Sauk County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, about 40 miles northwest of Madison. It had
a population of 65,763 at the 2020 census, an estimated 66,652 by 2025, and covers 831 square
miles (2,150 km2) of land centred near 43°26′N 89°56′W.
Baraboo is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 53913. The county holds 3
cities, 14 incorporated villages and 22 towns, plus a handful of unincorporated crossroads, and it
runs on Central Time. Sauk County was organized in 1844 from land created in 1840.
Towns & Villages in Sauk County
Sauk County has more than 30 named places on record: 3 cities, 14 incorporated villages, 2
census-designated places and about a dozen unincorporated communities with no local government of
their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural
communities with no formal boundary. The Township column names the surrounding civil town, one of
22 that cover the county’s rural land outside the cities and villages.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baraboo | City · seat | — | 12,556 | 53913 |
| Reedsburg | City | — | 9,984 | 53959 |
| Wisconsin Dells | City | — | 384 | 53965 |
| Prairie du Sac | Village | Prairie du Sac | 4,420 | — |
| Sauk City | Village | — | 3,518 | — |
| Lake Delton | Village | Delton | 3,501 | 53940 |
| West Baraboo | Village | — | 1,627 | — |
| Spring Green | Village | Spring Green | 1,566 | — |
| Plain | Village | — | 749 | — |
| North Freedom | Village | Freedom | 603 | — |
| Merrimac | Village | Merrimac | 527 | — |
| Ironton | Village | Ironton | — | — |
| La Valle | Village | La Valle | — | — |
| Rock Springs | Village | — | — | — |
| Lime Ridge | Village | — | — | — |
| Loganville | Village | — | — | — |
| Cazenovia | Village | — | — | — |
| Bluffview | CDP | — | — | — |
| Lake Wisconsin | CDP | — | — | — |
| Black Hawk | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cassell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Crawford Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dellwood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Denzer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Greens Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hill Point | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| La Rue | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Leland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Loddes Mill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Loreta | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Moon Valley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sandusky | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Valton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Witwen | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Wisconsin Dells sits in four counties at once; only 384 of its 2,942 residents live on the
Sauk County side, with the rest split across Columbia, Adams and Juneau counties. Cazenovia
straddles the Sauk–Richland county line, and Lake Wisconsin CDP is only partly in Sauk
County, the balance falling in Columbia County across the reservoir.
ZIP Codes
- 53913 — Baraboo
- 53959 — Reedsburg (also 53958, a Reedsburg rural-route ZIP)
- 53965 — Wisconsin Dells
- 53940 — Lake Delton
Prairie du Sac, Sauk City, West Baraboo, Spring Green, Plain, North Freedom, Merrimac, Ironton,
La Valle, Rock Springs, Lime Ridge, Loganville and Cazenovia all carry their own ZIP codes through
the local post office, but this page does not list them individually because the exact codes could
not be confirmed against a source; the villages’ mail is not routed through Baraboo or Reedsburg.
The unincorporated communities have no post office of their own and use the ZIP of the nearest
village or town.
Geography
Sauk County sits where Wisconsin’s Driftless Area meets glaciated land, giving it some of the
state’s most varied terrain: the Baraboo Hills, an ancient quartzite range that rings the city of
Baraboo, rise well above the surrounding farmland and river valleys. Of the county’s 849 square
miles, 831 are land and 18 are water, about 2.1 percent, concentrated in the Wisconsin River and
the man-made Lake Wisconsin and Lake Delton reservoirs. Sauk Point, in the Baraboo Hills, is the
county’s highest point at 1,593 feet (486 m). The Wisconsin River crosses the county roughly
west to east before turning south along its eastern edge, and the Baraboo River, a tributary,
runs through Baraboo and Reedsburg.
