Barron County, Wisconsin

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Barron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,711.<ref name="2020-census-55005" /> Its county seat is Barron.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was created in 1859 and organized in 1874.<ref name="Newberry"/>

History

The county was created in 1859<ref>Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (comp.) State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 Blue Book. Madison: Author, 1991, p. 731.</ref> as Dallas County (named after Vice President George M. Dallas), with the county seat located at Barron. It was renamed Barron County on March 4, 1869. The county's name honors Wisconsin lawyer and politician Henry D. Barron, who served as circuit judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> Barron County was organized in 1874.<ref name="Newberry">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a community of Russian immigrants moved to Barron County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (3.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

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Washburn County – north
Sawyer County – northeast
Rusk County – east
Chippewa County – southeast
Dunn County – south
St. Croix County – southwest
Polk County – west
Burnett County – northwest

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Major highways

File:Barron County WI sign CTH G.jpg

The county sign for Barron County on County G

Railroads

Buses

Airports

KRPD - Rice Lake Regional Airport serves Barron County.
KUBE - Cumberland Municipal Airport is located three miles south of Cumberland.
Y23 - Chetek Municipal–Southworth Airport also serves the county and surrounding communities.
9Y7 - Barron Municipal Airport enhances county service.

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the census of 2020,<ref name="2020-census-55005">Template:Cite web</ref> the population was 46,711. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 23,779 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 91.1% White, 1.8% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.7% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

Template:Stack As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 44,963 people, 17,851 households, and 12,352 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 20,969 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 97.69% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.81% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.4% were of German, 21.8% Norwegian and 5.3% Irish ancestry.

There were 17,851 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

In 2017, there were 504 births, giving a general fertility rate of 70.6 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 15th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, there were fewer than five reported induced abortions performed on women of Barron County residence in 2017.<ref>Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin, Office of Health Informatics, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Section: Trend Information, 2013-2017, Table 18, pages 17-18</ref>

Communities

Cities

Villages

Politics

Barron County has been a longtime swing county, though it tended to more often vote Republican. The last Democrat to win the county was Barack Obama in 2008 and since then it has been consistently Republican. Donald Trump's performances in 2020 and subsequently in 2024 were the best by a Republican since the 1952 landslide election.<ref>https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/</ref>

References

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External links

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Barron County website
Old plat maps: 1888 1903 1914 ca. 1918 1942 1956 1966 1978 1986
Barron County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

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