County outline
Where Shawano County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.2% of Shawano County’s measured area and water for 1.8%. Its combined area converts to 2,355.3 square kilometers or approximately 582,013 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 893.225 | 2,313.442 | 571,664 |
| Water | 16.171 | 41.883 | 10,349.4 |
| Total | 909.396 | 2,355.325 | 582,013.4 |
How Shawano County compares
By original Census land area, Shawano County ranks #20 of 72 in Wisconsin and #882 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.186 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 1.6% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Shawano County
The Census Bureau estimates that 41,560 people lived in Shawano County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,185 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #37 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 40,874, the population has grown by 686 (+1.7%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 893.2 square miles of land, that is 47 people per square mile (18 per km²), placing Shawano County #1,620 nationally for density and #38 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 14 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 40,859 | 40,809 | 40,976 | 41,140 | 41,406 | 41,560 |
| Change | — | −50 | +167 | +164 | +266 | +154 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Shawano County
Shawano County is divided into 38 cities and towns. In Wisconsin, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents; a few are unorganized areas without their own government.
The most populous is Shawano city, with 9,693 residents (23.3% of the county). The largest by land is Belle Plaine town, at 38.4 mi², or 4.3% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Shawano city grew fastest since then (+4.8%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawano cityCounty seat | 9,693 | +4.8% | 6.75 | 0.8% |
| Wescott town | 3,287 | +1% | 22.6 | 2.5% |
| Washington town | 1,990 | +1.7% | 35.1 | 3.9% |
| Angelica town | 1,880 | +3.1% | 36.6 | 4.1% |
| Richmond town | 1,846 | +1% | 33.6 | 3.8% |
| Belle Plaine town | 1,756 | −1.8% | 38.4 | 4.3% |
| Bonduel village | 1,409 | −0.4% | 2.262 | 0.3% |
| Lessor town | 1,242 | +1.2% | 35.9 | 4% |
| Green Valley town | 1,044 | +0.9% | 35.8 | 4% |
| Waukechon town | 1,034 | +2.2% | 34.9 | 3.9% |
| Red Springs town | 997 | +1.6% | 35.7 | 4% |
| Grant town | 982 | +0.1% | 36.5 | 4.1% |
| Wittenberg village | 979 | −3.1% | 1.811 | 0.2% |
| Maple Grove town | 940 | −0.3% | 35.3 | 3.9% |
| Pella town | 919 | +2.7% | 36.5 | 4.1% |
Show the other 23 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wittenberg town | 849 | +2.7% | 34 |
| Hartland town | 835 | +1.7% | 34.6 |
| Bartelme town | 814 | −0.4% | 35.5 |
| Herman town | 748 | +0.9% | 35.2 |
| Birnamwood village | 713 | 0% | 2.141 |
| Tigerton village | 708 | +0.1% | 1.824 |
| Birnamwood town | 694 | +1.5% | 31.5 |
| Almon town | 581 | +0.7% | 35.1 |
| Cecil village | 537 | +1.5% | 1.791 |
| Gresham village | 537 | +1.3% | 1.132 |
| Fairbanks town | 533 | −0.2% | 34.2 |
| Aniwa town | 520 | −0.4% | 33.2 |
| Seneca town | 506 | +1.6% | 36.5 |
| Hutchins town | 505 | +1.8% | 33.5 |
| Navarino town | 424 | +2.9% | 35.3 |
| Morris town | 382 | +1.3% | 36.2 |
| Mattoon village | 356 | −1.4% | 1.627 |
| Germania town | 345 | +0.3% | 36.3 |
| Bowler village | 308 | −1.6% | 1.039 |
| Aniwa village | 236 | −3.3% | 2.13 |
| Pulaski village | 223 | +3.7% | 0.176 |
| Eland village | 194 | −2% | 2.213 |
| Marion city | 14 | 0% | 0.48 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Shawano County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Shawano County is a central county of the Shawano, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2 county equivalents have 45,759 residents on 1,250.8 square miles of land; Shawano County accounts for 71.4% of the land and 90.8% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #137 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #263 by population. It belongs to the Green Bay-Shawano, WI Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Shawano County | 41,560 | 893.2 |
| Menominee County | 4,199 | 357.6 |
ZIP codes
26 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Shawano County; 15 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
5410654107541115412454127541285413754150541545416254165541665417054408544095441454416544275445054486544995492854929549485495054978
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Shawano County
Shawano County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. It has more land than 5 of them. The largest neighbor is Marathon County (1,545.2 mi²) and the smallest is Menominee County (357.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Shawano County forms a block of 6,579.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Shawano | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon County | 1,545.2 | 1.7× larger | Compare |
| Oconto County | 997.5 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Langlade County | 870.7 | about the same | Compare |
| Waupaca County | 747.7 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Outagamie County | 637.6 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Brown County | 530.1 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
| Menominee County | 357.6 | 2.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Shawano County compared with U.S. states?
Shawano County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 61 areas the size of Shawano County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29.9 miles (48.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Shawano County?
Shawano County has more land than 2,340 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Shawano County at #933 nationally by total area, 51 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.6 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Shawano County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #881 | Garza County, Texas | 893.4 | Compare |
| #882 | Shawano County, Wisconsin | 893.2 | This county |
| #883 | Scott County, Arkansas | 892.9 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 44.789641, -88.755813. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,313,441,778 m²; AWATER: 41,883,029 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Shawano County?
Shawano County, Wisconsin has 893.2 square miles (2,313.4 km²) of land and 16.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 909.4 square miles. It ranks #882 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Shawano County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Shawano County ranks #20 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Shawano County?
Shawano County shares a land border with Waupaca County, Menominee County, Oconto County, Marathon County, Outagamie County, Langlade County, and Brown County.
What is the population of Shawano County?
The Census Bureau estimates Shawano County had 41,560 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,185 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 47 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Shawano County?
The county seat of Shawano County is Shawano.
What cities and towns are in Shawano County?
Shawano County has 38 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Shawano city, Wescott town, Washington town, Angelica town, and Richmond town.
Is Shawano County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Shawano, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which has 2 county equivalents and 45,759 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Shawano County?
26 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Shawano County, and 15 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Shawano County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Shawano County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 571,664 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 582,013 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.