Polk County, Wisconsin | |
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 Location within the U.S. state ofWisconsin | |
| Coordinates:45°28′N92°26′W / 45.46°N 92.44°W /45.46; -92.44 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Named after | James K. Polk[2] |
| Seat | Balsam Lake |
| Largest city | Amery |
| Area | |
• Total | 956 sq mi (2,480 km2) |
| • Land | 914 sq mi (2,370 km2) |
| • Water | 42 sq mi (110 km2) 4.4% |
| Population | |
• Total | 44,977 |
• Estimate (2024) | 45,831 |
| • Density | 49.2/sq mi (19.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 7th |
| Website | www |
Polk County is the westernmostcounty in theU.S. state ofWisconsin. As of the2020 census, the population was 44,977.[1] Itscounty seat isBalsam Lake.[3] The county was created in 1853 and named for United States PresidentJames K. Polk.[4]
After theWisconsin Territory was established in 1836, much of the land was covered in vast pine forests, andlogging activates began soon after. In 1837, large amounts ofAmerican Indian territories were ceded to the United States via theWhite Pine Treaty, formally known as theTreaty of St. Peters, theSt. Croix Chippewa Indians would become afederally recognized tribe and grantedreservation lands.[5]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 956 square miles (2,480 km2), of which 914 square miles (2,370 km2) is land and 42 square miles (110 km2) (4.4%) is water.[7]
Established in 1900, theInterstate park is part of theSaint Croix National Scenic riverway, theIce Age National Scientific Reserve and is the westernmost point of theIce Age National Scenic Trail.[8]
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,400 | — | |
| 1870 | 3,422 | 144.4% | |
| 1880 | 10,018 | 192.8% | |
| 1890 | 12,968 | 29.4% | |
| 1900 | 17,801 | 37.3% | |
| 1910 | 21,367 | 20.0% | |
| 1920 | 26,870 | 25.8% | |
| 1930 | 26,567 | −1.1% | |
| 1940 | 26,197 | −1.4% | |
| 1950 | 24,944 | −4.8% | |
| 1960 | 24,968 | 0.1% | |
| 1970 | 26,666 | 6.8% | |
| 1980 | 32,351 | 21.3% | |
| 1990 | 34,773 | 7.5% | |
| 2000 | 41,319 | 18.8% | |
| 2010 | 44,205 | 7.0% | |
| 2020 | 44,977 | 1.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 45,831 | [9] | 1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790–1960[11] 1900–1990[12] 1990–2000[13] 2010[14] 2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the population was 44,977.[1] Thepopulation density was 49.2 people per square mile (19.0 people/km2). There were 24,129 housing units at an average density of 26.4 units per square mile (10.2 units/km2).[1]
The median age was 46.5 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males age 18 and over.[15]
The racial makeup of the county was 93.5%White, 0.4%Black or African American, 0.9%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.9% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.[16]
There were 18,959 households in the county, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.0% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
Of the 24,129 housing units, 21.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.4% were owner-occupied and 20.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%.[15]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[17]
As of the2000 census,[18] there were 41,319 people, 16,254 households, and 11,329 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 45 people per square mile (17 people/km2). There were 21,129 housing units at an average density of 23 units per square mile (8.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.64%White, 0.15%Black orAfrican American, 1.06%Native American, 0.26%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.20% fromother races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 31.4% were ofGerman, 18.6%Norwegian, 11.3%Swedish, 5.5%Irish and 5.3%American ancestry.
There were 16,254 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% weremarried couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.
In 2017, there were 400 births, giving a general fertility rate of 56.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 14th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[19]
From its founding in 1853 through 1928, Polk County was a strongly Republican county in presidential elections, never once backing the Democratic candidate. The only two times in that span it did not support the Republican candidate were in 1912 when former RepublicanTheodore Roosevelt won the county as theProgressive candidate and in 1924 whenProgressive and native WisconsiniteRobert M. La Follette won the county. Then, between 1932 and 2012, Polk County was a very consistently competitive county that leaned slightly Republican. During the 1930s and 1940s at thestate level Polk county was a stronghold for theWisconsin Progressive Party. voting consistently forPhilip La Follette during gubernatorial elections andRobert M. La Follette Jr. for senate.
