(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s population saw a slight uptick by 0.26% in new U.S. Census estimates for July 1, 2025, as state population estimates have shown the state is now likely to recede in population.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Wisconsin had 5,972,787 residents as of July 1, but school enrollment and employment data has shown an aging state population has begun to diminish the workforce, and the state’s public K-12 student population has declined and will continue to by an estimated 10,000 students each year.
Overall, the Census numbers showed that the U.S. population grew by 1.8 million after 2024’s high of 3.2 million additional people.
The population trend change led Jonathan Cervas of Carnegie Mellon University to project that Wisconsin will lose one seat in the U.S. House after the 2030 Census.
#NEW: 2030 Apportionment Forecast based on 2025 Census Bureau Population Estimates (January 27, 2026).Forecast prepared by Dr. Jonathan Cervas (CMIST) at Carnegie Mellon University pic.twitter.com/DACPg0Nldf— The Redistrict Network (@RedistrictNet) January 27, 2026
Wisconsin leaders have been discussing and working on solutions for the population challenges as the state’s population is projected to drop to 5.71 million by 2050, according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
Wisconsin had a consistent total of nearly 1.1 million children under 15 until the past 15 years, when those numbers began to drop. The total went down 41,000 between 2010 and 2020 and then dropped by 49,000 over the past three years.
“It’s hard to grow an economy with a declining workforce,” Forward Analytics Director Dale Knapp said at the Wisconsin Counties Association meeting in late 2024. “That doesn’t mean we can’t be a prosperous state. But we’re going to become a shrinking portion of the national economy if this continues.”
