Lafayette County, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Lafayette County Courthouse in 1982 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofWisconsin | |
| Coordinates:42°40′N90°08′W / 42.66°N 90.14°W /42.66; -90.14 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Founded | 1846 |
| Named after | Marquis de Lafayette |
| Seat | Darlington |
| Largest city | Darlington |
| Area | |
• Total | 635 sq mi (1,640 km2) |
| • Land | 634 sq mi (1,640 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2) 0.2% |
| Population | |
• Total | 16,611 |
• Estimate (2024)[2] | 17,306 |
| • Density | 27.3/sq mi (10.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Lafayette County, sometimes spelledLa Fayette County, is acounty located in theU.S. state ofWisconsin. It was part of theWisconsin Territory at the time of its founding. As of the2020 census, the population was 16,611.[1] Itscounty seat isDarlington.[3] The county was named in honor of theMarquis de Lafayette, the French general who rendered assistance to theContinental Army in theAmerican Revolutionary War.[4] The county is considered a high-farming concentration county by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meaning at least 20 percent of its earnings came from agriculture.[5]
The courthouse scenes from the 2009 filmPublic Enemies were filmed at theLafayette County Courthouse in Darlington.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km2), of which 634 square miles (1,640 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.2%) is water.[6]
U.S. Highway 151
Highway 11 (Wisconsin)
Highway 23 (Wisconsin)
Highway 78 (Wisconsin)
Highway 81 (Wisconsin)
Highway 126 (Wisconsin)| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 11,531 | — | |
| 1860 | 18,134 | 57.3% | |
| 1870 | 22,659 | 25.0% | |
| 1880 | 21,279 | −6.1% | |
| 1890 | 20,265 | −4.8% | |
| 1900 | 20,959 | 3.4% | |
| 1910 | 20,075 | −4.2% | |
| 1920 | 20,002 | −0.4% | |
| 1930 | 18,649 | −6.8% | |
| 1940 | 18,695 | 0.2% | |
| 1950 | 18,137 | −3.0% | |
| 1960 | 18,142 | 0.0% | |
| 1970 | 17,456 | −3.8% | |
| 1980 | 17,412 | −0.3% | |
| 1990 | 16,076 | −7.7% | |
| 2000 | 16,137 | 0.4% | |
| 2010 | 16,836 | 4.3% | |
| 2020 | 16,611 | −1.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 17,306 | 4.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010[11] 2020[1] 2024[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, the population was 16,611.[12] Thepopulation density was 26.2 people per square mile (10.1 people/km2). There were 7,156 housing units at an average density of 11.3 units per square mile (4.4 units/km2).[13] <0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
The racial makeup of the county was 91.7%White, 0.2%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 3.7% from some other race, and 3.9% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population.[12]
The median age was 40.9 years, 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.5 males age 18 and over.[13]
There were 6,618 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.4% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
Of those housing units, 7.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.3% were owner-occupied and 22.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.[13]
As of the2000 census,[15] there were 16,137 people, 6,211 households, and 4,378 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 26 people per square mile (10 people/km2). There were 6,674 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (3.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 99.03%White, 0.11%Black orAfrican American, 0.11%Native American, 0.22%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.14% fromother races, and 0.35% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 33.8% were ofGerman, 17.5%Norwegian, 13.6%Irish, 11.9%English, 6.8%Swiss and 6.0%American ancestry.
There were 6,211 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% weremarried couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,366 | 47.87% | 2,286 | 46.25% | 291 | 5.89% |
| 1896 | 2,919 | 54.74% | 2,236 | 41.94% | 177 | 3.32% |
| 1900 | 2,852 | 55.83% | 2,100 | 41.11% | 156 | 3.05% |
| 1904 | 2,875 | 58.19% | 1,928 | 39.02% | 138 | 2.79% |
| 1908 | 2,832 | 55.96% | 2,100 | 41.49% | 129 | 2.55% |
| 1912 | 1,747 | 39.14% | 1,852 | 41.50% | 864 | 19.36% |
| 1916 | 2,544 | 54.07% | 2,059 | 43.76% | 102 | 2.17% |
| 1920 | 4,893 | 76.11% | 1,357 | 21.11% | 179 | 2.78% |
| 1924 | 2,671 | 34.69% | 1,265 | 16.43% | 3,763 | 48.88% |
| 1928 | 5,134 | 58.53% | 3,585 | 40.87% | 52 | 0.59% |
| 1932 | 3,246 | 39.52% | 4,886 | 59.49% | 81 | 0.99% |
| 1936 | 3,801 | 41.11% | 4,976 | 53.81% | 470 | 5.08% |
| 1940 | 5,059 | 53.71% | 4,315 | 45.81% | 45 | 0.48% |
| 1944 | 4,421 | 54.27% | 3,696 | 45.37% | 30 | 0.37% |
| 1948 | 3,288 | 46.28% | 3,740 | 52.65% | 76 | 1.07% |
| 1952 | 5,731 | 66.23% | 2,905 | 33.57% | 17 | 0.20% |
| 1956 | 4,733 | 59.33% | 3,212 | 40.26% | 33 | 0.41% |
| 1960 | 4,715 | 56.60% | 3,607 | 43.30% | 8 | 0.10% |
| 1964 | 3,194 | 41.64% | 4,471 | 58.28% | 6 | 0.08% |
| 1968 | 4,084 | 55.10% | 2,853 | 38.49% | 475 | 6.41% |
| 1972 | 4,898 | 62.91% | 2,804 | 36.01% | 84 | 1.08% |
| 1976 | 4,131 | 50.48% | 3,839 | 46.91% | 213 | 2.60% |
| 1980 | 4,421 | 51.46% | 3,598 | 41.88% | 572 | 6.66% |
| 1984 | 4,584 | 60.43% | 2,961 | 39.03% | 41 | 0.54% |
| 1988 | 3,665 | 50.69% | 3,521 | 48.70% | 44 | 0.61% |
| 1992 | 2,582 | 32.85% | 3,143 | 39.99% | 2,134 | 27.15% |
| 1996 | 2,172 | 33.62% | 3,261 | 50.48% | 1,027 | 15.90% |
| 2000 | 3,336 | 45.93% | 3,710 | 51.08% | 217 | 2.99% |
| 2004 | 3,929 | 46.84% | 4,402 | 52.48% | 57 | 0.68% |
| 2008 | 2,984 | 38.10% | 4,732 | 60.43% | 115 | 1.47% |
| 2012 | 3,314 | 41.68% | 4,536 | 57.04% | 102 | 1.28% |
| 2016 | 3,977 | 51.91% | 3,288 | 42.91% | 397 | 5.18% |
| 2020 | 4,821 | 56.35% | 3,647 | 42.63% | 87 | 1.02% |
| 2024 | 5,256 | 59.51% | 3,469 | 39.28% | 107 | 1.21% |
Lafayette County has been a reliably Republican county at the federal level for most of its existence. Starting in 1992 however, it voted for the Democratic presidential nominees six elections in a row before shifting back to the GOP in 2016.
Places adjacent to Lafayette County, Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofLafayette County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
