These are the most popular specialty license plates in Wisconsin
Wisconsinites love to show their pride for anything and everything — from sports teams and universities to hobbies, charities and outdoor activities.
Last year, over a half-million residents showcased that spirit by hitting the roads with a specialty license plate design, most of which require an additional fee and donation to support a cause.
There are more than 50 specialty plate designs available in Wisconsin, including a recent addition that supports the Ice Age Trail. Two more could join the list soon, including a "blackout" design popular in other states and an International Crane Foundation plate.
The state Department of Transportation keeps track of how many of each specialty plate are registered per year. These were the most popular specialty license plates in 2023, according to that data:
Collector and hobbyist license plates
The top three specialty plates are for collector cars and motorcycles and hobbyist vehicles. About 367,000 plates were registered in these three categories in 2023. Collector plates are light blue with red letters, and hobbyist plates are green with yellow letters.
Collector plates are available for vehicles that are 20 years or older and if the body hasn't been altered from the original vehicle. Vehicles that have been altered might be eligible for a hobbyist plate, which also include replica, reconstructed or homemade vehicles.
Both types of plates can't be personalized. Hobbyist plate numbers are assigned to the owner for a lifetime and the registration doesn't expire, and collector plates don't expire for as long as someone owns the vehicle.
Military group license plates
The second-most-popular plate design is available for active or retired military veterans or military academy students or alumni. About 24,000 of these plates were registered last year.
There are more than 50 decals that can go on the bottom of the plate to recognize different wars, military branches and medal designations.
The plate has an extra $15 fee when it's issued and renewed, which can be tax-deductible for certain filers. The plate doesn't have any special parking privileges, though there's a separate disabled veteran plate.
Elkhart Lake's Road America license plate
One of the newer license plate designs celebrates Road America, the racetrack near Elkhart Lake. It's taken off in popularity — about 2,700 plates were registered when the design debuted in 2021, and nearly 20,000 were on the roads in 2023.
The design is similar to the "blackout" style proposed in Wisconsin. The plate has an entirely black background with a white outline of the racetrack to the left of the registration number.
More: 'Blackout' license plates, popular in Iowa and Minnesota, could hit the road in Wisconsin
The issuance fee for the Road America plate is $15, and personalized numbers are an additional $15 each year.
Endangered Resources license plates
About 18,000 plates that support endangered resources were registered in Wisconsin in 2023. A plate that features a badger is no longer available, but the original grey wolf design is still available — about 8,500 were registered in 2023.
The newest design features a bald eagle, which "highlights the great success of the eagle’s recovery in Wisconsin and nationally."
More: Smith: Wisconsin eagle comeback marks another milestone with Milwaukee County fledgling
Along with the $15 issuance fee, purchasing the plate requires a $25 annual donation that supports the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' endangered resources fund.
Green Bay Packers license plate
Around 15,000 to 16,000 Green Bay Packers plates are registered in Wisconsin each year.
The plate's background is gold, with "Wisconsin" and "Green Bay Packers" in green lettering. The "G" trademark is to the left of the registration number. And if the plate doesn't have a personalized number, the letter "G" is always the last letter.
The plate has an issuance fee of $15, and an annual $25 donation that supports maintenance and operating costs at Lambeau Field and may be tax-deductible.
What about the rest of the Wisconsin specialty license plates?
Here's how other specialty plate design in Wisconsin rank, from the highest number of registrations in 2023 to the lowest:
UW-Madison campus: 9,437 plates
Milwaukee Brewers (ball and glove logo): 7,182 plates
In God We Trust: 5,810 plates
Antique: 5,716 plates
Firefighter (white design): 5,545 plates
Harley-Davidson/share the road: 5,127 plates
Firefighter (red and white design): 4,898 plates
Milwaukee Brewers (M in Wisconsin logo): 4,177 plates
Disabled veteran: 4,082 plates
Milwaukee Bucks: 3,837 plates
Collector special: 3,585 plates
Veteran motorcycle: 2,546 plates
Amateur radio: 2,272 plates
Choose Life Wisconsin: 2,224 plates
Wisconsin Salutes Veterans: 2,191 plates
Marquette University: 1,981 plates
Law Enforcement Memorial: 1,959 plates
Celebrate Children Foundation: 1,953 plates
Hobbyist motorcycle: 1,748 plates
Whitetails Unlimited: 1,616 plates
Ice Age Trail Alliance: 1,545 plates
Ducks Unlimited: 1,420 plates
Nurses Change Lives: 1,389 plates
Emergency medical services: 1,314 plates
Civil Air Patrol: 1,301 plates
Other UW campuses: 1,145 plates
Donate Life: 1,087 plates
Historic military vehicle: 946 plates
Golf Wisconsin: 868 plates
Trout Unlimited: 801 plates
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin: 754 plates
Musky Clubs Alliance: 718 plates
Cure Childhood Cancer: 698 plates
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: 666 plates
Keeping the Lights On: 586 plates
Gold Star: 467 plates
Wisconsin National Guard: 445 plates
Multi-group plate: 440 plates
Operating Engineers Local 139: 426 plates
Scouting alumni: 396 plates
Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation: 338 plates
Versiti: 257 plates
Lions Foundation: 224 plates
4H Foundation: 155 plates
Medical College of Wisconsin: 138 plates
Antique motorcycle: 78 plates
Ex-prisoner of war: 59 plates
Historic military motorcycle: 18 plates
Medal of Honor: 7 plates
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These are Wisconsin's most popular specialty license plates