County profile

Washburn 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
16,854
Median household income
$63,441
People below poverty
11.5%
Median home value
$226,100

Income

The median income of households in Washburn County, Wisconsin was $63,441. An estimated 4.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 5.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Washburn County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.9
$10,000 to $14,999 4.1
$15,000 to $24,999 6.8
$25,000 to $34,999 10.8
$35,000 to $49,999 11.2
$50,000 to $74,999 19.4
$75,000 to $99,999 13
$100,000 to $149,999 17.4
$150,000 to $199,999 6.9
$200,000 or more 5.6

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

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Dollars
Male 61046
Female 46159

An estimated 67% of households received earnings. An estimated 45.2% of households received Social Security and an estimated 34.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,995. 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 Washburn County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 67
Social Security 45.2
Retirement income 34.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.9
Cash public assistance income 2.4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 11.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 14% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Washburn County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 11.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 14
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.2

In 2020-2024, 11.5 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 36.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 36.9% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 22.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Washburn County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 94.7% had health insurance coverage and 5.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 66.5% and public coverage was 50.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.7%.


In 2020-2024, Washburn County, Wisconsin had a total population of 16,854 - 8,361 (49.6%) females and 8,493 (50.4%) males. The median age was 52.7 years. An estimated 18% of the population was under 18 years, 22% was 19 to 44 years, 30.1% was 45 to 64 years, and 28.1 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 324 310
5 to 9 440 388
10 to 14 468 479
15 to 19 500 443
20 to 24 353 342
25 to 29 327 337
30 to 34 336 342
35 to 39 412 356
40 to 44 410 486
45 to 49 419 420
50 to 54 584 517
55 to 59 714 747
60 to 64 858 808
65 to 69 841 750
70 to 74 666 710
75 to 79 449 412
80 to 84 241 228
85 and over 151 286

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 93% were White; 0.3% were Black or African American; 6.8% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.1% of the people in Washburn County, Wisconsin were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 92.4% of the people in Washburn County, Wisconsin were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 7,566 households in Washburn County, Wisconsin. The average household size was 2.2 people.

Married-couple households made up 53% of the households in Washburn County, Wisconsin while cohabiting couple households made up 8% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 20.5% of all households, while 18.4% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.9% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.1% of all households.

In Washburn County, Wisconsin, 19.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 42.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 53
Cohabiting Couples 8
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.4
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.5

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 57.7% of males and 57.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 24.8 20.4
Now married, except separated 57.7 57.2
Separated 0.5 1.3
Widowed 2.9 9.9
Divorced 14.2 11.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Washburn County, Wisconsin, 214 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 56.1% 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 Washburn County, Wisconsin were U.S. natives. 61.4% of the Washburn County, Wisconsin population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.5% of Washburn County, Wisconsin residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 60.3% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 88.3 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Washburn 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 Washburn County, Wisconsin.

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

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Percent
Latin America 25.7
Asia 22.6
Europe 37
Africa 0.4
Northern America 14.4
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Washburn County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024, 2.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.1% of people at least five years old; 0.6% 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 Washburn County, Wisconsin in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.1
Other Indo-European languages 1.2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0.1

Geographic Mobility

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

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

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Percent
Same house 91.6
Different house, same county 2.2
Different county, same state 2.9
Different state 3.2
Abroad 0.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 94 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 25.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Washburn County, Wisconsin was 2,860 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 217 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,342. College or graduate school enrollment was 301.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 6
High school diploma or equivalency 36.1
Some college, no degree 20.1
Associate's degree 12.3
Bachelor's degree 17.9
Graduate or professional degree 7.6

Disability

In Washburn County, Wisconsin, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 16.2 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.1% of people under 18 years old, to 14.2% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 27.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Washburn County, Wisconsin, 51.8 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 46.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 78.4% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 13.7% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 5,764 78.4
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,007 13.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 563 7.7

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.3
Construction 7.8
Manufacturing 18.4
Wholesale trade 1.3
Retail trade 13.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.1
Information 1.2
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.5
Other Services, except public administration 4.2
Public administration 5.1

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 2,381 32.4
Service occupations 1,234 16.8
Sales and office occupations 1,545 21
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 850 11.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,346 18.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74.9% of Washburn County, Wisconsin workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 22.9 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.3
Walked 1.5
Other means 1.2
Worked from home 12.6

In 2020-2024, Washburn County, Wisconsin had a total of 12,853 housing units. Of these housing units, 88.4% 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"). 4.8% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 6.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 88.4
Apartments in multi-unit structures 4.8
Mobile homes 6.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

7.1% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 10.4% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Washburn County, Wisconsin was 5.4 rooms, and of these housing units 56.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Washburn County, Wisconsin had 7,566 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 5,287 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 82.2% while renters occupied 17.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.26 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.91.

2.3% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 11.5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.3% and another 28.4% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 75.7
Electricity 10.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1.5
All other fuels 12
No fuel used 0.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Washburn County, Wisconsin was $226,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 51.6 % had a mortgage. 48.4% 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 $1,373 and for owners without a mortgage it was $553.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Washburn County, Wisconsin was $795. 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.