Menominee County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,255,
Menominee is Wisconsin's newest county, having been created in 1959 after recognition of the Menominee tribe was terminated by federal law. In 1974, the tribe regained federal recognition and restoration of most of its reservation. Today Menominee County is essentially coterminous with the boundaries of the federally recognized Menominee Indian Reservation.
Menominee County is included in the Shawano, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Green Bay-Shawano, WI Combined Statistical Area.
History
The county was created from the northeastern portion of seven townships of Shawano County and the western three townships of Oconto County on July 3, 1959, in anticipation of the termination of the Menominee Indian Reservation in 1961. The reservation status was restored in 1973, and is now co-extensive with the county.
Most of the land within the county boundary is under Federal trust for the exclusive use by enrolled members of the Menominee nation. Scattered parcels that were purchased during termination, as well as many lots around the Legend Lake area in the southeastern part of the county, are the only parts of the county that are privately owned by non-Native Americans. Most of Menominee County's population consists of members of the Menominee nation.
Menomonee County is the only county in Wisconsin that is designated as a "persistent poverty" county, meaning that its poverty rate was at least 20% in four measurements since 1990.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Wisconsin by total area.
Adjacent counties
- Oconto County – east
- Shawano County – south
- Langlade County – northwest
Major highways
- 20px Highway 47 (Wisconsin)
- 20px Highway 55 (Wisconsin)