Childcare Alerts

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Wisconsin's Child Care Deserts

Where Wisconsin families can — and can't — find regulated child care, mapped county by county from public U.S. Census data and Wisconsin's open child care dataset. Darker red means more young children per regulated provider.

310,374
WI children under 5
4,171
regulated providers
74
children per provider (statewide)
2.9★
avg YoungStar rating (3,238 rated)
Door County — 122 children under 5 per providerDunn County — 96 children under 5 per providerFond du Lac County — 165 children under 5 per providerGreen County — 62 children under 5 per providerLa Crosse County — 70 children under 5 per providerLincoln County — 108 children under 5 per providerMarathon County — 106 children under 5 per providerMonroe County — 117 children under 5 per providerPolk County — 88 children under 5 per providerRichland County — 110 children under 5 per providerShawano County — 189 children under 5 per providerWashburn County — 50 children under 5 per providerWood County — 98 children under 5 per providerAshland County — 39 children under 5 per providerBarron County — 89 children under 5 per providerBayfield County — 126 children under 5 per providerChippewa County — 70 children under 5 per providerDane County — 62 children under 5 per providerRacine County — 142 children under 5 per providerRusk County — 112 children under 5 per providerSauk County — 120 children under 5 per providerSawyer County — 83 children under 5 per providerTaylor County — 113 children under 5 per providerVernon County — 160 children under 5 per providerVilas County — 111 children under 5 per providerWaukesha County — 102 children under 5 per providerWinnebago County — 109 children under 5 per providerBuffalo County — 72 children under 5 per providerBurnett County — 79 children under 5 per providerClark County — 141 children under 5 per providerColumbia County — 82 children under 5 per providerCrawford County — 88 children under 5 per providerCalumet County — 133 children under 5 per providerDodge County — 109 children under 5 per providerJackson County — 70 children under 5 per providerLanglade County — 100 children under 5 per providerMenominee County — 169 children under 5 per providerOutagamie County — 116 children under 5 per providerPrice County — 63 children under 5 per providerSt. Croix County — 93 children under 5 per providerTrempealeau County — 126 children under 5 per providerWaupaca County — 85 children under 5 per providerEau Claire County — 68 children under 5 per providerFlorence County — no regulated providersForest County — 70 children under 5 per providerGrant County — 98 children under 5 per providerGreen Lake County — 85 children under 5 per providerIowa County — 72 children under 5 per providerJefferson County — 103 children under 5 per providerJuneau County — 69 children under 5 per providerKenosha County — 91 children under 5 per providerLafayette County — 154 children under 5 per providerMarinette County — 91 children under 5 per providerMarquette County — 117 children under 5 per providerOconto County — 123 children under 5 per providerOneida County — 105 children under 5 per providerPepin County — 45 children under 5 per providerPierce County — 58 children under 5 per providerPortage County — 77 children under 5 per providerKewaunee County — 87 children under 5 per providerDouglas County — 79 children under 5 per providerIron County — 111 children under 5 per providerManitowoc County — 161 children under 5 per providerMilwaukee County — 41 children under 5 per providerOzaukee County — 89 children under 5 per providerWashington County — 104 children under 5 per providerAdams County — 131 children under 5 per providerRock County — 103 children under 5 per providerSheboygan County — 106 children under 5 per providerWalworth County — 140 children under 5 per providerBrown County — 119 children under 5 per providerWaushara County — 70 children under 5 per provider

Hover a county for its name and supply number · click a county to see its providers.

No regulated providersOver 122 children per provider107–12290–10671–89Under 70 (best supply)

The tightest supply

CountyChildren under 5Regulated providersChildren per provider
Shawano2,26312189
Menominee3382169
Fond du Lac5,29332165
Manitowoc3,87324161
Vernon2,08113160
Lafayette1,2348154
Racine11,09078142
Clark2,82620141
Walworth4,63133140
Calumet2,52119133
Adams6575131
Bayfield6325126

About this data

Demand: children under 5 by county, U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates (2023 vintage). Supply: regulated child care providers from Wisconsin's open child care dataset (data.dhsgis.wi.gov), geolocated to counties. Unlike our Minnesota data, Wisconsin's open dataset includes family (in-home) child care and publishes YoungStar quality ratings — so this map reflects a broader provider base, and we can show quality alongside supply. The ratio counts providers, not licensed seats. Childcare Alerts is an independent service, not affiliated with any state agency. See the other state deserts maps too.