Washburn County, Wisconsin: commercial real estate data.
Washburn County, Wisconsin has a population of 16,854 across 797 square miles, up 2.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $799.5 m in 2024, 499 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 17 7(a) approvals worth $13.0 m.
120 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Washburn County
How many people live in Washburn County
- Population16,854
- Households7,566
- Average household size2.23
- Median household income$63,441
- Median age52.7
- Median gross rent$795 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$226,100
- Home value to household income3.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over12,807
- Population under 183,035
- Share under 1818.0 percent
- Population 65 and over4,734
- Share 65 and over28.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 649,085
- Civilian labor force7,656
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over55.4 percent
- Rank by population among Wisconsin counties60th of 72
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2047th
Washburn County is the 60th largest of 72 Wisconsin counties by population. A median home costs 3.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 28.1 percent against 18.0 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Washburn County
Is Washburn County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.12 percent
- Census 2020 base population16,629
- Births, 2024114
- Deaths, 2024254
- Natural change, 2024-140
- Net domestic migration, 2024118
- Net international migration, 20249
- Total net migration, 2024127
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024911
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1144th
The county has grown 2.12 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Washburn County
Where people moving to Washburn County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving575
- People arriving, from those returns1,020
- Adjusted gross income arriving$44.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$76,666
- Largest single originWashburn County Non-migrants (7,017 households)
- Largest single destination (7,017 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn County Non-migrants | 7,017 | 13,527 | $531.4 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 225 | 408 | $19.8 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 159 | 294 | $14.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 154 | 258 | $10.0 m |
| Barron County | 96 | 173 | $7.4 m |
| Sawyer County | 44 | 87 | $2.4 m |
| Other flows - West | 42 | 74 | $3.5 m |
| St. Croix County | 32 | 55 | $3.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Washburn County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Washburn County
What the Washburn County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$799.5 m
- County GDP, 2023$778.7 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.7 percent
- GDP change over five years28.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Wisconsin counties60th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2026th
- GDP per resident$47,439
Output grew 2.7 percent in the latest year and 28.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Washburn County
Who employs people in Washburn County
- Covered employment, annual average5,523
- Establishments reporting611
- Average annual pay$44,282
- Average weekly wage$852
- Sector 31-33, employment941
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$47,791
- Sector 44-45, employment763
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,666
- Sector 72, employment594
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,006
- Sector 23, employment209
- Sector 23, average annual pay$46,648
- Sector 48-49, employment178
- Sector 56, employment132
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 941 | 31 | $47,791 |
| Sector 44-45 | 763 | 78 | $33,666 |
| Sector 72 | 594 | 64 | $20,006 |
| Sector 23 | 209 | 72 | $46,648 |
| Sector 48-49 | 178 | 15 | $42,482 |
| Sector 56 | 132 | 28 | $60,371 |
| Sector 52 | 128 | 26 | $52,503 |
| Sector 42 | 90 | 21 | $67,625 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 941 jobs, 17.0 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Washburn County
What businesses operate in Washburn County
- Establishments, all industries499
- Employment at those establishments4,261
- Annual payroll$186.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents29.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Washburn County
What is being built in Washburn County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024157
- Declared construction value permitted$35.7 m
- Single family units authorised137
- Multifamily units authorised20
- Multifamily share of units12.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$227,514
- Units authorised per 1,000 households20.8
Multifamily is 12.7 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Washburn County
How much SBA lending happens in Washburn County
- 7(a) approvals recorded17
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$13.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$761,788
- Median 7(a) approval$300,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,575,000
- Largest single approval$3,425,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)285
- Jobs per approval16.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active10
- Distinct industries receiving approvals14
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer41.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms7
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter9
- Franchise loans3
- Franchise share of approvals17.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBoat Dealers (2)
- Most active lenderCCFBank National Association (5)
- 504 approvals recorded7
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.4 m
- Average 504 approval$484,000
- Median 504 approval$283,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval5.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.6
- Most active CDCWBD, Inc. (4)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals70.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$16.3 m
The average approval of $761,788 sits well above the median of $300,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. 41.2 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Washburn County
Do SBA loans in Washburn County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded7
- Paid in full7
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full7
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 7 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Washburn County
Which parts of Washburn County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending8
- MINONG, approvals4
- Sarona, approvals3
- Spooner, approvals3
- SHELL LAKE, approvals2
- Springbrook, approvals2
- Hayward, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| MINONG | 4 | $6,863,700 |
| Sarona | 3 | $1,846,300 |
| Spooner | 3 | $1,788,800 |
| SHELL LAKE | 2 | $1,650,000 |
| Springbrook | 2 | $370,000 |
| Hayward | 1 | $150,000 |
| Trego | 1 | $268,700 |
| STONE LAKE | 1 | $12,900 |
MINONG accounts for 4 approvals against 3 in Sarona. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Washburn County
How big is Washburn County
- Land area797 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Wisconsin counties30th of 72
- Width, east to west24.5 mi
- Height, north to south35.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land21
- Establishments per square mile0.63
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Washburn County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Washburn County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population16,854
- Households7,566
- Average household size2.23
- Median household income$63,441
- Median age52.7
Common questions
Washburn County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Washburn County, Wisconsin?
16,854, in 7,566 households, ranking 60th of 72 Wisconsin counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Washburn County growing?
The population has grown 2.12 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 114 births against 254 deaths, with net migration of 127. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Washburn County?
$63,441. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $226,100, which is 3.6 times income, and median gross rent is $795 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Washburn County?
499 establishments, employing 4,261 people with an annual payroll of $186.8 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Washburn County?
Average annual pay is $44,282, or $852 a week, across 5,523 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Washburn County?
17 7(a) approvals totalling $13.0 m since FY2020, across 10 lenders, with a median approval of $300,000, plus 7 504 approvals worth $3.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Washburn County?
157 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $35.7 m. Multifamily was 12.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Washburn County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Washburn County come from?
The largest single origin is Washburn County Non-migrants, with 7,017 households. Arriving households report an average income of $76,666 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Washburn County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Washburn County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.