Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
County
Manitowoc County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Map of Wisconsin showing Manitowoc County
Wisconsin's location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Incorporated	1848
County seat	City of Manitowoc
Incorporated Municipalities	30 (total) 3 cities 18 towns 9 villages
Government
• Type	County
• Body	Board of Supervisors
• Board Chairman	Tyler Martell
• County Board	25 commissioners
Area
• Total	1,494 sq mi (3,870 km2)
• Land	589 sq mi (1,530 km2)
• Water	905 sq mi (2,340 km2)
• Rank	6th largest county in Wisconsin
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	81,359
• Rank	21st largest county in Wisconsin
• Density	138.1/sq mi (53.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
Area codes	920
Congressional districts	6th
Interstates
U.S. Routes
State Routes
Airports	Manitowoc County Airport
Waterways	Lake Michigan – Manitowoc River
Public transit	Maritime Metro Transit
Website	manitowoccountywi.gov

Manitowoc County (/ˈmænɪtəwɒk/ MAN-it-ə-wok) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359.^[2] Its county seat is Manitowoc.^[3] The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848.^[4] Manitowoc County comprises the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,494 square miles (3,870 km²), of which 589 square miles (1,530 km²) is land and 905 square miles (2,340 km²) (61%) is water.^[5]

Major highways

Railroads

• Canadian National

Buses

• Maritime Metro Transit
• List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airport

Manitowoc County Airport (KMTW) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties

• Brown County – northwest
• Kewaunee County – northeast
• Sheboygan County – south
• Calumet County – west
• Mason County, Michigan – east and southeast
• Manistee County, Michigan – northeast

National marine sanctuary

The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary was established in 2021 in the waters of Lake Michigan, with most of its northern half lying off Manitowoc County's coast. The national marine sanctuary is the site of a large number of historically significant shipwrecks.^[6][7][8]

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2020,^[1] the population was 81,359. The population density was 138.1 people per square mile (53.3 people/km²). There were 37,818 housing units at an average density of 64.2 units per square mile (24.8 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% White, 2.8% Asian, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.8% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The 2000 census^[14] shows Manitowoc County as having 82,887 people, 32,721 households and 22,348 families.The population density was 140 people per square mile (54 people/km²). There were 34,651 housing units at an average density of 59 units per square mile (23 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.90% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 53.7% were of German, 7.3% Polish, 5.3% Czech and 5.0% American ancestry. 95.2% spoke English, 1.8% Spanish, 1.3% Hmong and 1.1% German as their first language.

There were 32,721 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population is spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.

In 2017, there were 780 births, giving a general fertility rate of 60.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 27th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.^[15] Additionally, there were 43 reported induced abortions performed on women of Manitowoc County residence in 2017.^[16]

Government

The county executive is Bob Ziegelbauer. He is serving his fourth term in that position after being elected in April 2006 and reelected in April 2010, April 2014, and April 2018.^[17] The county is served by a 25-member county board.

Politics

Manitowoc County is fairly competitive in presidential elections; in 2016, Donald Trump became the first candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson from his 1964 landslide to win more than 55% of the vote. He expanded his share to over 60% during the 2020 election, the first time since Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1956 landslide that a Republican has hit 60% of the vote in the county. Statewide, Manitowoc County has voted Republican since the 2002 gubernatorial election.