Manitowoc County, Wisconsin | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Map ofWisconsin showing Manitowoc County | |
 Wisconsin's location in theUnited States | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Incorporated | 1848 |
| County seat | City of Manitowoc |
| Incorporated Municipalities | 30 (total)
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| Government | |
| • Type | County |
| • Body | Board of Supervisors |
| • Board Chairman | Tyler Martell[1] |
| • County Board | 25 commissioners |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,494 sq mi (3,870 km2) |
| • Land | 589 sq mi (1,530 km2) |
| • Water | 905 sq mi (2,340 km2) |
| • Rank | 6th largest county in Wisconsin |
| Population | |
• Total | 81,359 |
• Estimate (2024) | 81,513 |
| • Rank | 21st largest county in Wisconsin |
| • Density | 138.1/sq mi (53.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (Central) |
| Area codes | 920 |
| Congressional districts | 6th |
| Interstates |  |
| U.S. Routes |   |
| State Routes |       |
| Airports | Manitowoc County Airport |
| Waterways | Lake Michigan –Manitowoc River |
| Public transit | Maritime Metro Transit |
| Website | manitowoccountywi |
Manitowoc County (/ˈmænɪtəwɒk/ ⓘMAN-it-ə-wok) is acounty in theU.S. state ofWisconsin. As of the2020 census, the population was 81,359.[3] Itscounty seat isManitowoc.[4] The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848.[5] Manitowoc County comprises the Manitowoc, WIMicropolitan Statistical Area.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,494 square miles (3,870 km2), of which 589 square miles (1,530 km2) is land and 905 square miles (2,340 km2) (61%) is water.[6]
Manitowoc County Airport (KMTW) serves the county and surrounding communities.
TheWisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary was established in 2021 in the waters ofLake Michigan, with most of its northern half lying off Manitowoc County's coast. Thenational marine sanctuary is the site of a large number of historically significantshipwrecks.[7][8][9]
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 235 | — | |
| 1850 | 3,702 | 1,475.3% | |
| 1860 | 22,416 | 505.5% | |
| 1870 | 33,364 | 48.8% | |
| 1880 | 37,505 | 12.4% | |
| 1890 | 37,831 | 0.9% | |
| 1900 | 42,261 | 11.7% | |
| 1910 | 44,978 | 6.4% | |
| 1920 | 51,644 | 14.8% | |
| 1930 | 58,674 | 13.6% | |
| 1940 | 61,617 | 5.0% | |
| 1950 | 67,159 | 9.0% | |
| 1960 | 75,215 | 12.0% | |
| 1970 | 82,294 | 9.4% | |
| 1980 | 82,918 | 0.8% | |
| 1990 | 80,421 | −3.0% | |
| 2000 | 82,887 | 3.1% | |
| 2010 | 81,442 | −1.7% | |
| 2020 | 81,359 | −0.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 81,513 | [11] | 0.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1790–1960[13] 1900–1990[14] 1990–2000[15] 2010–2020[3] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 81,359.[16] The population density was 138.1 people per square mile (53.3 people/km2), and there were 37,818 housing units at an average density of 64.2 units per square mile (24.8 units/km2).[17]
The median age was 45.1 years, with 20.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.4% aged 65 years or older.[17]
For every 100 females there were 101.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.4 males.[17]
The racial makeup of the county was 88.5%White, 1.3%Black or African American, 0.6%American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 4.9% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.0% of the population.[16]
57.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 42.8% lived in rural areas.[18]
There were 34,995 households in the county, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.1% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[17]
There were 37,818 housing units, of which 7.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.5% were owner-occupied and 26.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.[17]
The 2000census[19] shows Manitowoc County as having 82,887 people, 32,721 households and 22,348 families. Thepopulation density was 140 people per square mile (54 people/km2). There were 34,651 housing units at an average density of 59 units per square mile (23 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.90%White, 0.30%Black orAfrican American, 0.43%Native American, 1.98%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.60% fromother races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 53.7% were ofGerman, 7.3%Polish, 5.3%Czech and 5.0%American ancestry. 95.2% spokeEnglish, 1.8%Spanish, 1.3%Hmong and 1.1%German as their first language.
There were 32,721 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% weremarried couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the age distribution is 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.
