Pierce County, Wisconsin | |
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 Location within the U.S. state ofWisconsin | |
| Coordinates:44°43′N92°25′W / 44.72°N 92.42°W /44.72; -92.42 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Named after | Franklin Pierce[1] |
| Seat | Ellsworth |
| Largest city | River Falls |
| Area | |
• Total | 592 sq mi (1,530 km2) |
| • Land | 574 sq mi (1,490 km2) |
| • Water | 18 sq mi (47 km2) 3.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 42,212 |
• Estimate (2024) | 43,380 |
| • Density | 73.5/sq mi (28.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Pierce County is acounty in theU.S. state ofWisconsin. As of the2020 census, the population was 42,212.[2] Itscounty seat isEllsworth.[3] Pierce County is part of theMinneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington,MN–WIMetropolitan Statistical Area.
Native Americans were the first to live in what became Pierce County, as evidenced in the burial mounds near Diamond Bluff. Evidence indicates that this area has been inhabited for 10,000 to 12,000 years. In 1840,St. Croix County covered a large portion of northwestWisconsin Territory. In 1853, theWisconsin State Legislature split St. Croix County into Pierce,Polk, and Saint Croix counties. Pierce County was named forFranklin Pierce, the 14thpresident of the United States.[4][5]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 592 square miles (1,530 km2), of which 574 square miles (1,490 km2) is land and 18 square miles (47 km2) (3.1%) is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 4,672 | — | |
| 1870 | 9,958 | 113.1% | |
| 1880 | 17,744 | 78.2% | |
| 1890 | 20,385 | 14.9% | |
| 1900 | 23,943 | 17.5% | |
| 1910 | 22,079 | −7.8% | |
| 1920 | 21,663 | −1.9% | |
| 1930 | 21,043 | −2.9% | |
| 1940 | 21,471 | 2.0% | |
| 1950 | 21,448 | −0.1% | |
| 1960 | 22,503 | 4.9% | |
| 1970 | 26,652 | 18.4% | |
| 1980 | 31,149 | 16.9% | |
| 1990 | 32,765 | 5.2% | |
| 2000 | 36,804 | 12.3% | |
| 2010 | 41,019 | 11.5% | |
| 2020 | 42,212 | 2.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 43,380 | [7] | 2.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010[12] 2020[2] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 42,212.[13] The median age was 38.0 years; 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.8 males age 18 and over.[14] The 2020 redistricting data also reports these totals.[2]
Thepopulation density was 73.5 per square mile (28.4/km2). There were 16,780 housing units at an average density of 29.2 unitsper square mile (11.3 units/km2). Of those housing units, 4.9% were vacant, 74.5% of occupied units were owner-occupied, and 25.5% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%.[14]
There were 15,958 households in the county, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.7% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.3%White, 1.0%Black or African American, 0.5%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.9% of the population.[13]
30.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 70.0% lived in rural areas.[15]
As of thecensus[16] of 2000, there were 36,804 people, 13,015 households, and 9,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile (25 people/km2). There were 13,493 housing units at an average density of 23 units per square mile (8.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.01%White, 0.25%Black orAfrican American, 0.29%Native American, 0.43%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.28% fromother races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 41.0% were ofGerman, 16.2%Norwegian, 7.1%Swedish and 7.1%Irish ancestry.
There were 13,015 households, out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% weremarried couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.60% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 17.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.
In 2017, there were 386 births, giving a general fertility rate of 43.7 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[17]
Originally a swing county, Pierce joined the Democratic column beginning in 1988. In 2012, RepublicanMitt Romney won the county by a narrow 162-vote plurality, and it has trended more Republican ever since. In 2024,Donald Trump's performance was the strongest for a Republican in the county sinceDwight Eisenhower in 1956.[18]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,315 | 57.66% | 1,210 | 30.14% | 490 | 12.20% |
| 1896 | 3,724 | 69.79% | 1,412 | 26.46% | 200 | 3.75% |
| 1900 | 3,433 | 72.95% | 1,041 | 22.12% | 232 | 4.93% |
| 1904 | 3,492 | 82.28% | 594 | 14.00% | 158 | 3.72% |
| 1908 | 2,988 | 71.62% | 978 | 23.44% | 206 | 4.94% |
| 1912 | 986 | 29.13% | 985 | 29.10% | 1,414 | 41.77% |
| 1916 | 1,945 | 51.88% | 1,650 | 44.01% | 154 | 4.11% |
| 1920 | 4,441 | 82.62% | 644 | 11.98% | 290 | 5.40% |
| 1924 | 2,788 | 40.97% | 298 | 4.38% | 3,719 | 54.65% |
| 1928 | 6,491 | 67.65% | 3,017 | 31.44% | 87 | 0.91% |
| 1932 | 3,537 | 44.32% | 4,115 | 51.57% | 328 | 4.11% |
| 1936 | 3,935 | 42.70% | 4,061 | 44.06% | 1,220 | 13.24% |
| 1940 | 6,624 | 66.25% | 3,259 | 32.59% | 116 | 1.16% |
| 1944 | 5,137 | 62.40% | 3,033 | 36.84% | 63 | 0.77% |
| 1948 | 3,753 | 45.18% | 4,395 | 52.91% | 158 | 1.90% |
| 1952 | 6,763 | 67.49% | 3,241 | 32.34% | 17 | 0.17% |
| 1956 | 5,782 | 61.13% | 3,644 | 38.53% | 32 | 0.34% |
| 1960 | 5,632 | 56.56% | 4,317 | 43.35% | 9 | 0.09% |
| 1964 | 3,291 | 34.05% | 6,351 | 65.70% | 24 | 0.25% |
| 1968 | 4,990 | 48.76% | 4,783 | 46.74% | 461 | 4.50% |
| 1972 | 5,899 | 50.35% | 5,611 | 47.89% | 206 | 1.76% |
| 1976 | 5,676 | 40.36% | 8,039 | 57.16% | 349 | 2.48% |
| 1980 | 6,209 | 39.68% | 7,312 | 46.73% | 2,125 | 13.58% |
| 1984 | 7,612 | 50.74% | 7,289 | 48.58% | 102 | 0.68% |
| 1988 | 6,045 | 40.87% | 8,659 | 58.55% | 85 | 0.57% |
| 1992 | 4,844 | 28.05% | 7,824 | 45.30% | 4,604 | 26.66% |
| 1996 | 4,599 | 30.66% | 7,970 | 53.13% | 2,431 | 16.21% |
| 2000 | 8,169 | 45.48% | 8,559 | 47.65% | 1,234 | 6.87% |
| 2004 | 10,437 | 47.71% | 11,176 | 51.09% | 263 | 1.20% |
| 2008 | 9,812 | 44.38% | 11,803 | 53.39% | 492 | 2.23% |
| 2012 | 10,397 | 49.46% | 10,235 | 48.69% | 388 | 1.85% |
| 2016 | 11,272 | 52.73% | 8,399 | 39.29% | 1,705 | 7.98% |
| 2020 | 12,815 | 54.96% | 9,796 | 42.01% | 706 | 3.03% |
| 2024 | 14,417 | 56.78% | 10,171 | 40.06% | 804 | 3.17% |
Places adjacent to Pierce County, Wisconsin | |
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Municipalities and communities ofPierce County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Towns | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
