Rural Representation Increased Under New Wisconsin Voting Maps

Election results under new state voting districts in Wisconsin mean more legislators now represent rural communities, a new analysis shows. That could have effects on policymaking in 2025.

The Rural Policy Institute is a project of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, the Wisconsin Towns Association, the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association and the lobbying firm The Welch Group.

It was established this year as a way of promoting rural interests in Madison. In a new policy paper, “The Rural/Urban Balance in Wisconsin,” researchers classify Wisconsin communities as urban, suburban, rural or rural-adjacent to draw conclusions about the make-up of the state and representation in the Capitol.

“If you look at the (U.S.) Census and the way they calculate rural communities, it doesn’t take into consideration cultural demographics or the ways in which people identify themselves,” said Jason Mugnaini, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s executive director of government relations.

For example, Mugnaini notes that New Berlin and Rhinelander have the same population density — but the former is a Milwaukee suburb and the latter a Northwoods hub that is culturally closer to the rural populations that surround it.

The study found the breakdown of Wisconsin’s population is:

• Urban: 40 percent
• Rural: 25 percent
• Suburban: 19 percent
• Rural adjacent: 16 percent

The study also found that the long-term trend of rural population loss has stopped and even reversed in Wisconsin, perhaps as a result of people who chose to move out of urban areas during the pandemic.

After decades of population loss, rural counties largely plateaued in the first two decades of the 21st century, and “between 2020 and 2023, the population of rural Wisconsin actually grew faster than the metro county population,” the study finds.

The study also looks at representation in Madison under new voting maps that went into effect in November’s election. Those maps, which made a number of formerly safe Republican seats more competitive, also create more “blended” districts that include a combination of areas that are urban, suburban, rural-adjacent and rural, Mugnaini said.

“What legislators do with that, in terms of their support for rural communities, is what’s going to determine whether this is a good thing or a bad thing,” he said.

The Farm Bureau, which typically endorses Republicans, sees a potential risk for rural and agricultural interests if newly elected legislators focus on the urban and suburban population centers in their districts instead of paying attention to rural issues ranging from broadband expansion to land use and agricultural regulations. Mugnaini also noted that some GOP legislators who were defeated in November had been active on rural and ag issues.

“We’re going to have to have new champions rise up and support agriculture and that’s going to be a real challenge,” he said. “There is a sizable increase in the number of districts that have rural populations, and it’s up to those legislators to start listening to those populations.”

Listen to the WPR report

Study: Rural representation increases under new Wisconsin voting maps was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.