Douglas County, Wisconsin

Douglas County
Douglas County
County
	Douglas County Courthouse in Superior in 2022.
	Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
	Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 46°27′N 91°55′W / 46.45°N 91.91°W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	February 8, 1854
Named for	Stephen A. Douglas
Seat	Superior
Largest city	Superior
Area
• Total	1,480 sq mi (3,800 km2)
• Land	1,304 sq mi (3,380 km2)
• Water	176 sq mi (460 km2) 12%
Population (2020)
• Total	44,295
• Density	30/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.douglascountywi.org

Douglas County is a county located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,295 ^[1] Its county seat is Superior.^[2] Douglas County is included in the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Douglas County, named after Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas,^[3]^[4] was established on February 8, 1854, from the larger La Pointe County, Wisconsin, and the City of Superior was immediately selected as the county seat.^[5]

In Wisconsin's 1952 U.S. Senate primary, Douglas County was one of two counties (out of 71 in the state at the time) that Sen. Joe McCarthy did not carry.^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,480 square miles (3,800 km²), of which 1,304 square miles (3,380 km²) is land and 176 square miles (460 km²) (12%) is water.^[7]

A portion of the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is located within Douglas County.

Adjacent counties

Bayfield County – east
Sawyer County – southeast
Washburn County – south
Burnett County – southwest
Pine County, Minnesota – southwest
Carlton County, Minnesota – west
Saint Louis County, Minnesota – northwest
Lake County, Minnesota - northeast

Major highways

Railroads

Buses

Airports

Solon Springs Municipal Airport (KOLG) serves the county and surrounding communities.
Richard I. Bong Airport (KSUW)

National protected area

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	812	—
1870	1,122	38.2%
1880	655	−41.6%
1890	13,468	1,956.2%
1900	36,335	169.8%
1910	47,422	30.5%
1920	49,771	5.0%
1930	46,583	−6.4%
1940	47,119	1.2%
1950	46,715	−0.9%
1960	45,008	−3.7%
1970	44,657	−0.8%
1980	44,421	−0.5%
1990	41,758	−6.0%
2000	43,287	3.7%
2010	44,159	2.0%
2020	44,295	0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1790–1960^[9] 1900–1990^[10] 1990–2000^[11] 2010–2020^[12] 2020 census^[13]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,^[14] the population was 44,295. The population density was 34.0 people per square mile (13.1 people/km²). There were 22,906 housing units at an average density of 17.6 units per square mile (6.8 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% White, 1.8% Native American, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.7% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 44,159 people living in the county. 93.2% were White, 2.0% Native American, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 2.7% of two or more races. 1.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.7% were of German, 11.2% Norwegian, 9.7% Swedish, 7.8% Irish, 6.4% Finnish and 6.1% Polish ancestry.^[15]

2000 census

As of the census^[16] of 2000, there were 43,287 people, 17,808 households, and 11,272 families living in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13 people/km²). There were 20,356 housing units at an average density of 16 units per square mile (6.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.35% White, 0.57% Black or African American, 1.82% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.8% had German, 13.5% Norwegian, 11.5% Swedish, 8.5% Irish, 8.2% Finnish, 6.8% Polish and 5.1% United States or American ancestry. 96.7% spoke English and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 17,808 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.70% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.

In 2017, there were 413 births, giving a general fertility rate of 50.8 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the seventh lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.^[17] Additionally, there were no reported induced abortions performed on women of Douglas County residence in 2017.^[18]

Communities

City

Superior (county seat)

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Brule
Gordon

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Merriam
Millcrest
Morrison (Allouez) (annexed by the City of Superior)
New Bristol (Martinson)
Nutt
Pokegama Junction
Steele
Troy
Walbridge
Way
Wiehe

Politics

Douglas County has one of the longest Democratic voting streaks in the nation in presidential elections; the last Republican presidential candidate to win Douglas County was Herbert Hoover in 1928. However, in 2020, Donald Trump received the highest percent of Douglas County's vote for a Republican since 1956, signaling a new competitiveness in the county. In every Presidential election between 1984 and 2000, the county was always the second most Democratic in the state (behind only Native American-dominated Menominee County), before being surpassed by Dane County in 2004, and several others from 2008 onwards.

Douglas County also regularly supports Democratic candidates at the state level.

United States presidential election results for Douglas County, Wisconsin^[19]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	10,923	44.26%	13,218	53.56%	536	2.17%
2016	9,661	42.87%	11,357	50.39%	1,518	6.74%
2012	7,705	33.66%	14,863	64.92%	326	1.42%
2008	7,835	32.56%	15,830	65.78%	401	1.67%
2004	8,448	33.54%	16,537	65.66%	202	0.80%
2000	6,930	31.93%	13,593	62.62%	1,183	5.45%
1996	5,167	27.79%	10,976	59.04%	2,448	13.17%
1992	5,679	25.52%	12,319	55.36%	4,255	19.12%
1988	6,440	31.49%	13,907	68.01%	102	0.50%
1984	7,066	32.92%	14,291	66.58%	107	0.50%
1980	7,258	34.24%	11,703	55.21%	2,238	10.56%
1976	6,999	33.40%	13,478	64.32%	479	2.29%
1972	8,419	42.58%	11,054	55.91%	298	1.51%
1968	5,656	29.59%	12,506	65.43%	953	4.99%
1964	4,579	23.08%	15,237	76.80%	23	0.12%
1960	8,307	39.06%	12,910	60.70%	53	0.25%
1956	9,183	44.79%	11,276	55.00%	43	0.21%
1952	9,677	45.40%	11,538	54.14%	98	0.46%
1948	6,252	32.48%	12,278	63.79%	718	3.73%
1944	7,132	35.20%	12,985	64.08%	146	0.72%
1940	7,695	32.72%	15,548	66.12%	272	1.16%
1936	5,079	22.92%	16,684	75.28%	400	1.80%
1932	7,888	41.63%	9,715	51.27%	1,346	7.10%
1928	11,280	61.20%	6,762	36.69%	390	2.12%
1924	5,887	39.14%	638	4.24%	8,514	56.61%
1920	7,250	67.53%	2,111	19.66%	1,375	12.81%
1916	3,007	43.57%	2,940	42.60%	955	13.84%
1912	730	14.22%	1,181	23.00%	3,223	62.78%
1908	3,509	55.88%	1,715	27.31%	1,056	16.82%
1904	4,564	72.94%	974	15.57%	719	11.49%
1900	4,450	63.85%	2,187	31.38%	333	4.78%
1896	4,274	61.45%	2,527	36.33%	154	2.21%
1892	2,967	50.66%	2,340	39.95%	550	9.39%