County profile

Bayfield County

Wisconsin · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
16,575
Median household income
$71,151
People below poverty
9.8%
Median home value
$240,800

Income

The median income of households in Bayfield County, Wisconsin was $71,151. An estimated 3.4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.4
$10,000 to $14,999 4
$15,000 to $24,999 6.9
$25,000 to $34,999 8.7
$35,000 to $49,999 10
$50,000 to $74,999 19.8
$75,000 to $99,999 15.8
$100,000 to $149,999 16.9
$150,000 to $199,999 8.4
$200,000 or more 6.1

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 62043
Female 52556

An estimated 65% of households received earnings. An estimated 51.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 40.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $25,731. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 65
Social Security 51.4
Retirement income 40.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.1
Cash public assistance income 2.3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 9.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 13.4% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 7% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.3% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 9.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 13.4
People 65 years old and over below poverty 7
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.3

In 2020-2024, 11.6 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 32.2% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 50.2% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 18.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 94.7% had health insurance coverage and 5.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 67.8% and public coverage was 50%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.1%.


In 2020-2024, Bayfield County, Wisconsin had a total population of 16,575 - 8,134 (49.1%) females and 8,441 (50.9%) males. The median age was 54.6 years. An estimated 16.3% of the population was under 18 years, 21.9% was 19 to 44 years, 29% was 45 to 64 years, and 31.3 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 341 298
5 to 9 345 387
10 to 14 439 360
15 to 19 426 368
20 to 24 340 299
25 to 29 321 333
30 to 34 336 324
35 to 39 394 416
40 to 44 435 426
45 to 49 413 371
50 to 54 506 506
55 to 59 677 676
60 to 64 845 808
65 to 69 841 905
70 to 74 842 696
75 to 79 505 432
80 to 84 214 253
85 and over 221 276

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 84.1% were White; 0.8% were Black or African American; 5.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.6% were Asian; 0% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 6.4% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.1% of the people in Bayfield County, Wisconsin were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 83.7% of the people in Bayfield County, Wisconsin were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 7,437 households in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. The average household size was 2.21 people.

Married-couple households made up 55.6% of the households in Bayfield County, Wisconsin while cohabiting couple households made up 6.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 20.7% of all households, while 17.2% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.8% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.6% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.4% of all households.

In Bayfield County, Wisconsin, 18.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 48.4% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 55.6
Cohabiting Couples 6.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
17.2
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.7

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 60.5% of males and 58.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 24 19.7
Now married, except separated 60.5 58.7
Separated 0.8 0.3
Widowed 3.5 10.2
Divorced 11.1 11.2

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Bayfield County, Wisconsin, 194 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 52.6% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.9% of the people living in Bayfield County, Wisconsin were U.S. natives. 57.5% of the Bayfield County, Wisconsin population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.1% of Bayfield County, Wisconsin residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 61.5% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 75.9 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Bayfield County, Wisconsin come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Bayfield County, Wisconsin.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 15.5
Asia 28.3
Europe 34.8
Africa 9.6
Northern America 8
Oceania 3.7

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 3.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 0.6% of people at least five years old; 0.5% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 0.6
Other Indo-European languages 1.1
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.4
Other languages 1.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Bayfield County, Wisconsin were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 91.6
Different house, same county 2.9
Different county, same state 2.5
Different state 2.8
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 96 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 35% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Bayfield County, Wisconsin was 2,775 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 228 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,000. College or graduate school enrollment was 547.

Educational Attainment of People in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 4
High school diploma or equivalency 26.3
Some college, no degree 21.7
Associate's degree 13
Bachelor's degree 21.8
Graduate or professional degree 13.2

Disability

In Bayfield County, Wisconsin, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 16.6 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.1% of people under 18 years old, to 13% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 28.7% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Bayfield County, Wisconsin, 50.9 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 47.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 70.8% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 19.8% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 8.9 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 5,117 70.8
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,430 19.8
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 644 8.9

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Bayfield County, Wisconsin worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.8
Construction 8.5
Manufacturing 9.4
Wholesale trade 1.1
Retail trade 10
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.3
Information 1.9
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.1
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.1
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 23.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 13.1
Other Services, except public administration 5
Public administration 6.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 2,883 39.9
Service occupations 1,342 18.6
Sales and office occupations 1,191 16.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 835 11.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 976 13.5

Commuting to Work

An estimated 71% of Bayfield County, Wisconsin workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 23.3 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 71
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.8
Walked 3.6
Other means 1.4
Worked from home 13.4

In 2020-2024, Bayfield County, Wisconsin had a total of 13,356 housing units. Of these housing units, 87.4% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 7.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 5.4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 87.4
Apartments in multi-unit structures 7.1
Mobile homes 5.4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

8.1% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 15.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Bayfield County, Wisconsin was 5.3 rooms, and of these housing units 53.9% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Bayfield County, Wisconsin had 7,437 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 5,919 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 83.9% while renters occupied 16.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.22 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.2.

3.2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 15.8% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.2% and another 29% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Bayfield County, Wisconsin:

House Heating Fuel Used in Bayfield County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 71.3
Electricity 11.8
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1.7
All other fuels 14.9
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Bayfield County, Wisconsin was $240,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 48.4 % had a mortgage. 51.6% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,478 and for owners without a mortgage it was $558.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Bayfield County, Wisconsin was $812. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.