Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Winnebago County
Winnebago County
U.S. county
	Winnebago County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
	Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 44°04′N 88°38′W / 44.06°N 88.64°W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1848
Named for	Winnebago people
Seat	Oshkosh
Largest city	Oshkosh
Area
• Total	579 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	434 sq mi (1,120 km2)
• Water	144 sq mi (370 km2) 25%%
Population (2010)
• Total	166,994
• Estimate (2020)	171,631
• Density	290/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 8th
Website	www.co.winnebago.wi.us

Winnebago County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 166,994.^[1] Its county seat is Oshkosh.^[2] It was named for the historic Winnebago people, a federally recognized Native American tribe now known as the Ho-Chunk Nation. Chief Oshkosh was a leader in the area. Winnebago County comprises the Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Combined Statistical Area.

History[]

The region was occupied by several Native American tribes in the period of European encounter, including the Sauk, Fox, Menominee, and Ojibwa (known as Chippewa in the US). French traders from what is now Canada had early interaction with them, as did French Jesuit missionaries, who sought to convert them to Catholicism. European and American settlement encroached on their traditional territories, and the United States negotiated treaties in the mid-19th century to keep pushing the Indians to the west.

Winnebago County was created in 1840 by European Americans and organized in 1848.^[3] The name Winnebago is of Algonquin origin, with variations used by the Fox and Potowatomi to refer to the Fox River below Lake Winnebago, which sometimes got muddy and full of fish.^[4] It means 'people dwelling by the fetid or ill-smelling water', which may also refer to a sulfur spring.^[5] The county seat, Oshkosh, was incorporated as a city in 1853, when it already had a population of nearly 2,800.^[6]

Chief Oshkosh was the namesake for the county seat. A leader of the Menominee in the region, he was successful in gaining authorization from the federal government for 2500 of his people to remain in Wisconsin, at a time when the government was pushing for their removal west of the Mississippi River.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 579 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 434 square miles (1,120 km²) is land and 144 square miles (370 km²) (25%) is water.^[7]

Adjacent counties[]

Waupaca County - northwest
Outagamie County - northeast
Calumet County - east
Fond du Lac County - south
Green Lake County - southwest
Waushara County - west

Major highways[]

Airports[]

Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Brennand Airport (79C) in the Town of Clayton is a major recreational aircraft hub year-round.

Commercial airline service for Winnebago County is provided by Appleton International Airport in the neighboring Outagamie County.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	135		—
1850	10,167		7,431.1%
1860	23,770		133.8%
1870	37,279		56.8%
1880	42,740		14.6%
1890	50,097		17.2%
1900	58,225		16.2%
1910	62,116		6.7%
1920	63,897		2.9%
1930	76,622		19.9%
1940	80,507		5.1%
1950	91,103		13.2%
1960	107,928		18.5%
1970	129,931		20.4%
1980	131,703		1.4%
1990	140,320		6.5%
2000	156,763		11.7%
2010	166,994		6.5%
2020 (est.)	171,631	^[8]	2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790–1960^[10] 1900–1990^[11] 1990–2000^[12] 2010–2020^[1]

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Winnebago County

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 156,763 people, 61,157 households, and 39,568 families residing in the county. The population density was 357 per square mile (138/km²). There were 64,721 housing units at an average density of 148 per square mile (57/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.92% White, 1.12% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 1.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.4% were of German, 6.2% Irish and 5.7% Polish ancestry. 94.6% spoke English, 2.5% Spanish and 1.0% Hmong as their first language.

There were 61,157 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.30% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99.

By age, 23.80% of the population was under 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.

In 2017, there were 1,833 births, giving a general fertility rate of 56.5 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 15th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.^[14] Additionally, there were 123 reported induced abortions performed on women of Winnebago County residence in 2017.^[15]

Government[]

Winnebago County is governed by the 36-member Winnebago County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected to the board in a nonpartisan election held the first Tuesday of April in even numbered years and serve two-year terms. The board has several committees. It meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the Winnebago County Courthouse in Oshkosh.

