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Vilas County, Wisconsin

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Vilas County (/vaɪləs/ VYE-ləss) is a county in the state of Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,047.[1] Its county seat is Eagle River.[2] The county partly overlaps the reservation of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The county is considered a high-recreation retirement destination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.[3]

Vilas County, Wisconsin
County
Vilas County Courthouse
Vilas County Courthouse
Map of Wisconsin highlighting Vilas County
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Coordinates: 46°03′N 89°31′W / 46.05°N 89.51°W / 46.05; -89.51
Country United States
State Wisconsin
FoundedApril 12, 1893
Named afterWilliam Freeman Vilas
SeatEagle River
Largest cityEagle River
Area
 • Total
1,018 sq mi (2,640 km2)
 • Land857 sq mi (2,220 km2)
 • Water161 sq mi (420 km2)  16%
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total
23,047
 • Estimate 
(2025)
23,761 Increase
 • Density26.9/sq mi (10.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district7th
Websitewww.vilascountywi.gov

History

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Native Americans

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Native Americans have lived in what is now Vilas County for thousands of years. The county contains archaeological sites dating to the prehistoric Woodland period.[4] In the eighteenth century, the area was disputed by the Dakota and Ojibwe people. According to oral histories, the conflict culminated in Ojibwe victory in a battle on Strawberry Island in Flambeau Lake around 1745.[5] Ojibwe people have continued to live in the area ever since, securing the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation in the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe.[6]

Settlement

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The first recorded white settler was a man named Ashman who established a trading post in Lac du Flambeau in 1818.[7]

In the 1850s migrants from New England, primarily from Vermont and Connecticut, constructed wagon roads and trails through Vilas County including the Ontonagan Mail Trail and a military road from Fort Howard to Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor, Michigan.[7]

Vilas County was set off from Oneida County on April 12, 1893, and named for William Freeman Vilas. Originally from Vermont, Vilas represented Wisconsin in the United States Senate from 1891 to 1897.[8][9]

Logging era

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Logging began in the late 1850s. Loggers came from Cortland County, New York, Carroll County, New Hampshire, Orange County, Vermont and Down East Maine in what is now Washington County, Maine and Hancock County, Maine.[10] Many dams were built throughout the county to assist loggers as they sent their timber downstream to the lumber and paper mills in the Wisconsin River valley.[7] After the county was founded in 1893 and logging ceased to be the primary industry in the area, migrants seeking other forms of employment settled in the county. These later immigrants primarily came from Germany, Ireland and Poland though some came from other parts of the United States as well.[10]

Geography

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Sign for Vilas County on U.S. Route 45

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,018 square miles (2,640 km2), of which 857 square miles (2,220 km2) is land and 161 square miles (420 km2) (16%) is water.[11] There are 1,318 lakes in the county. Much of Vilas County is covered by the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest as well as extensive county forest lands. Vilas County waters drain to Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and the Mississippi River. The Wisconsin, Flambeau, and Presque Isle Rivers all find their headwaters in Vilas County.

Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Buses

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Airports

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National protected areas

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Although these two forests have been administratively combined into the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, the county contains portions of both original forests.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19004,929—
19106,01922.1%
19205,649−6.1%
19307,29429.1%
19408,89421.9%
19509,3635.3%
19609,332−0.3%
197010,95817.4%
198016,53550.9%
199017,7077.1%
200021,03318.8%
201021,4301.9%
202023,0477.5%
2025 (est.)23,761[12] Increase3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15]
1990–2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[1]

Racial and ethnic composition

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Vilas County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[18] Pop 1990[19] Pop 2000[20] Pop 2010[21] Pop 2020[22] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 15,295 16,073 18,765 18,546 19,569 92.50% 90.77% 89.22% 86.54% 84.91%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4 9 42 31 49 0.02% 0.05% 0.20% 0.14% 0.21%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,181 1,528 1,876 2,290 2,181 7.14% 8.63% 8.92% 10.69% 9.46%
Asian alone (NH) 17 35 37 61 57 0.10% 0.20% 0.18% 0.28% 0.25%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [23] x [24] 2 1 0 x x 0.01% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 0 1 9 3 61 0.00% 0.01% 0.04% 0.01% 0.26%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [25] x [26] 121 230 671 x x 0.58% 1.07% 2.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 38 61 181 268 459 0.23% 0.34% 0.86% 1.25% 1.99%
Total 16,535 17,707 21,033 21,430 23,047 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,047, and the population density was 26.9 people per square mile (10.4 people/km2). There were 24,486 housing units at an average density of 28.5 units per square mile (11.0 units/km2).[27]

The median age was 56.8 years. 15.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 33.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.7 males age 18 and over.[27]

The racial makeup of the county was 85.5% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 9.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.[28]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[29]

There were 10,804 households in the county, of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.6% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[27]

There were 24,486 housing units, of which 55.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.1% were owner-occupied and 18.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%.[27]

2000 census

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2000 Census Age Pyramid for Vilas County

As of the census[30] of 2000, there were 21,033 people, 9,066 households, and 6,300 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9.3 people/km2). There were 22,397 housing units at an average density of 26 units per square mile (10 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.69% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 9.08% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.8% were of German, 7.9% Polish, 6.6% Irish and 5.3% English ancestry. 95.9% spoke English, 1.3% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language.

