Official Federal Data
Lafayette County, Wisconsin
FIPS 55065 · Population 16,942
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$76,462 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.7% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$932M ▲
GDP
22.6% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 16,942 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$76,462 ▲
Per Capita
$37,123 ▲
Mean Household
$92,228 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.9% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Lafayette County$76,462
Wisconsin$77,485
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 25.3%
18-34 · 18.1%
35-54 · 22.1%
55-64 · 14.1%
65+ · 20.4%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
91.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.9 pts
22.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 13.1 pts
6.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 7.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
16,942
Population
8,607
Labor Force
Employed
8,357
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.7% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.6%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 13.1 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 1,224 workers (49.3% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $60,467.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $932M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Construction averages $74,461 while Retail Trade averages $35,527, a 2.1x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
2,074
Cluster Employment
2.89x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Animal Production and Aquaculture
42.23x 361
Food Manufacturing
18.07x 1,016
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
4.40x 146
Printing and Related Support Activities
4.22x 46
Crop Production
3.76x 63
Truck Transportation
3.25x 152
2.89x 2,074
Specialty Trade Contractors
2.46x 406
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
2.40x 167
Repair and Maintenance
1.73x 80
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.21x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
70 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 42.23x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$194,500 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$830 ▲
Rent/Mo
80.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
6.5% ▼
Vacancy
2.5x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$691/mo
1 Bedroom
$819/mo
2 Bedroom
$973/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,353/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,466/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,912/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.5x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 80.2% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,912/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
9,211 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
12.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
86.5%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
22.6% ▲
HS Diploma+
91.5% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
36,732/yr
17,447/yr
5,987/yr
3,757/yr
3,280/yr
3,231/yr
3,030/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
26%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
34.7%
Service
11.8%
Sales & Office
17.5%
Construction / Maint.
16.7%
Production / Transport
19.3%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 8,357 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 26% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 27,191 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Lafayette County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 42.23x concentration and 361 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across animal production and aquaculture, food manufacturing, and gasoline stations and fuel dealers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Lafayette County, Wisconsin, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Lafayette County, Wisconsin?
16,942 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Lafayette County, Wisconsin?
$76,462 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lafayette County, Wisconsin?
2.7% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Lafayette County, Wisconsin?
$932M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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