Washburn County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after Governor Cadwallader C. Washburn. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,623. Its county seat is Shell Lake. The county was created in 1883. The county is considered a high-recreation retirement destination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.6%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 53 U.S. Highway 63 Highway 48 (Wisconsin) Highway 70 (Wisconsin) Highway 77 (Wisconsin) Highway 253 (Wisconsin)

Railroads Canadian National Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad

Buses

Airport Shell Lake Municipal Airport (KSSQ) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties Douglas County – north Bayfield County – northeast Sawyer County – east Rusk County – southeast Barron County – south Burnett County – west

National protected area Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Washburn County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)13,02413,55415,50415,22815,34898.86%98.42%96.68%95.71%92.33%Black or African American alone (NH)13252526300.10%0.18%0.16%0.16%0.18%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)901221531741820.68%0.89%0.95%1.09%1.09%Asian alone (NH)10332859590.08%0.24%0.17%0.37%0.35%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census424xx0.02%0.01%0.02%Other race alone (NH)3421360.02%0.03%0.01%0.01%0.22%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census177213665xx1.10%1.34%4.00%Hispanic or Latino (any race)34341432082990.26%0.25%0.89%1.31%1.80%Total13,17413,77216,03615,91116,623 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,623. The population density was . There were 12,708 housing units at an average density of .

The median age was 52.9 years. 18.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.8% of the population.

There were 7,480 households in the county, of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.3% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 12,708 housing units, of which 41.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.7% were owner-occupied and 20.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 16,036 people, 6,604 households, and 4,530 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 10,814 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.27% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.9% were of German, 11.4% Norwegian, 7.0% Irish, 6.2% Swedish, 6.1% English and 5.6% American ancestry.

There were 6,604 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.

In 2017, there were 153 births, giving a general fertility rate of 70.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 17th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, there were fewer than five reported induced abortions performed on women of Washburn County residence in 2017.Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin, Office of Health Informatics, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Section: Trend Information, 2013-2017, Table 18, pages 17-18

Communities Cities Shell Lake (county seat) Spooner

Villages Birchwood Minong

Towns

Barronett Bashaw Bass Lake Beaver Brook Birchwood Brooklyn Casey Chicog Crystal Evergreen Frog Creek Gull Lake Long Lake Madge Minong Sarona Spooner Springbrook Stinnett Stone Lake Trego

Census-designated places Springbrook Stone Lake (part) Trego

Other unincorporated communities

Beaver Brook Chicago Junction Chittamo Earl Lampson Madge Nobleton Sarona Springbrook Stanberry

Ghost towns Harmon

Politics During the 1930s and 1940s at the state level Washburn county was a stronghold for the Wisconsin Progressive Party - National Progressives. voting consistently for Philip La Follette during gubernatorial elections and Robert M. La Follette Jr. for senate.

Between 1964 and 2008, Washburn County backed the nationwide winner in every election except for 1988. In 2012, Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama in the county by a margin of less than 3%, after Obama had won the county by more than 4% in 2008 over John McCain. Washburn County moved significantly to the right in 2016, as Donald Trump took over 59% of the county's vote and won by a margin of over 23%, the best margin of victory for any candidate in the county since 1964. He slightly increased his margin of victory to nearly 24% in 2020 and further increased it to more than 28% in 2024 while turning in the best vote share for any candidate in the county since 1928 at over 63%.

Education

School districts include: - Text list Birchwood School District Hayward Community School District Northwood School District Rice Lake Area School District Shell Lake School District Spooner Area School District

In 1918, the loss of the SS Tuscania prompted the county to burn its German textbooks as part of anti-German sentiment in World War I.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Washburn County, Wisconsin

References

External links

Washburn County website Washburn County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Washburn County tourism website