County profile

Iron County

Wisconsin · ACS 2020–2024

Download data

Latest estimates

At a glance

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

Total population
6,210
Median household income
$60,625
People below poverty
10.5%
Median home value
$165,900

Income

The median income of households in Iron County, Wisconsin was $60,625. An estimated 4.5% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 3.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Iron County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than $10,000 4.5
$10,000 to $14,999 2.7
$15,000 to $24,999 8.2
$25,000 to $34,999 11.8
$35,000 to $49,999 13.7
$50,000 to $74,999 21.6
$75,000 to $99,999 10.4
$100,000 to $149,999 18.5
$150,000 to $199,999 5.6
$200,000 or more 3.1

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

View Data Table ↓

Dollars
Male 57031
Female 46050

An estimated 62.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 48.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 35.6 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $26,803. 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 Iron County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Earnings 62.7
Social Security 48.4
Retirement income 35.6
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.8
Cash public assistance income 2.7

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 10.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 13.6% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.5% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.8% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Iron County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
People in poverty 10.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 13.6
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.5
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.8

In 2020-2024, 12.1 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 21.8% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 51.5% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 18.3% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Iron County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 93.9% had health insurance coverage and 6.1% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 70.3% and public coverage was 49%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 6.7%.


In 2020-2024, Iron County, Wisconsin had a total population of 6,210 - 3,049 (49.1%) females and 3,161 (50.9%) males. The median age was 56.1 years. An estimated 15.5% of the population was under 18 years, 20.6% was 19 to 44 years, 29.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 33 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 120 105
5 to 9 136 124
10 to 14 129 137
15 to 19 161 139
20 to 24 88 92
25 to 29 128 125
30 to 34 127 138
35 to 39 123 161
40 to 44 164 138
45 to 49 187 162
50 to 54 195 176
55 to 59 215 208
60 to 64 349 332
65 to 69 367 293
70 to 74 264 261
75 to 79 199 181
80 to 84 139 163
85 and over 70 114

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 93.4% were White; 0% were Black or African American; 4% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 0% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 1.6% of the people in Iron County, Wisconsin were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 92.9% of the people in Iron County, Wisconsin were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 3,109 households in Iron County, Wisconsin. The average household size was 1.96 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.9% of the households in Iron County, Wisconsin while cohabiting couple households made up 8.7% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 19.5% of all households, while 23.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 20.4% of households were male householders living alone, and 13.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 34.2% of all households.

In Iron County, Wisconsin, 18.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 46% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Married-couple households 47.9
Cohabiting Couples 8.7
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
23.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.5

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 56.4% of males and 55.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 22.4 16.9
Now married, except separated 56.4 55.7
Separated 1.2 1.3
Widowed 3.5 12
Divorced 16.5 14.1

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Iron County, Wisconsin, 29 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 48.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.5% of the people living in Iron County, Wisconsin were U.S. natives. 42.4% of the Iron County, Wisconsin population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.5% of Iron County, Wisconsin residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 80.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 100 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Iron 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 Iron County, Wisconsin.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Latin America 33
Asia 13.2
Europe 45.1
Africa 1.1
Northern America 7.7
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Iron County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 2.4 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 0.9% of people at least five years old; 0.8% 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 Iron County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Spanish 0.9
Other Indo-European languages 0.6
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.5
Other languages 0.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 93.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Iron County, Wisconsin were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Same house 93.6
Different house, same county 1.6
Different county, same state 1.8
Different state 2.9
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 95.2 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 26% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 4.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Iron County, Wisconsin was 856 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 30 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 681. College or graduate school enrollment was 145.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Less than high school diploma 4.8
High school diploma or equivalency 31.6
Some college, no degree 21.8
Associate's degree 15.8
Bachelor's degree 19
Graduate or professional degree 6.9

Disability

In Iron County, Wisconsin, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.5 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2.4% of people under 18 years old, to 11% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 22.8% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Iron County, Wisconsin, 51.1 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 47.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 70.7% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 20% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 9.1 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 1,929 70.7
Federal, state, or local government workers 546 20
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 247 9.1

Industries

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

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 4.1
Construction 9.8
Manufacturing 13.8
Wholesale trade 3
Retail trade 11.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.9
Information 1.1
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.2
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 24.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 6.9
Other Services, except public administration 3.7
Public administration 6.3

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 933 34.2
Service occupations 428 15.7
Sales and office occupations 529 19.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 386 14.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 452 16.6

Commuting to Work

An estimated 82.4% of Iron County, Wisconsin workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.2% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 21.9 minutes to get to work.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 82.4
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.2
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 1.5
Other means 2.1
Worked from home 6.8

In 2020-2024, Iron County, Wisconsin had a total of 5,566 housing units. Of these housing units, 91% 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"). 6.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 2.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Single-family houses 91
Apartments in multi-unit structures 6.1
Mobile homes 2.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

4.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 19.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Iron County, Wisconsin was 5.3 rooms, and of these housing units 52.5% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Iron County, Wisconsin had 3,109 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,457 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 88.5% while renters occupied 11.5%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.66.

1.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 13.6% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.2% and another 24.2% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

View Data Table ↓

Percent
Gas 77.2
Electricity 9.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 3.5
All other fuels 9.5
No fuel used 0.2

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Iron County, Wisconsin was $165,900.

Of the owner-occupied households, 48.8 % had a mortgage. 51.2% 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 $1,148 and for owners without a mortgage it was $515.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Iron County, Wisconsin was $662. 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.