Politics[]

Winnebago County has become a swing county in recent decades. It has voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1980, except in 1992 when it supported George Bush, and in 2020, when it supported Donald Trump.

show

Presidential elections results

Communities[]

Cities[]

Appleton (mostly in Outagamie County and Calumet County)
Menasha (partly in Calumet County)
Neenah
Omro
Oshkosh (county seat)

Villages[]

Towns[]

Census-designated places[]

Unincorporated communities[]

Ghost towns/neighborhoods[]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "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.
^ "Winnebago", Dictionary.com
^ "Winnebago Took Its Name from an Indian Tribe". The Post-Crescent. December 28, 1963. p. 14. Retrieved August 25, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
^ City of Oshkosh. About Us.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
^ "County Population Totals: 2010-2020". Retrieved June 20, 2021.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ "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 19, 2019.
^ 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
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
^ The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 4,098 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 478 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 146 votes, and Independent candidate Arthur Reimer received 21 votes.

External links[]

Winnebago County official website
Winnebago County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Coordinates: 44°04′N 88°38′W / 44.06°N 88.64°W / 44.06; -88.64

[QF-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2014.

[GR6-2] "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.

[3] "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.

[4] "Winnebago", Dictionary.com

[5] "Winnebago Took Its Name from an Indian Tribe". The Post-Crescent. December 28, 1963. p. 14. Retrieved August 25, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] City of Oshkosh. About Us.

[GR1-7] "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

[USCensusEst2020-8] "County Population Totals: 2010-2020". Retrieved June 20, 2021.

[9] "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

[10] "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

[11] Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

[12] "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2015.

[GR8-13] "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.

[14] "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 19, 2019.

[15] 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

[16] Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.

[17] The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 4,098 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 478 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 146 votes, and Independent candidate Arthur Reimer received 21 votes.

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Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2020	50.8% 47,796	46.9% 44,060	2.3% 2,176
2016	49.9% 43,445	42.5% 37,047	7.6% 6,643
2012	47.2% 42,122	51.0% 45,449	1.8% 1,602
2008	43.3% 37,946	54.9% 48,167	1.8% 1,564
2004	52.5% 46,542	46.2% 40,943	1.3% 1,111
2000	50.4% 38,330	44.7% 33,983	5.0% 3,767
1996	42.7% 27,880	45.3% 29,564	12.0% 7,803
1992	43.6% 33,709	35.2% 27,234	21.3% 16,443
1988	54.8% 35,085	44.5% 28,508	0.6% 410
1984	62.7% 39,014	36.7% 22,791	0.6% 378
1980	53.3% 34,286	37.6% 24,203	9.1% 5,864
1976	55.4% 32,149	42.2% 24,485	2.5% 1,448
1972	57.3% 29,488	39.7% 20,450	3.0% 1,544
1968	53.8% 25,361	39.5% 18,605	6.7% 3,138
1964	47.0% 21,084	52.7% 23,636	0.3% 115
1960	61.7% 28,598	38.1% 17,656	0.2% 80
1956	71.4% 28,759	27.6% 11,115	0.9% 380
1952	68.2% 28,172	31.5% 13,016	0.3% 140
1948	55.2% 17,165	42.2% 13,116	2.7% 829
1944	59.6% 19,310	39.6% 12,841	0.8% 269
1940	54.1% 18,697	45.1% 15,570	0.8% 268
1936	36.9% 11,679	58.6% 18,522	4.5% 1,420
1932	41.3% 11,505	56.0% 15,591	2.7% 756
1928	61.1% 16,191	37.7% 9,995	1.2% 315
1924	48.7% 11,239	7.8% 1,801	43.5% 10,038
1920	69.5% 12,035	19.6% 3,397	10.8% 1,876
1916	50.5% 5,923	44.7% 5,242	4.8% 566
1912	17.0% 1,922	41.0% 4,631	42.0% 4,743^[17]
1908	52.2% 6,797	42.4% 5,511	5.4% 703
1904	62.6% 7,720	32.5% 4,006	4.9% 600
1900	55.7% 7,467	41.8% 5,605	2.6% 342
1896	59.2% 7,898	38.2% 5,089	2.6% 347
1892	45.1% 5,354	49.6% 5,893	5.3% 635

