Pierce County, Wisconsin


Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,212. Its county seat is Ellsworth. Pierce County is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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 northwest Wisconsin Territory. In 1853, the Wisconsin State Legislature split St. Croix County into Pierce, Polk, and Saint Croix counties. Pierce County was named for Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of [the United States].

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 42,212. 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. The 2020 redistricting data also reports these totals.
The population density was. There were 16,780 housing units at an average density of. 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%.
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.
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 and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 2.9% of the population.
30.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 70.0% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,804 people, 13,015 households, and 9,032 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 13,493 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.01% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 41.0% were of German, 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% were married 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.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town/neighborhood

Transportation

Railroads

Politics

Originally a swing county, Pierce joined the Democratic column beginning in 1988. In 2012, Republican Mitt 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 since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.