Washburn County
County
Historical Museum in Shell Lake, Wisconsin
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°54′N 91°47′W / 45.9°N 91.79°W / 45.9; -91.79
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1883
Named for	Cadwallader C. Washburn
Seat	Shell Lake
Largest city	Spooner
Area
• Total	853 sq mi (2,210 km2)
• Land	797 sq mi (2,060 km2)
• Water	56 sq mi (150 km2)  6.6%
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	16,623
• Density	20.9/sq mi (8.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.co.washburn.wi.us

Washburn County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after Governor Cadwallader C. Washburn.^[2] As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,623.^[1] Its county seat is Shell Lake.^[3] The county was created in 1883.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 853 square miles (2,210 km²), of which 797 square miles (2,060 km²) is land and 56 square miles (150 km²) (6.6%) is water.^[5]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 53
• U.S. Highway 63
• Highway 48 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 70 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 77 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 253 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

• Canadian National
• Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad

Buses

• List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airport

Shell Lake Municipal Airport (KSSQ) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties

• Douglas County - north
• Bayfield County - northeast
• Sawyer County - east
• Rusk County - southeast
• Barron County - south
• Burnett County - west

National protected area

• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,^[1] the population was 16,623. The population density was 20.9 people per square mile (8.1 people/km²). There were 12,708 housing units at an average density of 15.9 units per square mile (6.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% White, 1.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,^[11] there were 16,036 people, 6,604 households, and 4,530 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile (7.7 people/km²). There were 10,814 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.27% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.9% were of German, 11.4% Norwegian, 7.0% Irish, 6.2% Swedish, 6.1% English and 5.6% American ancestry.

There were 6,604 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.

In 2017, there were 153 births, giving a general fertility rate of 70.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 17th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.^[12] Additionally, there were fewer than five reported induced abortions performed on women of Washburn County residence in 2017.^[13]

Communities

Cities

• Shell Lake (county seat)
• Spooner

Villages

• Birchwood
• Minong

Towns

Census-designated places

• Springbrook
• Stone Lake (part)
• Trego

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

• Harmon

Politics

Between 1964 and 2008, Washburn County backed the nationwide winner in every election except for 1988. In 2012, Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama in the county by a margin of less than 3%, after Obama had won the county by more than 4% in 2008 over John McCain. Washburn County moved significantly to the right in 2016, as Donald Trump took over 59% of the county's vote and won by a margin of over 23%, the best margin of victory for any candidate in the county since 1964. He slightly increased his margin of victory to nearly 24% in 2020 while turning in the best vote share for a Republican in the county since 1928 at over 61%.