County outline
Where Waupaca County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.7% of Waupaca County’s measured area and water for 2.3%. Its combined area converts to 1,981.8 square kilometers or approximately 489,711 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 747.702 | 1,936.539 | 478,529.3 |
| Water | 17.472 | 45.252 | 11,182.1 |
| Total | 765.174 | 1,981.792 | 489,711.4 |
How Waupaca County compares
By original Census land area, Waupaca County ranks #37 of 72 in Wisconsin and #1182 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.993 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 1.4% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Waupaca County
The Census Bureau estimates that 51,461 people lived in Waupaca County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,007 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #29 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 51,824, the population has declined by 363 (−0.7%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 747.7 square miles of land, that is 69 people per square mile (27 per km²), placing Waupaca County #1,271 nationally for density and #28 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 9.3 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 51,799 | 51,886 | 51,660 | 51,432 | 51,429 | 51,461 |
| Change | — | +87 | −226 | −228 | −3 | +32 |
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 Waupaca County
Waupaca County is divided into 34 cities and towns. In Wisconsin, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Waupaca city, with 6,352 residents (12.3% of the county). The largest by land is Harrison town, at 36.8 mi², or 4.9% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, New London city grew fastest since then (+5.4%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waupaca cityCounty seat | 6,352 | +0.8% | 7.918 | 1.1% |
| New London city | 5,895 | +5.4% | 3.194 | 0.4% |
| Clintonville city | 4,499 | −1.9% | 4.441 | 0.6% |
| Farmington town | 3,501 | −6.3% | 33.7 | 4.5% |
| Mukwa town | 2,793 | −1.4% | 31.1 | 4.2% |
| Dayton town | 2,608 | −0.9% | 35.1 | 4.7% |
| Weyauwega city | 1,788 | −0.4% | 1.536 | 0.2% |
| Caledonia town | 1,755 | +2.5% | 27.7 | 3.7% |
| Lebanon town | 1,629 | −0.4% | 36 | 4.8% |
| Lind town | 1,550 | −1.7% | 35.5 | 4.7% |
| Manawa city | 1,411 | −2.5% | 1.629 | 0.2% |
| Little Wolf town | 1,373 | −1.5% | 33.4 | 4.5% |
| Royalton town | 1,330 | −1.7% | 33.5 | 4.5% |
| Marion city | 1,259 | −3.2% | 1.976 | 0.3% |
| Larrabee town | 1,251 | −2.4% | 33 | 4.4% |
Show the other 19 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iola village | 1,210 | −4.9% | 1.675 |
| Waupaca townCounty seat | 1,145 | −1.2% | 29.1 |
| Scandinavia town | 1,015 | −0.9% | 33.8 |
| Iola town | 927 | −1.3% | 33.6 |
| Matteson town | 903 | −1.5% | 36.6 |
| Union town | 780 | +0.5% | 35.7 |
| Dupont town | 778 | +2.4% | 34.6 |
| Bear Creek town | 737 | −1.3% | 36.7 |
| St. Lawrence town | 723 | −0.3% | 34.6 |
| Helvetia town | 690 | −1% | 35.9 |
| Fremont village | 674 | −2.5% | 1.105 |
| Fremont town | 621 | −0.2% | 17.9 |
| Weyauwega town | 545 | −4% | 20.5 |
| Harrison town | 464 | +1.3% | 36.8 |
| Scandinavia village | 364 | −2.9% | 0.874 |
| Embarrass village | 346 | −3.9% | 1.171 |
| Wyoming town | 306 | −0.3% | 36 |
| Ogdensburg village | 178 | −4.3% | 0.973 |
| Big Falls village | 61 | −3.2% | 0.474 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Waupaca County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Waupaca County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Waupaca County; 12 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
5417054486549225492654929549335494054945549465494954950549615496254965549775498154983
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 Waupaca County
Waupaca County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Shawano County (893.2 mi²) and the smallest is Winnebago County (434.7 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Waupaca County forms a block of 4,140.2 mi² of land, of which it holds 18.1%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Waupaca | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawano County | 893.2 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Portage County | 800.9 | 1.1× larger | Compare |
| Outagamie County | 637.6 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Waushara County | 626.2 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Winnebago County | 434.7 | 1.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Waupaca County compared with U.S. states?
Waupaca County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.4 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 72 areas the size of Waupaca County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 27.3 miles (44 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 Waupaca County?
Waupaca County has more land than 2,040 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 Waupaca County at #1,254 nationally by total area, 72 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 2.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.1 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 Waupaca County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1181 | Karnes County, Texas | 747.8 | Compare |
| #1182 | Waupaca County, Wisconsin | 747.7 | This county |
| #1183 | Pasco County, Florida | 746.7 | 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 44.478004, -88.967004. 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: 1,936,539,554 m²; AWATER: 45,252,048 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 Waupaca County?
Waupaca County, Wisconsin has 747.7 square miles (1,936.5 km²) of land and 17.5 square miles of water, for a total area of 765.2 square miles. It ranks #1182 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Waupaca County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Waupaca County ranks #37 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Waupaca County?
Waupaca County shares a land border with Shawano County, Outagamie County, Portage County, Waushara County, and Winnebago County.
What is the population of Waupaca County?
The Census Bureau estimates Waupaca County had 51,461 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,007 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 69 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Waupaca County?
The county seat of Waupaca County is Waupaca.
What cities and towns are in Waupaca County?
Waupaca County has 34 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Waupaca city, New London city, Clintonville city, Farmington town, and Mukwa town.
Is Waupaca County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Waupaca County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Waupaca County?
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Waupaca County, and 12 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Waupaca County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Waupaca County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 478,529 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 489,711 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.