The counties are largely wooded, with Ashland County about 85 percent forested, Bayfield County 82 percent, Douglas County 77 percent and Iron County 83 percent forested based on 1983 figures. Much of this forest is in national, state or county forest or in large tracts of industrial forest. Only about one-eighth of the land area of Vilas County falls within the basin, primarily in the towns of Presque Isle, Land O' Lakes and Winchester. The Vilas County portion of the basin is dominated by lakes and wetland, with recreation an important activity. Agriculture also plays a role in the basin, but the cool temperatures and relatively infertile, highly erodible clay soils limit agricultural activities.
Most farms are dairy, beef or poultry operations.
Population has generally been on the decline, long-term, in the Wisconsin portion of the Lake Superior basin, and population densities tend to be well below the statewide average of 90.1 per square mile. Ashland County saw a 3 percent population decrease between 1980 and 1990 and has a population density of about 15 people per square mile. Bayfield County is the only portion of the basin that showed an increase in population between the 1980 and 1990 Census, of 1 percent, with a population density of 9.5 per square mile. Douglas County has experienced a 6 percent decline in population. Within the Duluth-Superior metropolitan area, Douglas County posts the highest population density, about 32 per square mile, in the Wisconsin portion of the basin.