County population grows by 4%

Figures from the 2020 census show Monroe County grew by 4% over the previous 10 years. However, that growth wasn’t evenly distributed over all municipalities.

The county’s population went from 44,673 in 2010 to 46,274 in 2020, a net gain of 1,601. That’s according to census figures provided to the Monroe County Land Information office through WISE Decade Software used for drawing supervisory districts. Those figures only include population numbers and not demographics, which are not yet available.

Growing at 5% each, the cities of Sparta and Tomah saw the biggest population gains among the county’s municipalities. Sparta remains the largest of the two cities after picking up 503 new residents since 2010 and topping the 10,000 threshold by 25.

Tomah had a net gain of 477 residents in the past decade, bringing its population to 9,570, 455 fewer residents than Sparta.

Sparta’s main growth occurred on the southwest corner of the city in subdivisions off Hwy. 16, while Tomah’s expansion was due mostly to apartment buildings built west of the post office.

Monroe County’s villages are home to 3,872 residents. The villages experienced 6.7% growth, a net gain of 245 residents.

Most of that was in the Village of Warrens, which added 181 residents, increasing its population by 50% since 2010. The villages of Norwalk, Melvina and Wyeville all lost residents.

Townships grew 1.7% in the past decade, gaining a total of 400 residents. A total of 22,804 county residents live in its towns, almost as many as those who live in its cities and villages.

The Town of Angelo, which surrounds the east part of Sparta, saw the largest growth with 401 new residents. The population of the Town of Scott saw the biggest drop, declining by 21%.