The series is organized by type of schedule, thereunder by county and thereunder by civil divisions. In the population and agriculture schedules, civil divisions are arranged three ways: most are alphabetical, some are geographical (east to west starting at the county's southern border), and some are listed randomly.

Below the county level, the manufacturing schedule is arranged alphabetically by civil division, and then by type of business schedule. Arrangement of the type of business schedule is in the following order:

• agricultural implements
• paper mills
• boots and shoes; leather tanned and curried
• brick yards and tile works; lumber and saw mills
• flour and grist mills; cheese, butter and condensed milk
• factories
• meat packing; salt works
• small coal mines and quarries

Explanation of several aspects of the various schedules may be helpful. Mortality information was given by each household at the same time as the population information but recorded on a separate schedule. This schedule was intended as a ten year sample of death statistics. The agriculture schedule included only farms over three acres unless $500 worth of produce had been sold during the year. Ashland County was not surveyed since it was undeveloped at the time. The manufacturing schedule does not include all businesses. Certain industries (cotton, iron and steel, woolen goods, coke, glass, shipbuilding, silk and silk goods, distilleries and breweries, fisheries, mining), which were usually pursued in large establishments, were deemed “special” and not included in this schedule. Agents were appointed on a nation-wide basis to count these special categories. However, the whereabouts of these special schedules are unknown. Also, the manufacturing census did not enumerate businesses that earned under $500 annually. The supplemental schedule lists information for seven types of individuals classified as defective, dependent or delinquent: the insane, idiots, deaf-mutes, blind, homeless children, inhabitants in prison, and paupers and indigent persons in institutions. The schedule also defines each category. Information on the supplemental schedule also appears on the regular population schedule.

After enumeration these schedules were forwarded to the district office for that county, corrections made, and the volumes sent to the United States Census Office in Washington. They were returned to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin ca. 1918, and in 1953 were transferred from the Library to the Archives.

The agriculture and manufacturing schedules are on microfilm in the Archives; the original volumes of the agriculture schedule have been retained but the manufacturing volumes were discarded after filming. The supplemental schedule is in volume format only.