Bayfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population is 16,220. Its county seat is Washburn. The county was created in 1845 and organized in 1850. The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has a reservation in Bayfield County and is the county's largest employer. The county is considered a high-recreation retirement destination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
History
Originally, in 1848 it was named La Pointe County, Wisconsin. After Douglas (1854) and Ashland<!-- (March 27, 1860) --> (1860) Counties were split off from the original La Pointe County, the remainder was renamed Bayfield County on April 12, 1866.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (28%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Wisconsin by total area and second-largest by land area.
Adjacent counties
- Ashland County – east
- Sawyer County – south
- Washburn County – southwest
- Douglas County – west
- Lake County, Minnesota – north
Major highways
{|
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- 20px U.S. Highway 2
- 20px U.S. Highway 63
- 20px Highway 13 (Wisconsin)
|
- 20px Highway 27 (Wisconsin)
- 20px Highway 118 (Wisconsin)
- 20px Highway 137 (Wisconsin)
|}
Buses
- Bay Area Rural Transit
- Indian Trails
Airport
Cable Union Airport serves Bayfield County and the surrounding communities.
National protected areas
- Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (part)
- Chequamegon National Forest (part)
- Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Bayfield County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 1980
!Pop 1990
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|12,824
|12,676
|13,247
|12,955
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13,445
|92.78%
|90.49%
|88.24%
|86.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |82.89%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|4
|29
|20
|44
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54
|0.03%
|0.21%
|0.13%
|0.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.33%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|923
|1,226
|1,380
|1,393
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,612
|6.68%
|8.75%
|9.19%
|9.28%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.94%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|24
|24
|41
|48
|style='background: #ffffe6; |36
|0.17%
|0.17%
|0.27%
|0.32%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|1
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|x
|x
|0.01%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|3
|17
|7
|style='background: #ffffe6; |56
|0.00%
|0.02%
|0.11%
|0.05%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|216
|408
|style='background: #ffffe6; |736
|x
|x
|1.44%
|2.72%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.54%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|47
|50
|91
|158
|style='background: #ffffe6; |279
|0.34%
|0.36%
|0.61%
|1.05%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.72%
|-
|Total
|13,822
|14,008
|15,013
|15,014
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,220
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,220. The population density was . There were 13,238 housing units at an average density of .
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 7,432 households in the county, of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.1% were married-couple households, 20.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 15,013 people, 6,207 households, and 4,276 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 11,640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.46% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 9.39% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.3% were of German, 10.4% Norwegian, 8.4% Swedish, 6.1% Irish, 5.9% Polish, 5.7% Finnish and 5.0% English ancestry. 96.8% spoke English as their first language.
There were 6,207 households, out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.70 males.
In 2017, there were 116 births, giving a general fertility rate of 66.6 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 23rd highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, there were fewer than five reported induced abortions performed on women of Bayfield County residence in 2017.
Communities
thumb|right|County sign on US2 / WIS13; Lake Superior is visible on the right
Cities
- Ashland (mostly in Ashland County)
- Bayfield
- Washburn (county seat)
Village
- Mason
Towns
- Barksdale
- Barnes
- Bayfield
- Bayview
- Bell
- Cable
- Clover
- Delta
- Drummond
- Eileen
- Grand View
- Hughes
- Iron River
- Kelly
- Keystone
- Lincoln
- Mason
- Namakagon
- Orienta
- Oulu
- Pilsen
- Port Wing
- Russell
- Tripp
- Washburn
Census-designated places
- Cable
- Cornucopia
- Drummond
- Grand View
- Herbster
- Iron River
- Port Wing
Unincorporated communities
- Ashland Junction
- Barksdale
- Bark Point
- Benoit
- Delta
- Ino
- Lake Owen
- Leonards
- Moquah
- Muskeg
- Namekagon
- Pike River
- Radspur
- Pureair
- Oulu
- Red Cliff
- Salmo
- Sand Bay
- Sioux
- Sutherland
- Topside
- Wills
Politics
During the 1930s and 1940s at the state level Bayfield county was a stronghold for the Wisconsin Progressive Party - National Progressives. voting consistently for Philip La Follette during gubernatorial elections and Robert M. La Follette Jr. for senate. Today Bayfield County is a Democratic bastion, having voted for the Democrat in every presidential election since 1932 except for three nationwide Republican landslides in 1952, 1956, and 1972.
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See also
- Lake Namakagon
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bayfield County, Wisconsin
- Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- USS Bayfield (APA-33)
- List of counties in Wisconsin
References
Further reading
- Bayfield County, Wisconsin: Its Past, Present and Future. n.p., 1905.
External links
- Bayfield County government website
- Bayfield County Economic Development Corporation
- Old plat maps: 1906 1954
- Bayfield County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation