | 18.4 min #1/5 |
| Iowa County, WI | 23,867 | $81,737 | $156,793 | 21.9 min |
| Juneau County, WI | 26,689 | $68,013 | $102,143 | 21.3 min |
| Adams County, WI | 21,114 | $59,459 | $121,315 | 23.9 min |
| Columbia County, WI | 58,269 | $85,141 | $166,656 | 23.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sauk County, Wisconsin.
How big is Sauk County, Wisconsin by population?
About 66,009 people live in Sauk County, Wisconsin, in 27,987 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Sauk County, Wisconsin urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sauk County, Wisconsin has 78 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Sauk County, Wisconsin an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.1 times the median household income ($332,258 against $80,789), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,018 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Sauk County, Wisconsin?
Unemployment in Sauk County, Wisconsin is only 2.3%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Sauk County, Wisconsin have a college degree?
23.6% of adults in Sauk County, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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