Norwegian Population in Pierce County, WI by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Norwegian population in Pierce County, WI is officially recorded at 5,696, with all of the county''s incorporated cities reporting residents of Norwegian ancestry. Among them, River Falls (2,284), Ellsworth (641), and Prescott (450) account for the largest shares. Interestingly, when adding up individual city estimates, the total surpasses the county-level figure - a difference that often arises from how city and county statistics are modeled separately. Below, we explore how Norwegian communities are distributed across Wisconsin''s more urbanized and fragmented counties.

Top 5 cities with the largest Norwegian population in Pierce County

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  • 1
    River Falls
    Norwegian population in River Falls is 2,284
    13.97% of River Falls population is Norwegian
  • 2
    Ellsworth
    Norwegian population in Ellsworth is 641
    19.29% of Ellsworth population is Norwegian
  • 3
    Prescott
    Norwegian population in Prescott is 450
    10.28% of Prescott population is Norwegian
  • 4
    River Falls town
    Norwegian population in River Falls town is 381
    15.92% of River Falls town population is Norwegian
  • 5
    Trenton town
    Norwegian population in Trenton town is 301
    17.87% of Trenton town population is Norwegian

Overview of Norwegian population in Pierce County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Pierce County with 5,696 Norwegian residents (13.4% of 42,351 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 95th percentile nationally among counties and 70th percentile within Wisconsin for Norwegian population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Pierce County's Norwegian population of 13.4% surpassing both Wisconsin's state average of 6.4% and the national average of 1.2%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey show Pierce County's 5,696 Norwegian residents constitute 1.5% of Wisconsin's total Norwegian population of 375,978.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows Pierce County maintains 9.9 Norwegian Americans per square mile compared to Wisconsin's average of 6.9, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to state averages.
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19 Cities in Pierce County Ranked by Norwegian Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm Norwegian populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in River Falls, Ellsworth, Prescott, and River Falls town. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 19 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Pierce County, WI ranked by Norwegian population count
Rank by Norwegian Population
City
Norwegian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Pierce County Norwegian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 River Falls 2,284 13.97% 40.10%
2 Ellsworth 641 19.29% 11.25%
3 Prescott 450 10.28% 7.90%
4 River Falls town 381 15.92% 6.69%
5 Trenton town 301 17.87% 5.28%
6 Clifton town 295 11.66% 5.18%
7 Ellsworth town 273 20.51% 4.79%
7 273 9.86% 4.79%
8 234 21.63% 4.11%
9 216 17.14% 3.79%
10 168 16.08% 2.95%
11 148 10.51% 2.60%
12 123 21.13% 2.16%
13 115 15.23% 2.02%
14 101 15.12% 1.77%
15 96 12.37% 1.69%
16 64 9.16% 1.12%
17 46 7.50% 0.81%
18 33 8.01% 0.58%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Pierce County, WI by their Norwegian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Norwegian population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Norwegian ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Norwegian alone, while others identify as Norwegian along with another race (such as Norwegian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Norwegian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Norwegian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Norwegian alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Norwegian .
  2. % of Total Pierce County Norwegian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Norwegian population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Norwegian populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Norwegian population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Norwegian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.