Oneida County, Wisconsin


Oneida County is a county in the state of Wisconsin, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 37,845. The county seat is Rhinelander. The county is considered a high-recreation retirement destination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

History

Oneida County was formed in 1887 from sections of Lincoln County. It was named after the indigenous Oneida tribe, one of the five nations of the Iroquois.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and are covered by water. Most people visit Oneida County to enjoy its lakes. In particular, tourists flock to Minocqua, a town of nearly 5,000 people with a summer population around 15,000.

Adjacent counties

  • Forest Countyeast
  • Langlade Countysoutheast
  • Lincoln Countysouth
  • Price Countywest
  • Vilas Countynorth

    Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 8
  • 20px U.S. Highway 45
  • 20px U.S. Highway 51
  • 20px Highway 17
  • 20px Highway 32
  • 20px Highway 47
  • 20px Highway 70

    Railroads

  • Watco

    Airports

Oneida County is served by two public-use airports:
Dolhun Field Airport is also located in the county, but it is for private use by the members of the Dolhun Field Airpark Owners Association.

National protected area

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,845. The population density was. There were 30,465 housing units at an average density of.
The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
The median age was 52.8 years. 16.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.1 males.
There were 17,404 households in the county, of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.3% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
25.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 74.3% lived in rural areas.
Of the 30,465 housing units, 42.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.3% were owner-occupied and 21.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%.

2000 census

At the census of 2000, 36,776 people, 15,333 households, and 10,487 families resided in the county. The population density was. The 26,627 housing units averaged. The racial makeup of the county was 97.71% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. About 0.66% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. The ancestry of the population was around 44.4% was of German, 8.8% Polish, 7.9% Irish, 5.2% Norwegian, and 5.2% English.
Of the 15,333 households, 27.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were not families. About 26.40% 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 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the population was distributed as 22.30% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
In 2017, there were 324 births, giving a general fertility rate of 66.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 24th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.

Communities

City

Oneida County tends to lean Republican, though it was a bellwether from 1928 to 2008, backing the nationwide winner in all but two elections in that span, deviating in 1960 and 1976, supporting losing Republicans in two of the closest elections in American history. Since 1964, when Lyndon Johnson carried it in his national landslide, the county has only voted Democratic three times. Two of these wins were by Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, whose victories were almost entirely due to the heavy third-party performance of Ross Perot, which significantly lowered the Republican vote in the county. In 2008, like the state of Wisconsin as a whole, the county swung heavily Democratic in support of Barack Obama who carried it by a full majority. Since then, the county has voted Republican in every election, and since 2016 by double-digit margins.