County profile

Vernon 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
31,049
Median household income
$71,893
People below poverty
13.1%
Median home value
$223,800

Income

The median income of households in Vernon County, Wisconsin was $71,893. An estimated 4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Vernon County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4
$10,000 to $14,999 4.1
$15,000 to $24,999 6
$25,000 to $34,999 7.8
$35,000 to $49,999 10.9
$50,000 to $74,999 19.8
$75,000 to $99,999 13.7
$100,000 to $149,999 19.4
$150,000 to $199,999 8.3
$200,000 or more 6

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

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Dollars
Male 59259
Female 49438

An estimated 73.5% of households received earnings. An estimated 36.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 28 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,257. 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 Vernon County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 73.5
Social Security 36.8
Retirement income 28
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.3
Cash public assistance income 2.4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 13.1 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 19.2% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 13.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 9.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Vernon County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 13.1
Children under 18 years below poverty 19.2
People 65 years old and over below poverty 13.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 9.9

In 2020-2024, 9.1 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 26.8% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 43.5% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 14.6% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Vernon County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 85% had health insurance coverage and 15% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 65.9% and public coverage was 34.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 27.9%.


In 2020-2024, Vernon County, Wisconsin had a total population of 31,049 - 15,291 (49.2%) females and 15,758 (50.8%) males. The median age was 41.9 years. An estimated 26% of the population was under 18 years, 25% was 19 to 44 years, 25.5% was 45 to 64 years, and 21.3 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 1072 1055
5 to 9 1087 996
10 to 14 1266 1172
15 to 19 1137 1003
20 to 24 717 705
25 to 29 718 664
30 to 34 787 731
35 to 39 837 855
40 to 44 879 860
45 to 49 838 789
50 to 54 852 900
55 to 59 1039 961
60 to 64 1268 1263
65 to 69 1162 1206
70 to 74 907 744
75 to 79 553 595
80 to 84 388 404
85 and over 251 388

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 94.5% were White; 0.3% were Black or African American; 6.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.2% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.1% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 1.8% of the people in Vernon County, Wisconsin were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 94.3% of the people in Vernon County, Wisconsin were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 12,424 households in Vernon County, Wisconsin. The average household size was 2.46 people.

Married-couple households made up 54.4% of the households in Vernon County, Wisconsin while cohabiting couple households made up 5.7% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 18.8% of all households, while 21.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 12.9% were female householders living alone, for a total of 29.8% of all households.

In Vernon County, Wisconsin, 26.4% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 36.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 54.4
Cohabiting Couples 5.7
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.8

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 55.5% of males and 57.5% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 29.5 20.4
Now married, except separated 55.5 57.5
Separated 1 1.1
Widowed 2.9 9
Divorced 11.1 11.9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Vernon County, Wisconsin, 198 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 27.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 99.1% of the people living in Vernon County, Wisconsin were U.S. natives. 77.4% of the Vernon County, Wisconsin population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 0.9% of Vernon County, Wisconsin residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 48.6% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 59.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Vernon 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 Vernon County, Wisconsin.

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

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Percent
Latin America 36.7
Asia 30.8
Europe 24.5
Africa 1.7
Northern America 4.5
Oceania 1.7

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Vernon County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 11.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1% of people at least five years old; 3.5% 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 Vernon County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1
Other Indo-European languages 10.2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 93.1 % of the people at least one year old living in Vernon County, Wisconsin were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 93.1
Different house, same county 3.4
Different county, same state 2.3
Different state 1
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 24.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.7% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Vernon County, Wisconsin was 6,022 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 232 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 5,225. College or graduate school enrollment was 565.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.7
High school diploma or equivalency 34
Some college, no degree 18.7
Associate's degree 12.7
Bachelor's degree 16.4
Graduate or professional degree 8.5

Disability

In Vernon County, Wisconsin, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 10.6 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2.5% of people under 18 years old, to 9.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 23.7% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Vernon County, Wisconsin, 58 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 40.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 78.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 13.1% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 8.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 10,843 78.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,822 13.1
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,154 8.3

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 6
Construction 7.7
Manufacturing 13.9
Wholesale trade 3
Retail trade 11.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.2
Information 2
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.2
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 27.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 4.9
Other Services, except public administration 4.1
Public administration 3.7

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 5,051 36.4
Service occupations 2,085 15
Sales and office occupations 2,413 17.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,824 13.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,504 18

Commuting to Work

An estimated 72.9% of Vernon County, Wisconsin workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 24.1 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 72.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.7
Walked 3.7
Other means 1.6
Worked from home 12.7

In 2020-2024, Vernon County, Wisconsin had a total of 14,065 housing units. Of these housing units, 81.4% 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"). 9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 9.4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 81.4
Apartments in multi-unit structures 9
Mobile homes 9.4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

9.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 24% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Vernon County, Wisconsin was 6 rooms, and of these housing units 66.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Vernon County, Wisconsin had 12,424 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,641 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 80.3% while renters occupied 19.7%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.58 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.

2.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 14.2% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 9.1% and another 25.5% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 67.3
Electricity 11.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 2.5
All other fuels 17.9
No fuel used 0.6

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Vernon County, Wisconsin was $223,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 52.8 % had a mortgage. 47.2% 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 $1,517 and for owners without a mortgage it was $573.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Vernon County, Wisconsin was $836. 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.