Market rankings · Wisconsin

Real estate businesses in Wisconsin

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Wisconsin, ranked by the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 6,873; 656 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments: 3,755; +19.6% since 2019
Household spending a year: $35.2B; On rent and homeowner costs
Listings per 10k households: 27.7; 28% below the U.S.
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100): 118; 18% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #21 of 51; Market score 54 · Upper middle

A site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings around any address in Wisconsin by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 6,873 real estate businesses on map listings in Wisconsin as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 27.7, 28% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.

At $14,211 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Wisconsin spend about $35.2B a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 18% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Wisconsin was 3,755 in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. That is one for every 660 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 15.8% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 43 SBA-backed loans worth $24M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Wisconsin.

Among the 50 states and DC, Wisconsin ranks #21 for real estate businesses, with a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle). Of the 15 scored metro areas in or partly in Wisconsin, the Fond du Lac metro area scores highest (63). Of the 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Wisconsin, the Beaver Dam area scores highest (68).

Every market in Wisconsin for real estate businesses

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Wisconsin, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Wisconsin, ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Fond du Lac, WI	63	79	18.3	175	+0.5%	#65 of 387
2Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI	63	165	20.5	160	+0.4%	#66 of 387
3Sheboygan, WI	62	96	19.3	166	0.0%	#75 of 387
4Oshkosh-Neenah, WI	59	163	22.4	143	+1.4%	#99 of 387
5Wausau, WI	57	144	24.9	131	+1.0%	#115 of 387
6Janesville-Beloit, WI	55	153	22.8	140	+1.7%	#128 of 387
7Kenosha, WI	55	180	26.1	128	−0.4%	#130 of 387
8Green Bay, WI	53	368	27.0	121	+2.5%	#152 of 387
Duluth, MN-WI	51	293	24.3	130	+0.2%	#173 of 387
9Madison, WI	47	1,054	34.9	100	+4.1%	#214 of 387
10Eau Claire, WI	46	217	30.2	106	+2.6%	#224 of 387
11Appleton, WI	46	340	34.1	100	+2.7%	#226 of 387
12Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	41	2,022	30.8	108	0.0%	#267 of 387
13La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	38	225	31.2	103	+0.4%	#298 of 387
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	33	6,260	42.4	87	+2.6%	#352 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Wisconsin, ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Beaver Dam, WI	68	51	14.2	224	−0.3%	#62 of 536
2Shawano, WI	63	25	13.4	227	+1.4%	#100 of 536
Iron Mountain, MI-WI	57	20	14.2	212	+0.4%	#163 of 536
3Manitowoc, WI	56	54	15.3	202	+0.4%	#175 of 536
4Marinette, WI-MI	56	47	16.0	185	+0.3%	#178 of 536
5Menomonie, WI	54	35	20.1	159	+1.7%	#214 of 536
6Stevens Point-Plover, WI	53	67	22.6	143	+2.2%	#230 of 536
7Platteville, WI	49	39	19.5	157	+0.9%	#279 of 536
8Rice Lake, WI	46	40	20.0	153	−0.5%	#308 of 536
9Sparta, WI	46	39	21.3	146	+0.6%	#310 of 536
10Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI	43	83	23.8	138	+0.3%	#350 of 536
11Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI	36	78	24.2	127	−0.2%	#441 of 536
12Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI	36	153	35.5	95	+0.8%	#450 of 536
13Baraboo, WI	30	96	34.3	95	+1.3%	#505 of 536

Counties

Counties in Wisconsin, ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Lafayette County, WI	74	8	11.8	268	+5.2%	#126 of 2,229
2Calumet County, WI	73	23	10.8	317	+2.9%	#139 of 2,229
3Trempealeau County, WI	72	8	6.4	501	+1.1%	#152 of 2,229
4Kewaunee County, WI	71	11	13.2	248	+1.0%	#189 of 2,229
5Pierce County, WI	70	23	14.5	238	+3.1%	#207 of 2,229
6Oconto County, WI	68	19	11.3	283	+2.9%	#266 of 2,229
7Chippewa County, WI	65	39	14.4	221	+1.9%	#378 of 2,229
8Clark County, WI	64	17	13.2	234	+1.2%	#406 of 2,229
9Dodge County, WI	62	51	14.2	224	−0.3%	#494 of 2,229
10Washington County, WI	58	114	20.0	176	+1.8%	#667 of 2,229
11Shawano County, WI	57	25	14.5	210	+1.7%	#708 of 2,229
12Taylor County, WI	56	16	19.9	155	+0.9%	#779 of 2,229
13Buffalo County, WI	54	7	12.2	251	−0.1%	#850 of 2,229
14Jackson County, WI	53	9	10.9	280	−0.5%	#894 of 2,229
15Manitowoc County, WI	53	54	15.3	202	+0.4%	#909 of 2,229
16Rusk County, WI	52	6	9.4	309	−0.2%	#952 of 2,229
17Marinette County, WI	52	32	16.8	178	+1.6%	#973 of 2,229
18Fond du Lac County, WI	52	79	18.3	175	+0.5%	#976 of 2,229
19Sheboygan County, WI	52	96	19.3	166	0.0%	#980 of 2,229
20Dunn County, WI	52	35	20.1	159	+1.7%	#982 of 2,229
21Portage County, WI	52	67	22.6	143	+2.2%	#993 of 2,229
22Douglas County, WI	51	33	17.2	183	−0.8%	#1,032 of 2,229
23Racine County, WI	51	165	20.5	160	+0.4%	#1,037 of 2,229
24Grant County, WI	48	39	19.5	157	+0.9%	#1,173 of 2,229
25Vernon County, WI	48	35	28.2	111	+2.4%	#1,194 of 2,229