In 2017, there were 780 births, giving a general fertility rate of 60.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 27th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[20]
The county executive isBob Ziegelbauer. He is serving his fourth term in that position after being elected in April 2006 and reelected in April 2010, April 2014, and April 2018.[21] The county is served by a 25-membercounty board.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,249 | 33.64% | 4,349 | 65.06% | 87 | 1.30% |
| 1896 | 4,430 | 51.57% | 3,919 | 45.62% | 242 | 2.82% |
| 1900 | 4,317 | 49.50% | 4,167 | 47.78% | 238 | 2.73% |
| 1904 | 4,626 | 53.28% | 3,274 | 37.71% | 783 | 9.02% |
| 1908 | 4,126 | 45.39% | 3,952 | 43.47% | 1,013 | 11.14% |
| 1912 | 2,389 | 31.11% | 3,436 | 44.74% | 1,855 | 24.15% |
| 1916 | 4,224 | 46.46% | 4,338 | 47.72% | 529 | 5.82% |
| 1920 | 8,378 | 61.70% | 2,018 | 14.86% | 3,183 | 23.44% |
| 1924 | 4,828 | 29.54% | 1,599 | 9.78% | 9,918 | 60.68% |
| 1928 | 7,519 | 41.70% | 10,292 | 57.08% | 221 | 1.23% |
| 1932 | 4,573 | 21.98% | 15,696 | 75.44% | 536 | 2.58% |
| 1936 | 5,094 | 21.20% | 15,539 | 64.68% | 3,393 | 14.12% |
| 1940 | 12,616 | 48.29% | 13,142 | 50.30% | 368 | 1.41% |
| 1944 | 14,047 | 53.52% | 11,949 | 45.53% | 251 | 0.96% |
| 1948 | 10,947 | 44.03% | 13,401 | 53.90% | 515 | 2.07% |
| 1952 | 18,950 | 61.32% | 11,879 | 38.44% | 72 | 0.23% |
| 1956 | 18,078 | 61.91% | 10,800 | 36.99% | 321 | 1.10% |
| 1960 | 14,622 | 45.58% | 17,423 | 54.31% | 35 | 0.11% |
| 1964 | 9,849 | 30.96% | 21,927 | 68.92% | 39 | 0.12% |
| 1968 | 13,562 | 44.23% | 15,298 | 49.89% | 1,801 | 5.87% |
| 1972 | 16,599 | 48.51% | 16,489 | 48.19% | 1,132 | 3.31% |
| 1976 | 16,039 | 43.62% | 19,819 | 53.90% | 913 | 2.48% |
| 1980 | 18,591 | 48.00% | 17,330 | 44.74% | 2,811 | 7.26% |
| 1984 | 19,639 | 52.54% | 17,250 | 46.15% | 487 | 1.30% |
| 1988 | 16,020 | 44.52% | 19,680 | 54.69% | 287 | 0.80% |
| 1992 | 14,008 | 33.94% | 15,903 | 38.54% | 11,357 | 27.52% |
| 1996 | 13,239 | 38.44% | 16,750 | 48.63% | 4,455 | 12.93% |
| 2000 | 19,358 | 49.86% | 17,667 | 45.51% | 1,799 | 4.63% |
| 2004 | 23,027 | 52.14% | 20,652 | 46.77% | 481 | 1.09% |
| 2008 | 19,234 | 45.35% | 22,428 | 52.88% | 752 | 1.77% |
| 2012 | 21,604 | 50.69% | 20,403 | 47.88% | 610 | 1.43% |
| 2016 | 23,244 | 56.99% | 14,538 | 35.64% | 3,004 | 7.37% |
| 2020 | 27,218 | 60.72% | 16,818 | 37.52% | 793 | 1.77% |
| 2024 | 28,200 | 60.89% | 17,399 | 37.57% | 717 | 1.55% |
Manitowoc County is fairly competitive in presidential elections; in2016,Donald Trump became the first candidate sinceLyndon B. Johnson from his1964 landslide to win more than 55% of the vote. He expanded his share to over 60% during the2020 election, the first time sinceDwight D. Eisenhower in his1956 landslide that a Republican has hit 60% of the vote in the county. Trump continued this upward trend in 2024, albeit slightly. Statewide, Manitowoc County has voted Republican since the2002 gubernatorial election.
School districts include:[23]
Silver Lake College, laterHoly Family College, was in the county.[24]
The Netflix documentary seriesMaking a Murderer (2015) explores the arrests and trials in 2007 of Manitowoc County residentsSteven Avery and his nephewBrendan Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach, who disappeared in October 2005. The series describes an earlier wrongful conviction of Avery, for which he served 18 years, and his subsequent lawsuit against Manitowoc County. It then focuses on the procedures of the Calumet County Sheriff's Office and the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the later Halbach case. The Sheriffs officers have come under intense scrutiny for their involvement in the Halbach case due to Steven Avery's $36 million lawsuit and their questionable police and investigative techniques.[25][26]
In 2017,Charlie Berens created a comedicshort-form video series calledManitowoc Minute, which features a fictitiousnews presenter character who exaggerates the culture anddialect of Wisconsin.[27][28]
Silver Lake Colg
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Municipalities and communities ofManitowoc 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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