Douglas County, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Douglas County Courthouse in Superior in 2023 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofWisconsin | |
 Wisconsin's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:46°27′N91°55′W / 46.45°N 91.91°W /46.45; -91.91 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Founded | February 8, 1854 |
| Named after | Stephen A. Douglas |
| Seat | Superior |
| Largest city | Superior |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,480 sq mi (3,800 km2) |
| • Land | 1,304 sq mi (3,380 km2) |
| • Water | 176 sq mi (460 km2) 12% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 44,295 |
• Estimate (2024) | 44,276 |
| • Density | 33.97/sq mi (13.12/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 7th |
| Website | www |
Douglas County is acounty in the northwestern corner of theU.S. state ofWisconsin. As of the2020 census, the population was 44,295[1] Itscounty seat isSuperior.[2] Douglas County is included in theDuluth,MN-WIMetropolitan Statistical Area.
Douglas County, named afterIllinois SenatorStephen A. Douglas,[3][4] was established on February 8, 1854, from the largerLa Pointe County, Wisconsin, and theCity of Superior was immediately selected as the county seat.[5]
In Wisconsin's 1952 U.S. Senate primary, Douglas County was one of two counties (out of 71 in the state at the time) that Sen.Joe McCarthy did not carry.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,480 square miles (3,800 km2), of which 1,304 square miles (3,380 km2) is land and 176 square miles (460 km2) (12%) is water.[7]
Part of theFond du Lac Indian Reservation is in Douglas County.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 812 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,122 | 38.2% | |
| 1880 | 655 | −41.6% | |
| 1890 | 13,468 | 1,956.2% | |
| 1900 | 36,335 | 169.8% | |
| 1910 | 47,422 | 30.5% | |
| 1920 | 49,771 | 5.0% | |
| 1930 | 46,583 | −6.4% | |
| 1940 | 47,119 | 1.2% | |
| 1950 | 46,715 | −0.9% | |
| 1960 | 45,008 | −3.7% | |
| 1970 | 44,657 | −0.8% | |
| 1980 | 44,421 | −0.5% | |
| 1990 | 41,758 | −6.0% | |
| 2000 | 43,287 | 3.7% | |
| 2010 | 44,159 | 2.0% | |
| 2020 | 44,295 | 0.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 44,276 | [8] | 0.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010–2020[13]2020 census[14] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[15] the population was 44,295. Thepopulation density was 34.0 people per square mile (13.1 people/km2). There were 22,906 housing units at an average density of 17.6 units per square mile (6.8 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.7%White, 1.8%Native American, 1.3%Black orAfrican American, 0.6%Asian, 0.6% fromother races, and 5.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.7%Hispanic orLatino of any race.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 44,159 people living in the county. 93.2% wereWhite, 2.0%Native American, 1.1%Black or African American, 0.9%Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 2.7%of two or more races. 1.1% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.7% were ofGerman, 11.2%Norwegian, 9.7%Swedish, 7.8%Irish, 6.4%Finnish and 6.1%Polish ancestry.[16]
As of thecensus[17] of 2000, there were 43,287 people, 17,808 households, and 11,272 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 33 people per square mile (13 people/km2). There were 20,356 housing units at an average density of 16 units per square mile (6.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.35%White, 0.57%Black orAfrican American, 1.82%Native American, 0.63%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.20% fromother races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 17.8% hadGerman, 13.5%Norwegian, 11.5%Swedish, 8.5%Irish, 8.2%Finnish, 6.8%Polish and 5.1%United States or American ancestry. 96.7% spokeEnglish and 1.2%Spanish as their first language.
There were 17,808 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% weremarried couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.70% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.
