Dodge County, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Dodge County Administration building | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofWisconsin | |
 Wisconsin's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:43°25′N88°43′W / 43.42°N 88.71°W /43.42; -88.71 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Founded | 1844 |
| Named after | Henry Dodge |
| Seat | Juneau |
| Largest city | Beaver Dam |
| Area | |
• Total | 907 sq mi (2,350 km2) |
| • Land | 876 sq mi (2,270 km2) |
| • Water | 31 sq mi (80 km2) 3.5% |
| Population | |
• Total | 89,396 |
• Estimate (2024) | 88,635 |
| • Density | 102.1/sq mi (39.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 5th,6th |
| Website | www |
Dodge County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofWisconsin. As of the2020 census, the population was 89,396.[2] Itscounty seat isJuneau.[3] The county was created from theWisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1844.[4]
Dodge County comprises theBeaver Dam, WIMicropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in theMilwaukee–Racine–Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 876 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (3.5%) is water.[5]
The 6,718 acreBeaver Dam Lake and the 2,713 acreFox Lake are found within the county.
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 67 | — | |
| 1850 | 19,138 | 28,464.2% | |
| 1860 | 42,818 | 123.7% | |
| 1870 | 47,035 | 9.8% | |
| 1880 | 45,931 | −2.3% | |
| 1890 | 44,984 | −2.1% | |
| 1900 | 46,631 | 3.7% | |
| 1910 | 47,436 | 1.7% | |
| 1920 | 49,742 | 4.9% | |
| 1930 | 52,092 | 4.7% | |
| 1940 | 54,280 | 4.2% | |
| 1950 | 57,611 | 6.1% | |
| 1960 | 63,170 | 9.6% | |
| 1970 | 69,004 | 9.2% | |
| 1980 | 75,064 | 8.8% | |
| 1990 | 76,559 | 2.0% | |
| 2000 | 85,897 | 12.2% | |
| 2010 | 88,759 | 3.3% | |
| 2020 | 89,396 | 0.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 88,635 | [7] | −0.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[2] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[1] the population was 89,396. Thepopulation density was 102.1 people per square mile (39.4 people/km2). There were 38,123 housing units at an average density of 43.5 units per square mile (16.8 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.8% White, 3.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 2.4% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 6.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of thecensus of 2000,[12] there were 85,897 people, 31,417 households, and 22,313 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 97 people per square mile (37 people/km2). There were 33,672 housing units at an average density of 38 units per square mile (15 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.28% White, 2.49% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Ancestry-wise, 56.2% were ofGerman, 8.7%Irish, 5.0%English, 4.2%Norwegian and 3.9% selected "United States or American" ancestry. 95.4% spokeEnglish, 2.2%Spanish and 2.0% otherIndo-European languages as their language spoken at home.[13]
There were 31,417 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.05.[13]
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 109.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.80 males.
In 2017, there were 758 births, giving a general fertility rate of 54.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 12th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[14]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,653 | 27.33% | 6,810 | 70.14% | 246 | 2.53% |
| 1896 | 5,610 | 51.55% | 4,900 | 45.03% | 372 | 3.42% |
| 1900 | 4,780 | 44.35% | 5,813 | 53.93% | 185 | 1.72% |
| 1904 | 4,248 | 44.91% | 5,005 | 52.91% | 206 | 2.18% |
| 1908 | 4,015 | 39.66% | 5,883 | 58.12% | 225 | 2.22% |
| 1912 | 2,559 | 29.26% | 5,246 | 59.97% | 942 | 10.77% |
| 1916 | 4,887 | 50.66% | 4,519 | 46.85% | 240 | 2.49% |
| 1920 | 11,354 | 77.46% | 2,293 | 15.64% | 1,011 | 6.90% |
| 1924 | 5,167 | 30.45% | 2,019 | 11.90% | 9,785 | 57.66% |
| 1928 | 9,660 | 49.71% | 9,536 | 49.07% | 238 | 1.22% |
| 1932 | 4,936 | 23.34% | 15,874 | 75.06% | 338 | 1.60% |
| 1936 | 6,829 | 30.22% | 14,782 | 65.41% | 988 | 4.37% |
| 1940 | 14,651 | 61.41% | 8,948 | 37.50% | 260 | 1.09% |
| 1944 | 14,102 | 64.44% | 7,667 | 35.04% | 114 | 0.52% |
| 1948 | 10,831 | 56.15% | 8,212 | 42.58% | 245 | 1.27% |
| 1952 | 19,298 | 73.28% | 7,001 | 26.58% | 37 | 0.14% |
| 1956 | 17,569 | 72.10% | 6,704 | 27.51% | 93 | 0.38% |
| 1960 | 17,152 | 62.84% | 10,113 | 37.05% | 30 | 0.11% |
| 1964 | 10,772 | 40.95% | 15,497 | 58.91% | 39 | 0.15% |
| 1968 | 14,909 | 57.88% | 8,948 | 34.74% | 1,901 | 7.38% |
| 1972 | 17,068 | 61.54% | 9,898 | 35.69% | 771 | 2.78% |
| 1976 | 17,335 | 54.79% | 13,643 | 43.12% | 663 | 2.10% |
| 1980 | 19,435 | 57.70% | 11,966 | 35.53% | 2,281 | 6.77% |
| 1984 | 20,458 | 64.41% | 11,052 | 34.80% | 251 | 0.79% |
| 1988 | 17,003 | 56.81% | 12,663 | 42.31% | 261 | 0.87% |
| 1992 | 14,971 | 41.93% | 11,438 | 32.03% | 9,300 | 26.04% |
| 1996 | 12,890 | 43.81% | 12,625 | 42.91% | 3,907 | 13.28% |
| 2000 | 21,684 | 57.52% | 14,580 | 38.67% | 1,437 | 3.81% |
| 2004 | 27,201 | 61.35% | 16,690 | 37.64% | 445 | 1.00% |
| 2008 | 23,015 | 53.74% | 19,183 | 44.80% | 625 | 1.46% |
| 2012 | 25,211 | 56.67% | 18,762 | 42.17% | 515 | 1.16% |
| 2016 | 26,635 | 61.83% | 13,968 | 32.42% | 2,475 | 5.75% |
| 2020 | 31,355 | 64.73% | 16,356 | 33.77% | 725 | 1.50% |
| 2024 | 33,067 | 65.74% | 16,518 | 32.84% | 715 | 1.42% |
Since 1940, Dodge County has been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. It has voted Republican in every election in that span with the exception of the 1964 landslide victory of DemocratLyndon B. Johnson. Only six other times in that span has the Democratic candidate obtained at least 40% of the vote. In 2024,Donald Trump received over 65% of the vote in Dodge County, the best Republican performance since the 1956 landslide reelection ofDwight D. Eisenhower.
Historically, Dodge County had been a major stronghold of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, from the establishment of the state, in 1848, until the 1910s, when a combination ofWorld War I and the rise of theprogressive faction of Republicans began to eat into the Democratic vote in the county. A significant factor in the switch was the anti-war attitude among the county's largeGerman American population. Democratic presidentWoodrow Wilson and Wisconsin's Democratic U.S. senatorPaul O. Husting (who was actually from Dodge County) supported the declaration of war against Germany in 1917, while progressive Republican leaderRobert M. La Follette was one of only six senators who voted against the resolution. In the next presidential election, Dodge County gave 77% of its votes to the Republican nominee—the largest majority the county has given to either party in the last 130 years.
Places adjacent to Dodge County, Wisconsin | |
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Municipalities and communities ofDodge County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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