Polk County, Wisconsin

Polk County, Wisconsin
County
Old Polk County Courthouse and Museum
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Coordinates: 45°28′N 92°26′W / 45.46°N 92.44°W / 45.46; -92.44
Country United States
State Wisconsin
Founded1853
Named afterJames K. Polk[2]
SeatBalsam Lake
Largest cityAmery
Area
 • Total
956 sq mi (2,480 km2)
 • Land914 sq mi (2,370 km2)
 • Water42 sq mi (110 km2)  4.4%
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total
44,977
 • Estimate 
(2024)
45,831
 • Density49.2/sq mi (19.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district7th
Websitewww.co.polk.wi.us

Polk County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,977.[1] Its county seat is Balsam Lake.[3] The county was created in 1853 and named for United States President James K. Polk.[4]

History

After the Wisconsin Territory was established in 1836, much of the land was covered in vast pine forests, and logging activates began soon after. In 1837, large amounts of American Indian territories were ceded to the United States via the White Pine Treaty, formally known as the Treaty of St. Peters, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians would become a federally recognized tribe and granted reservation lands.[5]

Geography

According to the U.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]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Railroads

Buses

Airports

National protected area

Interstate Park (Wisconsin)

Main article: Interstate Park

Established in 1900, the Interstate park is part of the Saint Croix National Scenic riverway, the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve and is the westernmost point of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.[8]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18601,400—
18703,422144.4%
188010,018192.8%
189012,96829.4%
190017,80137.3%
191021,36720.0%
192026,87025.8%
193026,567−1.1%
194026,197−1.4%
195024,944−4.8%
196024,9680.1%
197026,6666.8%
198032,35121.3%
199034,7737.5%
200041,31918.8%
201044,2057.0%
202044,9771.7%
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]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,977.[1] The population 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 and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.9% from two 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]

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,[18] there were 41,319 people, 16,254 households, and 11,329 families residing in the county. The population 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 or African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.4% were of German, 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% were married 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.

2017 fertility

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]

Education

Communities

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Notable residents

Politics

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 Republican Theodore Roosevelt won the county as the Progressive candidate and in 1924 when Progressive and native Wisconsinite Robert 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 the state level Polk 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.

Only two presidential candidates between 1932 and 2012, won at least 60% of the county's vote, Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1952 landslide and Lyndon 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 defeating Kamala Harris by more than a 30% margin.[20]

Election results

United States presidential election results for Polk County, Wisconsin[21]
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%

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "2020 Decennial Census: Polk County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  2. ^ Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 163.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  5. ^ "Jams, Dams, Pines and Pigs: Reflections on the St. Croix Logging Era". St. Croix 360. June 12, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 61 – 64. ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2.
  7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  8. ^ "Interstate Park | Wisconsin DNR". dnr.wisconsin.gov. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  14. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  15. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  16. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  17. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  18. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  19. ^ "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables". Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  20. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved February 8, 2021.

Further reading

45°28′N 92°26′W / 45.46°N 92.44°W / 45.46; -92.44

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