Forest County, Wisconsin
Located in Wisconsin, Forest County has a population of 9,369 residents and a median age of 49.3 years, making it the #2,537 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 15.2%. The median home value is $185,000, and the median household income is $61,071, which is 19% below the national median.
Demographics
Forest County has a population of 9,369, making it the #2,537 most populous county in the US. The median age is 49.3 years, which is 26.7% above the national median.
Population Trend
Rankings →Year-over-Year Population Growth
Age & Sex Distribution
Race & Ethnicity
Nativity
Geographic Mobility (Past Year)
Economy
The median household income in Forest County is $61,071, ranking #1,984 out of 3,222 counties — 18.7% below the national median. The poverty rate is 15.2% and unemployment stands at 2.9%.
Median Household Income Trend
Rankings →Income Distribution
Industry of Employment
Occupation
Housing
The median home value in Forest County is $185,000 (-34.4% vs national). Renters pay a median of $594/mo and the homeownership rate is 82.0%.
Median Home Value Trend
Rankings →Household Type
Education
In Forest County, 16.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 52.1% below the national average, ranking #2,642 out of 3,222 counties.
Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend
Rankings →Health & Wellbeing
Life expectancy in Forest County is 74.1 years. 19.2% of adults report poor or fair health and 9.5% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).
Life Expectancy Trend
Substance Use
19.9% of adults in Forest County smoke , 42.3% are obese , and 24.5% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 43.5 per 100,000.
Adult Smoking Trend
Safety
. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 15.7 per 100,000.
Motor Vehicle Deaths Trend
Families & Children
20.9% of children in Forest County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 19.2 per 1,000 females age 15–19.
Teen Birth Rate Trend
Civic & Transportation
Voter turnout in Forest County is 70.4%. The mean commute time is 26.2 min, which is 5.1% below the national average.
Voter Turnout Trend
Mean Commute Time Trend
Rankings →Elections
In the 2024 presidential election, Forest County voted Republican with a margin of 33.4%. The vote was 33% Dem / 66.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 2.5 toward Republicans .
Vote Share Over Time
About Forest County, Wisconsin
Forest County, Wisconsin has a total population of 9,369, making it the 2,537th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Forest County is 49.3 years, which is 26.7% above the national median of 38.9 years.
The median household income in Forest County is $61,071, which ranks #1,984 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 18.7% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 15.2%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 2.9%.
The median home value in Forest County is $185,000, 34.4% below the national median. Renters in Forest County pay a median gross rent of $594 per month. The homeownership rate is 82.0%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.
In Forest County, 16.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 52.1% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 92.3% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 26.2 min.
Forest County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 77.7% of the population, followed by American Indian (non-Hispanic) (10.6%) and Two or More Races (7.5%).
All data for Forest County, Wisconsin comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.