Juneau County lies to the north, Adams County to the northeast, Columbia County to the east,
Dane County to the southeast, Iowa County to the south, Richland County to the west and Vernon
County to the northwest. Juneau County,
Adams County,
Columbia County,
Dane County,
Iowa County,
Richland County and
Vernon County all border Sauk
County directly.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Green | 1,828 | Village of Spring Green |
| Delton | 2,460 | Lake Delton, Wisconsin Dells (partly) |
| Baraboo | 1,816 | surrounds the city of Baraboo |
| Reedsburg | 1,185 | surrounds the city of Reedsburg |
| Prairie du Sac | 1,076 | Village of Prairie du Sac |
| Freedom | 449 | North Freedom |
| Bear Creek | — | — |
| Dellona | — | — |
| Excelsior | — | — |
| Fairfield | — | — |
| Franklin | — | Plain |
| Greenfield | — | — |
| Honey Creek | — | — |
| Ironton | — | Village of Ironton |
| La Valle | — | Village of La Valle |
| Merrimac | — | Village of Merrimac |
| Sumpter | — | — |
| Troy | — | — |
| Washington | — | Loganville |
| Westfield | — | — |
| Winfield | — | — |
| Woodland | — | Cazenovia |
Demographics
Sauk County had a population of 65,763 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 66,652 residents. Baraboo and Reedsburg are the two largest communities, together
holding roughly a third of the county’s population. Wisconsin’s statewide median household income
is $74,631 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 79 people per square mile of land,
low by Wisconsin standards, reflecting the county’s large rural and hill-country townships outside
the Baraboo–Reedsburg corridor.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism is the county’s largest single industry, drawing visitors to Wisconsin Dells and Lake
Delton’s water parks and generating nearly $2 billion in county spending in 2023. The Ho-Chunk
Nation, headquartered in the county, is the largest employer with roughly 3,100 combined jobs
across its casino, government and health-services operations. Sound Devices, a maker of
professional audio recording equipment, is headquartered in Reedsburg, and Culver’s Franchising
Systems, the fast-food chain founded in neighboring Sauk City in 1984, is headquartered in
Prairie du Sac. Baraboo is home to the Circus World Museum, the International Crane Foundation
and the Aldo Leopold Shack, the farm where the conservationist wrote much of A Sand County
Almanac. Spring Green hosts the American Players Theatre and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin
estate. The county’s biggest annual event is Fermentation Fest, a celebration of agricultural
heritage centered on Reedsburg each October.
History
Sauk County was created from Wisconsin Territory land in 1840 and organized as a county in
1844. It takes its name from a large Sauk village that once stood near present-day Sauk City. New
England settlers began arriving via the Wisconsin River in the 1830s, and Abe Wood built the
first cabin in the Baraboo area in 1838.
From 1884 to 1917, Baraboo served as the headquarters and winter home of the Ringling Brothers
Circus, founded by five brothers from the city; the Circus World Museum now occupies the former
winter quarters on the Baraboo River. The Baraboo Syncline, an exposed loop of ancient quartzite
in the surrounding hills, helped drive a shift in structural geology research during the 1920s.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Sauk County; US 12 and US 14 are the main through routes,
along with State Highways 23, 33, 58, 78, 113, 136, 154 and 159.
- Madison — about 40 miles southeast
- Wisconsin Dells — within the county, on its northeastern edge
- La Crosse — about 65 miles northwest
- Portage — about 20 miles east
Dane County Regional Airport in Madison is the nearest major commercial airport. The Wisconsin
Dells Airport, a general-aviation field, sits within the county near Wisconsin Dells. Amtrak does
not serve Sauk County; the nearest station is in Columbus, about 40 miles east.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Sauk County located?
It sits in south-central Wisconsin, about 40 miles northwest of Madison, bordered by Juneau,
Adams, Columbia, Dane, Iowa, Richland and Vernon counties.
What is the population of Sauk County?
65,763 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 66,652.
How big is Sauk County?
849 square miles (2,200 km2) in total, of which 831 square miles are land.
Baraboo is the county seat of Sauk County and its largest city, with a
population of 12,556.
How many towns and villages are in Sauk County?
Three cities — Baraboo, Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells (partly) — plus 14 incorporated
villages including Prairie du Sac, Sauk City, Spring Green and Lake Delton, and 22 civil towns
covering the county’s rural land.
What ZIP codes does Sauk County use?
53913 for Baraboo, 53959 for Reedsburg, 53965 for Wisconsin Dells and 53940 for Lake Delton, plus
separate codes for each of the county’s other incorporated villages.
What is Sauk County known for?
The Wisconsin Dells water park district, the Ringling Brothers Circus’s Baraboo origins, the
Baraboo Hills and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin estate near Spring Green.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.