Ummm does Wisconsin actually have more lakes than Minnesota?! Minnesota is of course the Land of 10,00 Lakes, but now Sara Meaney (Wisconsin's tourism secretary-designee) say's Wisconsin has 5,000 more lakes than Minnesota.
WCCO looked into this claim and came up with the following:
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota technically has 11,842 lakes. Those lakes are defined as bodies of water 10 acres or more.
According to the Wisconsin DNR, Wisconsin has 15,074 “documented” lakes. Those are defined as bodies of water 2.2 acres of more. Of those lakes, about 6,000 are named.
If Wisconsin were to measure lakes like Minnesota, its lake count would be closer to 5,300.
At the federal level, the U.S. Geological Survey does not have an official definition of lakes, but it does lump together ponds and lakes as water body features. The USGS counts 124,522 water body features in Minnesota and 82,099 in Wisconsin.
So... while Wisconsin may have better cheese, and Spotted Cow, I think Minnesota still has a leg up when it comes to lakes!