Eau Claire County, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Eau Claire County Courthouse, February 2015 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofWisconsin | |
 Wisconsin's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:44°44′N91°17′W / 44.73°N 91.29°W /44.73; -91.29 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Founded | 1856[1] |
| Named after | Eau Claire River |
| Seat | Eau Claire |
| Largest city | Eau Claire |
| Government | |
| • County Administrator | Kathryn Schauf |
| Area | |
• Total | 645 sq mi (1,670 km2) |
| • Land | 638 sq mi (1,650 km2) |
| • Water | 7.3 sq mi (19 km2) 1.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 105,710 |
• Estimate (2024)[2] | 108,830 |
| • Density | 170.6/sq mi (65.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Eau Claire County (/oʊˈklɛər/ ⓘ) is acounty located in theU.S. state ofWisconsin. As of the2020 census, the population was 105,710.[3] Itscounty seat isEau Claire.[4] The county took its name from theEau Claire River.[5]
Eau Claire County is included in the Eau Claire, WIMetropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Eau Claire-Menomonie WICombined Statistical Area.
Eau Claire county was originally set off as theTown of Clearwater inChippewa County in 1855. The name was changed to the Town of Eau Claire on March 31, 1856. The entire town was separated as Eau Claire County by an act of theWisconsin State Legislature on October 6, 1856.[6][7]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 645 square miles (1,670 km2), of which 638 square miles (1,650 km2) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km2) (1.1%) is water.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 3,162 | — | |
| 1870 | 10,769 | 240.6% | |
| 1880 | 19,993 | 85.7% | |
| 1890 | 30,673 | 53.4% | |
| 1900 | 31,692 | 3.3% | |
| 1910 | 32,721 | 3.2% | |
| 1920 | 35,771 | 9.3% | |
| 1930 | 41,087 | 14.9% | |
| 1940 | 46,999 | 14.4% | |
| 1950 | 54,187 | 15.3% | |
| 1960 | 58,300 | 7.6% | |
| 1970 | 67,219 | 15.3% | |
| 1980 | 78,805 | 17.2% | |
| 1990 | 85,183 | 8.1% | |
| 2000 | 93,142 | 9.3% | |
| 2010 | 98,736 | 6.0% | |
| 2020 | 105,710 | 7.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 108,830 | 3.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010[13] 2020[14] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[14] the population was 105,710. Thepopulation density was 165.7 people per square mile (64.0 people/km2). There were 44,966 housing units at an average density of 70.5 units per square mile (27.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.2%White, 4.2%Asian, 1.2%Black orAfrican American, 0.5%Native American, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 1.1% fromother races, and 4.7% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.9%Hispanic orLatino of any race.
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 93,142 people, 35,822 households, and 22,281 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 146 people per square mile (56 people/km2). There were 37,474 housing units at an average density of 59 units per square mile (23 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.96%White, 0.52%Black orAfrican American, 0.54%Native American, 2.52%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.33% fromother races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 37.4% were ofGerman, 21.5%Norwegian and 7.0%Irish ancestry. 94.2% spokeEnglish, 1.6%Hmong, 1.6%Spanish and 1.0%German as their first language.
There were 35,822 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% weremarried couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.80% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 17.10% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males.
In 2017, there were 1,191 births, giving a general fertility rate of 52.8 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the tenth lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Of these, 99 of the births occurred at home, the third highest for Wisconsin counties.[16]
In 2010, the largest religious groups by reported number of adherents were Catholic at 16,240 adherents, ELCA Lutheran at 15,067 adherents, Missouri Synod Lutheran at 6,953 adherents, LCMC Lutheran at 3,355 adherents, United Methodist at 2,177 adherents, non-denominational Christian at 1,557 adherents, Lutheran Brethren at 1,391 adherents, United Church of Christ at 1,046 adherents, Assemblies of God at 969 adherents, Amish at 794 adherents, Wisconsin Synod Lutheran at 757 adherents, ELS Lutheran at 708 adherents, and LDS (Mormon) at 703 adherents.[17]
Eau Claire county is served by theChippewa Valley Regional Airport (KEAU).
The legislative body of Eau Claire County is the non-partisan 29-memberEau Claire County Board of Supervisors.[18] Members of theboard of supervisors are elected by district and the chairperson and vice-chair positions are elected from within members of the board.
The board meets in the Eau Claire County Courthouse in downtownEau Claire,[19] with its weekly meetings televised on local public television and transcripts published online. Most items are approved on a "consent calendar" without discussion.[20] Public comment is limited to three minutes per individual per item.