Show all 72 counties

Counties in Wisconsin, ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Lincoln County, WI	47	27	21.1	146	−0.1%	#1,222 of 2,229
27Waushara County, WI	47	25	23.6	129	+2.8%	#1,233 of 2,229
28Barron County, WI	46	40	20.0	153	−0.5%	#1,272 of 2,229
29Monroe County, WI	46	39	21.3	146	+0.6%	#1,276 of 2,229
30Winnebago County, WI	46	163	22.4	143	+1.4%	#1,279 of 2,229
31Columbia County, WI	46	61	25.3	133	−0.7%	#1,290 of 2,229
32Ashland County, WI	46	16	23.4	126	+1.1%	#1,296 of 2,229
33St. Croix County, WI	45	132	35.2	105	+4.7%	#1,359 of 2,229
34Rock County, WI	44	153	22.8	140	+1.7%	#1,393 of 2,229
35Jefferson County, WI	44	83	23.8	138	+0.3%	#1,395 of 2,229
36Marathon County, WI	44	144	24.9	131	+1.0%	#1,400 of 2,229
37Kenosha County, WI	43	180	26.1	128	−0.4%	#1,459 of 2,229
38Green County, WI	42	39	24.7	133	+0.5%	#1,512 of 2,229
39Iowa County, WI	42	28	27.7	120	+1.0%	#1,519 of 2,229
40Waupaca County, WI	41	48	21.3	147	−0.6%	#1,560 of 2,229
41Green Lake County, WI	41	19	22.9	136	+1.5%	#1,563 of 2,229
42Polk County, WI	41	55	28.1	115	+1.7%	#1,569 of 2,229
43Bayfield County, WI	40	19	25.5	122	+3.4%	#1,611 of 2,229
44Brown County, WI	40	338	30.5	108	+2.6%	#1,619 of 2,229
45Dane County, WI	40	926	36.8	96	+4.9%	#1,632 of 2,229
46Adams County, WI	39	22	23.1	127	+5.2%	#1,668 of 2,229
47Richland County, WI	39	19	26.2	115	−1.4%	#1,678 of 2,229
48Crawford County, WI	39	18	26.8	111	−1.1%	#1,681 of 2,229
49Ozaukee County, WI	39	146	38.1	97	+3.0%	#1,689 of 2,229
50Wood County, WI	38	78	24.2	127	−0.2%	#1,730 of 2,229
51Juneau County, WI	37	22	20.1	149	−0.5%	#1,775 of 2,229
52Langlade County, WI	37	18	20.3	143	+0.4%	#1,776 of 2,229
53Burnett County, WI	37	19	26.4	115	+3.9%	#1,788 of 2,229
54Walworth County, WI	36	153	35.5	95	+0.8%	#1,845 of 2,229
55Outagamie County, WI	35	317	40.4	84	+2.6%	#1,883 of 2,229
56Waukesha County, WI	35	760	45.1	83	+2.4%	#1,884 of 2,229
57Marquette County, WI	33	18	25.8	117	+2.1%	#1,968 of 2,229
58Eau Claire County, WI	33	178	39.8	81	+3.0%	#1,983 of 2,229
59Milwaukee County, WI	31	1,002	25.5	121	−1.5%	#2,033 of 2,229
60La Crosse County, WI	29	174	33.8	95	+0.3%	#2,093 of 2,229
61Door County, WI	28	68	45.4	72	+1.6%	#2,131 of 2,229
62Sauk County, WI	27	96	34.3	95	+1.3%	#2,144 of 2,229
63Washburn County, WI	26	26	34.4	89	+2.8%	#2,162 of 2,229
64Sawyer County, WI	26	36	40.9	73	+4.0%	#2,165 of 2,229
65Price County, WI	25	17	26.0	113	−0.3%	#2,173 of 2,229
66Vilas County, WI	25	43	38.6	80	+2.9%	#2,176 of 2,229
67Oneida County, WI	23	70	40.0	78	+0.7%	#2,196 of 2,229
Forest County, WI	Not scored	8	20.0	148	+4.4%
Pepin County, WI	Not scored	10	32.8	97	+2.2%
Iron County, WI	Not scored	6	19.3	151	−0.3%
Florence County, WI	Not scored	3	13.7	217	+4.0%
Menominee County, WI	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 real estate businesses on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in Wisconsin?

As of September 2026, map listings count 6,873 real estate businesses in Wisconsin. 656 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 3,755 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. Another 19,933 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Wisconsin spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $35.2B a year, or $14,211 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 6,873 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 18% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,479,480 households in Wisconsin and national spending patterns by income.

How does Wisconsin compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?

Wisconsin has 27.7 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 118, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Wisconsin would have about 8,134, against 6,873 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 660 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.

Which market in Wisconsin has the highest market score for real estate businesses?

Among 15 scored metro areas in or partly in Wisconsin, the Fond du Lac metro area scores highest, at 63 (upper middle). Among 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Wisconsin, the Beaver Dam area scores highest, at 68 (upper middle). Among 67 scored counties in Wisconsin, Lafayette County scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Wisconsin scores 54 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #21 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wisconsin. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

Real estate agents and brokers5,408 listings
Property management630 listings
Mortgage brokers and lenders696 listings
Home inspectors139 listings

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wisconsin?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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