Contact: Bill Rubin/Nita Dusek, St. Croix EDC, 715-381-4383
St. Croix will retain its place as the fastest-growing county in Wisconsin based on a 30-year study to the year 2040 from the Department of Administration (DOA).
DOA projects St. Croix County’s 2040 population at 119,010 for an increase of 41.1 percent and a numeric increase of 34,665, compared to the 2010 population estimate of 84,345. The numeric increase puts St. Croix in fourth place behind Dane (projected increase of 118,547 or 24.3% from 2010-2040), Brown (increase of 64,313 or 25.9%), and Kenosha (increase of 43,244 or 26.0%).
St. Croix also ranked as Wisconsin’s top-growing county from 1980 to 2010, according to DOA estimates.
Nearby counties will also experience strong growth over the next 30 years. The population in Polk County is projected to grow by 21.7%, Pierce County’s population will increase by 14.1%, and Dunn County will increase by 10.5%. If projections to 2040 hold true, Polk’s population will be 53,825 (a numeric increase of 9,620), Pierce’s will be 46,825 (a numeric increase of 5,806), and Dunn’s will be 48,485 (a numeric increase of 4,628).
The 4-county region St. Croix, Polk, Pierce, and Dunn is branded as the Greater St. Croix Valley. Today, St. Croix and Pierce are part of the 16-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Blooming MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Dunn comprises the 1-county Menomonie Micropolitan Area that is sandwiched between the Twin Cities MSA and the 2-county Eau Claire MSA, comprised of Eau Claire and Chippewa counties. Currently Polk County is not designated within a metro area.
Several communities in St. Croix County will be among the fastest-growing in the state from 210-2040. DOA’s table of the top 15 fastest-growing municipalities includes the Town of Richmond ranked 7th with a 61% population change (3,339 to 5,385 or a numeric increase of 2,046), Town of Hammond ranked 8th also with a 61% population increase (2,136 to 3,440 or a numeric increase of 1,304), City of Hudson ranked 12th with a population gain (13,187 to 20,780 or a numeric increase of 7,593), and the Village of Somerset ranked 14th with a 55% population change (2,642 to 4,100 or numeric increase of 1,458). Brown County had the top three municipalities on the list starting with the Town of Lawrence (77% increase), Village of Hobart (77% increase), and Town of Ledgeview (76% increase).
The State of Wisconsin will add more than 800,000 new residents by 2040, growing from 5,686,986 to 6,491,635 for a 14.1% increase. Fifteen counties are projected to lose population between 2010 and 2040. The ten predicted to have the greatest percentage decline ranges from Door County (a 4.2% population decline) to Price (a 17.8% decline).
Read more at www.doa.state.wi.us/Divisions/Intergovernmental-Relations/Demographic-Services-Center