show v t Appleton–Oshkosh–Neenah / Fox Cities metropolitan area, Wisconsin
Core cities	Appleton° Neenah° Oshkosh°
Largest municipalities over 10,000 in 2010	Fox Crossing^‡ Grand Chute* Greenville* Harrison* Kaukauna° Little Chute^‡ Menasha°
Municipalities under 10,000 in 2010	Apple Creek^† Buchanan* Butte des Morts^† Center* Clayton* Combined Locks^‡ Darboy^† Dundas^† Forest Junction^§ Freedom* Harbor Springs^† Harrison^‡ Hortonville^‡ Kaukauna* Kimberly^‡ Mackville^† Neenah* Omro° Omro* Oshkosh* Sherwood^‡ Vandenbroek* Winchester^§ Winchester* Winnebago^† Winneconne^‡ Winneconne* Woodville* Wrightstown^‡^
Counties	Outagamie Winnebago Calumet
*town ^‡village °city ^§CDP ^†unincorporated community ^partial

show v t Municipalities and communities of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States
County seat: Oshkosh
Cities	Appleton‡ Menasha‡ Neenah Omro Oshkosh
Villages	Fox Crossing Winneconne
Towns	Algoma Black Wolf Clayton Neenah Nekimi Nepeuskun Omro Oshkosh Poygan Rushford Utica Vinland Winchester Winneconne Wolf River
CDPs	Butte des Morts Eureka Waukau Winchester
Unincorporated communities	Adella Beach Allenville Black Wolf Black Wolf Point Clarks Point Decorah Beach Elo Fairview Beach Fisk Fitzgerald Harbor Springs Highland Shore Indian Shores Island Park Larsen Lasleys Point Leonards Point Little Point Koro Medina Junction Melrose Park Metz‡ Mikesville Oakwood Orihula Paukotuk Piacenza Pickett Plummer Point Point Comfort Ricker Bay Reighmoor Ring Rivermoor Rush Lake Shangri La Point Snells Sunrise Bay Waverly Beach‡ Winnebago Zion Zittau
Ghost towns/neighborhoods	Delhi Menasha (former town)
Indian reservation	Menominee Indian Reservation‡
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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Regions	Apostle Islands Central Plain Chippewa Valley Door Peninsula Driftless Area Eastern Ridges and Lowlands Fox River Valley Great River Road Lake Superior Lowland Northern Highland Western Upland
Major metropolitan areas (pop. over 500,000)	Chicago metropolitan area Madison metropolitan area Milwaukee metropolitan area Twin Cities metropolitan area
Largest cities (pop. over 50,000)	Appleton Eau Claire Green Bay Janesville Kenosha La Crosse Madison Milwaukee Oshkosh Racine Waukesha West Allis
Smaller cities (pop. 15,000 to 50,000)	Beaver Dam Beloit Brookfield Cudahy De Pere Fitchburg Fond du Lac Franklin Greenfield Hartford Hudson Kaukauna Manitowoc Marshfield Menasha Menomonie Mequon Middleton Muskego Neenah New Berlin Oak Creek Oconomowoc Onalaska River Falls Sheboygan South Milwaukee Stevens Point Sun Prairie Superior Watertown Wausau Wauwatosa West Bend Wisconsin Rapids
Largest villages (pop. over 15,000)	Ashwaubenon Bellevue Caledonia Fox Crossing Germantown Howard Menomonee Falls Mount Pleasant Pleasant Prairie
Counties	Adams Ashland Barron Bayfield Brown Buffalo Burnett Calumet Chippewa Clark Columbia Crawford Dane Dodge Door Douglas Dunn Eau Claire Florence Fond du Lac Forest Grant Green Green Lake Iowa Iron Jackson Jefferson Juneau Kenosha Kewaunee La Crosse Lafayette Langlade Lincoln Manitowoc Marathon Marinette Marquette Menominee Milwaukee Monroe Oconto Oneida Outagamie Ozaukee Pepin Pierce Polk Portage Price Racine Richland Rock Rusk Sauk Sawyer Shawano Sheboygan St. Croix Taylor Trempealeau Vernon Vilas Walworth Washburn Washington Waukesha Waupaca Waushara Winnebago Wood
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