Only two presidential candidates between 1932 and 2012, won at least 60% of the county's vote,Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1952 landslide andLyndon B. Johnson in his 1964 landslide. In 2016,Donald Trump won over 60% of the county's vote with a winning margin of over 27%, the best margin of victory in the county since 1928 with the exception of Johnson in 1964. Trump won in 2020 with the exact same margin of victory of over 27% while increasing his vote share to nearly 63%. In 2024, Trump once again improved on his previous performance, taking nearly 65% of Polk County's vote and defeatingKamala Harris by more than a 30% margin.[20]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,477 | 60.33% | 585 | 23.90% | 386 | 15.77% |
| 1896 | 2,861 | 74.56% | 891 | 23.22% | 85 | 2.22% |
| 1900 | 2,735 | 77.48% | 694 | 19.66% | 101 | 2.86% |
| 1904 | 2,985 | 85.55% | 296 | 8.48% | 208 | 5.96% |
| 1908 | 2,788 | 72.02% | 816 | 21.08% | 267 | 6.90% |
| 1912 | 848 | 27.14% | 830 | 26.56% | 1,447 | 46.30% |
| 1916 | 2,080 | 51.21% | 1,713 | 42.17% | 269 | 6.62% |
| 1920 | 4,796 | 80.47% | 752 | 12.62% | 412 | 6.91% |
| 1924 | 2,793 | 37.57% | 317 | 4.26% | 4,324 | 58.17% |
| 1928 | 6,905 | 75.14% | 2,177 | 23.69% | 108 | 1.18% |
| 1932 | 3,425 | 37.10% | 5,421 | 58.72% | 386 | 4.18% |
| 1936 | 3,596 | 34.25% | 5,618 | 53.51% | 1,285 | 12.24% |
| 1940 | 6,031 | 53.62% | 4,979 | 44.27% | 238 | 2.12% |
| 1944 | 5,329 | 53.58% | 4,489 | 45.14% | 127 | 1.28% |
| 1948 | 3,974 | 41.52% | 5,330 | 55.68% | 268 | 2.80% |
| 1952 | 6,966 | 61.74% | 4,274 | 37.88% | 42 | 0.37% |
| 1956 | 5,894 | 54.04% | 4,985 | 45.71% | 27 | 0.25% |
| 1960 | 6,387 | 55.23% | 5,148 | 44.51% | 30 | 0.26% |
| 1964 | 3,754 | 34.12% | 7,215 | 65.57% | 34 | 0.31% |
| 1968 | 5,583 | 48.83% | 5,179 | 45.30% | 671 | 5.87% |
| 1972 | 6,567 | 52.40% | 5,738 | 45.78% | 228 | 1.82% |
| 1976 | 6,159 | 41.27% | 8,485 | 56.85% | 280 | 1.88% |
| 1980 | 7,207 | 44.23% | 7,607 | 46.68% | 1,482 | 9.09% |
| 1984 | 8,106 | 49.82% | 8,034 | 49.38% | 129 | 0.79% |
| 1988 | 6,866 | 42.98% | 8,981 | 56.22% | 128 | 0.80% |
| 1992 | 5,446 | 30.14% | 7,746 | 42.86% | 4,879 | 27.00% |
| 1996 | 5,387 | 32.82% | 8,334 | 50.78% | 2,692 | 16.40% |
| 2000 | 9,557 | 48.36% | 8,961 | 45.34% | 1,244 | 6.29% |
| 2004 | 12,095 | 51.46% | 11,173 | 47.54% | 235 | 1.00% |
| 2008 | 11,282 | 49.83% | 10,876 | 48.03% | 485 | 2.14% |
| 2012 | 12,094 | 53.58% | 10,073 | 44.62% | 406 | 1.80% |
| 2016 | 13,810 | 60.72% | 7,565 | 33.26% | 1,370 | 6.02% |
| 2020 | 16,611 | 62.99% | 9,370 | 35.53% | 390 | 1.48% |
| 2024 | 18,296 | 64.83% | 9,567 | 33.90% | 359 | 1.27% |
Places adjacent to Polk County, Wisconsin | |
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Municipalities and communities ofPolk County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Towns | ||
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