In 2017, there were 413 births, giving a general fertility rate of 50.8 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the seventh lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[18] Additionally, there were no reported induced abortions performed on women of Douglas County residence in 2017.[19]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,967 | 50.66% | 2,340 | 39.95% | 550 | 9.39% |
| 1896 | 4,274 | 61.45% | 2,527 | 36.33% | 154 | 2.21% |
| 1900 | 4,450 | 63.85% | 2,187 | 31.38% | 333 | 4.78% |
| 1904 | 4,564 | 72.94% | 974 | 15.57% | 719 | 11.49% |
| 1908 | 3,509 | 55.88% | 1,715 | 27.31% | 1,056 | 16.82% |
| 1912 | 730 | 14.22% | 1,181 | 23.00% | 3,223 | 62.78% |
| 1916 | 3,007 | 43.57% | 2,940 | 42.60% | 955 | 13.84% |
| 1920 | 7,250 | 67.53% | 2,111 | 19.66% | 1,375 | 12.81% |
| 1924 | 5,887 | 39.14% | 638 | 4.24% | 8,514 | 56.61% |
| 1928 | 11,280 | 61.20% | 6,762 | 36.69% | 390 | 2.12% |
| 1932 | 7,888 | 41.63% | 9,715 | 51.27% | 1,346 | 7.10% |
| 1936 | 5,079 | 22.92% | 16,684 | 75.28% | 400 | 1.80% |
| 1940 | 7,695 | 32.72% | 15,548 | 66.12% | 272 | 1.16% |
| 1944 | 7,132 | 35.20% | 12,985 | 64.08% | 146 | 0.72% |
| 1948 | 6,252 | 32.48% | 12,278 | 63.79% | 718 | 3.73% |
| 1952 | 9,677 | 45.40% | 11,538 | 54.14% | 98 | 0.46% |
| 1956 | 9,183 | 44.79% | 11,276 | 55.00% | 43 | 0.21% |
| 1960 | 8,307 | 39.06% | 12,910 | 60.70% | 53 | 0.25% |
| 1964 | 4,579 | 23.08% | 15,237 | 76.80% | 23 | 0.12% |
| 1968 | 5,656 | 29.59% | 12,506 | 65.43% | 953 | 4.99% |
| 1972 | 8,419 | 42.58% | 11,054 | 55.91% | 298 | 1.51% |
| 1976 | 6,999 | 33.40% | 13,478 | 64.32% | 479 | 2.29% |
| 1980 | 7,258 | 34.24% | 11,703 | 55.21% | 2,238 | 10.56% |
| 1984 | 7,066 | 32.92% | 14,291 | 66.58% | 107 | 0.50% |
| 1988 | 6,440 | 31.49% | 13,907 | 68.01% | 102 | 0.50% |
| 1992 | 5,679 | 25.52% | 12,319 | 55.36% | 4,255 | 19.12% |
| 1996 | 5,167 | 27.79% | 10,976 | 59.04% | 2,448 | 13.17% |
| 2000 | 6,930 | 31.93% | 13,593 | 62.62% | 1,183 | 5.45% |
| 2004 | 8,448 | 33.54% | 16,537 | 65.66% | 202 | 0.80% |
| 2008 | 7,835 | 32.56% | 15,830 | 65.78% | 401 | 1.67% |
| 2012 | 7,705 | 33.66% | 14,863 | 64.92% | 326 | 1.42% |
| 2016 | 9,661 | 42.87% | 11,357 | 50.39% | 1,518 | 6.74% |
| 2020 | 10,923 | 44.26% | 13,218 | 53.56% | 536 | 2.17% |
| 2024 | 11,732 | 46.49% | 13,073 | 51.81% | 429 | 1.70% |
Douglas County has one of the longest Democratic voting streaks in the nation in presidential elections; the last Republican presidential candidate to win Douglas County wasHerbert Hoover in1928. But in2024,Donald Trump received the highest percentage of Douglas County's vote for a Republican since the county's Democratic streak began, signaling a new competitiveness in the county. In every presidential election between1984 and2000, the county was always the second-most Democratic in the state (behind only Native American-dominatedMenominee County), before being surpassed byDane County in2004, and several others since2008.
Douglas County also regularly supports Democratic candidates at the state level.
Places adjacent to Douglas County, Wisconsin | |
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Municipalities and communities ofDouglas County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Towns | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