Eau Claire County is inWisconsin State Senate district 31, represented byJeff Smith (D). The county is divided into twoWisconsin assembly districts: Assembly district 93 which is represented byChristian Phelps (D), as well as district 91 which is represented byJodi Emerson (D). At the federal level, the entire county is contained within Wisconsin'sthird congressional district, which is represented in theUnited States House of Representatives byDerrick Van Orden (R).
In presidential elections, due in part to the presence of theUniversity of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire County is solidly Democratic. The last Republican to win the county wasRonald Reagan in his landslide re-election of1984, and even then he only won the county by a margin of 2.64 percent, smaller thanRichard Nixon's margin of 5.12 percent in his landslide1972 re-election.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,719 | 47.80% | 2,383 | 41.90% | 586 | 10.30% |
| 1896 | 4,522 | 63.42% | 2,364 | 33.16% | 244 | 3.42% |
| 1900 | 4,378 | 66.44% | 1,967 | 29.85% | 244 | 3.70% |
| 1904 | 4,343 | 73.08% | 1,224 | 20.60% | 376 | 6.33% |
| 1908 | 3,981 | 64.50% | 1,859 | 30.12% | 332 | 5.38% |
| 1912 | 2,013 | 40.29% | 1,727 | 34.57% | 1,256 | 25.14% |
| 1916 | 2,922 | 53.00% | 2,290 | 41.54% | 301 | 5.46% |
| 1920 | 7,856 | 81.62% | 1,193 | 12.39% | 576 | 5.98% |
| 1924 | 5,149 | 46.46% | 629 | 5.68% | 5,305 | 47.87% |
| 1928 | 10,079 | 69.25% | 4,385 | 30.13% | 91 | 0.63% |
| 1932 | 7,487 | 48.80% | 7,565 | 49.31% | 291 | 1.90% |
| 1936 | 6,802 | 39.41% | 10,065 | 58.31% | 393 | 2.28% |
| 1940 | 9,595 | 48.38% | 10,129 | 51.07% | 108 | 0.54% |
| 1944 | 9,470 | 51.13% | 8,962 | 48.39% | 88 | 0.48% |
| 1948 | 7,825 | 43.37% | 9,971 | 55.27% | 246 | 1.36% |
| 1952 | 14,069 | 59.47% | 9,554 | 40.38% | 35 | 0.15% |
| 1956 | 13,122 | 58.48% | 9,276 | 41.34% | 41 | 0.18% |
| 1960 | 14,427 | 56.13% | 11,240 | 43.73% | 37 | 0.14% |
| 1964 | 8,700 | 35.48% | 15,775 | 64.33% | 46 | 0.19% |
| 1968 | 11,799 | 46.66% | 12,302 | 48.65% | 1,186 | 4.69% |
| 1972 | 15,883 | 51.33% | 14,300 | 46.21% | 760 | 2.46% |
| 1976 | 16,388 | 46.36% | 18,263 | 51.66% | 702 | 1.99% |
| 1980 | 17,304 | 44.46% | 17,602 | 45.22% | 4,016 | 10.32% |
| 1984 | 20,401 | 51.09% | 19,347 | 48.45% | 181 | 0.45% |
| 1988 | 17,664 | 45.27% | 21,150 | 54.20% | 209 | 0.54% |
| 1992 | 15,915 | 33.81% | 21,221 | 45.08% | 9,940 | 21.11% |
| 1996 | 13,900 | 34.41% | 20,298 | 50.26% | 6,192 | 15.33% |
| 2000 | 20,921 | 43.70% | 24,078 | 50.29% | 2,876 | 6.01% |
| 2004 | 24,653 | 44.47% | 30,068 | 54.24% | 716 | 1.29% |
| 2008 | 20,959 | 38.10% | 33,146 | 60.25% | 905 | 1.65% |
| 2012 | 23,256 | 42.43% | 30,666 | 55.95% | 884 | 1.61% |
| 2016 | 23,331 | 42.40% | 27,340 | 49.69% | 4,354 | 7.91% |
| 2020 | 25,341 | 43.49% | 31,620 | 54.26% | 1,314 | 2.25% |
| 2024 | 27,728 | 43.89% | 34,400 | 54.45% | 1,049 | 1.66% |
Attractions include the Chippewa Valley Museum inEau Claire, Dells Mill Museum inAugusta, Dells Mill Water Powered Museum inAugusta, the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp inEau Claire, and theSarge Boyd Bandshell inEau Claire.[22]
‡ Historical community
§ Now part of theCity of Eau Claire
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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Municipalities and communities ofEau Claire County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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