There were 9,066 households, out of which 23.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.70% under the age of 18, 5.00% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

In 2017, there were 186 births, giving a general fertility rate of 74.9 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 7th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[31] Additionally, there were twelve reported induced abortions performed on women of Vilas County residence in 2017.[32]

Economy

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The economy in Vilas County is based on tourism centered on its high concentration of lakes and forests. Hunting and sport fishing are the backbones of the fall economy, and ice fishing and especially snowmobiling makes up the bulk of the economy in the wintertime. Logging, forestry, construction and government also account for important parts of the local economy.

Municipalities

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The municipalities with their population within Vilas County and their total population as of the 2010 Census, are:[33]

City

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated communities

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Notable people

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Politics

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United States presidential election results for Vilas County, Wisconsin[34]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1896 754 62.01% 443 36.43% 19 1.56%
1900 1,208 69.27% 488 27.98% 48 2.75%
1904 1,467 79.08% 322 17.36% 66 3.56%
1908 794 71.73% 278 25.11% 35 3.16%
1912 304 32.94% 327 35.43% 292 31.64%
1916 531 48.45% 467 42.61% 98 8.94%
1920 903 66.06% 255 18.65% 209 15.29%
1924 873 42.11% 119 5.74% 1,081 52.15%
1928 1,609 58.45% 1,083 39.34% 61 2.22%
1932 1,138 34.29% 2,036 61.34% 145 4.37%
1936 1,298 31.31% 2,559 61.74% 288 6.95%
1940 2,251 46.92% 2,470 51.48% 77 1.60%
1944 2,021 48.91% 2,079 50.31% 32 0.77%
1948 2,665 58.30% 1,688 36.93% 218 4.77%
1952 3,687 70.85% 1,497 28.77% 20 0.38%
1956 3,683 74.07% 1,267 25.48% 22 0.44%
1960 3,508 64.25% 1,942 35.57% 10 0.18%
1964 2,827 49.78% 2,841 50.03% 11 0.19%
1968 3,339 58.12% 1,798 31.30% 608 10.58%
1972 4,422 65.92% 1,907 28.43% 379 5.65%
1976 4,929 59.30% 3,209 38.61% 174 2.09%
1980 6,034 60.80% 3,293 33.18% 597 6.02%
1984 5,965 66.09% 2,940 32.57% 121 1.34%
1988 5,842 60.09% 3,781 38.89% 99 1.02%
1992 4,616 40.99% 3,764 33.42% 2,882 25.59%
1996 4,496 43.04% 4,226 40.46% 1,723 16.50%
2000 6,958 56.47% 4,706 38.19% 658 5.34%
2004 8,155 58.24% 5,713 40.80% 134 0.96%
2008 7,055 51.31% 6,491 47.21% 204 1.48%
2012 7,749 55.98% 5,951 42.99% 142 1.03%
2016 8,166 60.00% 4,770 35.05% 675 4.96%
2020 9,261 60.26% 5,903 38.41% 205 1.33%
2024 9,837 60.97% 6,119 37.92% 179 1.11%

Vilas County has long been one of the most consistently Republican counties in Wisconsin. Since 1944, the county has only once voted Democrat, supporting Lyndon B. Johnson in his nationwide landslide of 1964, and even then, Johnson won by just 14 votes and 0.25% in the county.

Images

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See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census: Vilas County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ "County Typology Codes - Descriptions and Maps". USDA. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  4. ↑ Chapman, Valerie M. (May 2008). Detailed archaeological analysis of LDF-030D (47Vi257) of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Vilas County, Wisconsin (Thesis). Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  5. ↑ Entz, Gary (January 23, 2019). "Strawberry Island: The Heart of Lac du Flambeau". WXPR. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ "About Us". Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Vilas County, WI Government Main Page Archived December 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Accessed January 11, 2011
  8. ↑ William Freeman Vilas: Doctrinaire Democrat Front Cover Horace Samuel Merrill State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1954
  9. ↑ Vilas County History Archived November 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. 1 2 History of Northern Wisconsin Illustrated. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1881.
  11. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  12. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  15. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  16. ↑ "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 9, 2015.
  17. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  18. ↑ "1980 General Population Characteristics - Wisconsin - Table 15: Persons by Race and Table 16: Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race". United States Census Bureau – via Internet Archive.
  19. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Wisconsin - Table 3: Race and Hispanic Origin: 1990" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 23-111. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  20. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Vilas County, Wisconsin". United States Census Bureau.
  21. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Vilas County, Wisconsin". United States Census Bureau.
  22. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Vilas County, Wisconsin". United States Census Bureau.
  23. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  24. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  25. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  26. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  27. 1 2 3 4 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  28. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  29. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  30. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  31. ↑ "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.
  32. ↑ 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
  33. ↑ "GCT-PH1 Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County – County Subdivision and Place". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  34. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

Further reading

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