Bayfield County, WI

County

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2024 Population

16,575

US Senator

Ron Johnson

Republican Party

US Senator

Tammy Baldwin

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

54.6

0.924% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.77%

9.16% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$71,151

2.22% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$240,800

5.57% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

7,227

1.12% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Bayfield County, WI reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.6% of the residents in Bayfield County, WI are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Bayfield County, WI was $240,800, and the homeownership rate was 83.9%.

Most people in Bayfield County, WI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Bayfield County, WI was 2 cars per household.

Bayfield County, WI borders Lake County, MN, Ashland County, WI, Douglas County, WI, Sawyer County, WI, and Washburn County, WI.

United States Wisconsin

Population & Diversity

Bayfield County, WI is home to a population of 16.6k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.13% of Bayfield County, WI residents were born outside of the country (187 people).

In 2024, there were 11.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.9k people) in Bayfield County, WI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.23k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 682 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%

2024 Citizenship

99.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.6% of Bayfield County, WI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bayfield County, WI was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bayfield County, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bayfield County, WI

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.9k ± 64
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
1.23k ± 86
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
682 ± 104

2.12%

Hispanic Population

351 people

2.12% of the people in Bayfield County, WI are hispanic (351 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bayfield County, WI as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Wisconsin.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
89,915 ± 7,306 people
India
21,992 ± 3,634 people
China
14,287 ± 2,931 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Wisconsin was Mexico, the natal country of 89,915 Wisconsin residents, followed by India with 21,992 and China with 14,287.

Foreign-Born Population

1.13%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

187 people

1.21%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

199 people

As of 2024, 1.13% of Bayfield County, WI residents (187 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bayfield County, WI was 1.21%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bayfield County, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
561 ± 77
Gulf War (1990s)
223 ± 44
Gulf War (2001-)
221 ± 51

Bayfield County, WI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.52 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bayfield County, WI.

Economy

The economy of Bayfield County, WI employs 7.23k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bayfield County, WI were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,122 people), Retail Trade (724 people), and Manufacturing (681 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($107,917), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,000), and Transportation & Warehousing ($60,978).

Employment

Occupations

7.23k

2024 Value

± 278

−1.12%

1 Year decline

± 5.56%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bayfield County, WI declined at a rate of −1.12%, from 7.31k employees to 7.23k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bayfield County, WI, are Management Occupations (907 people), Sales & Related Occupations (623 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (568 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bayfield County, WI.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Wisconsin (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

7.23k

2024 Value

± 278

−1.12%

1 Year decline

± 5.56%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bayfield County, WI declined at a rate of −1.12%, from 7.31k employees to 7.23k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bayfield County, WI, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,122 people), Retail Trade (724 people), and Manufacturing (681 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bayfield County, WI, though some of these residents may live in Bayfield County, WI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,413

Median earning men ± $2,169

$37,206

Median earning women ± $2,603

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($74,205), Public Administration ($65,956), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($62,386).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($53,846), Information ($53,750), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,250).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.

Y-Axis

1.6%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.95M people employed in Wisconsin. This represents a 1.6% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Wisconsin.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

67
Accommodation and Food Services
55
Construction
36
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$57.5k
Construction
$30.4k
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$13.5k
Accommodation and Food Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Wisconsin went to Donald J. Trump with 49.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.518%).

Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin are the senators currently representing the state of Wisconsin. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Wisconsin is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Bayfield County, WI. Showing the available data for Wisconsin.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (49.6%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (48.7%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.518%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Wisconsin went to Donald J. Trump with 49.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.518%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Wisconsin for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Wisconsin

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.

Ron Johnson

Senator from Wisconsin

Assumed office on January 3, 2011

Tammy Baldwin

Senator from Wisconsin

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin are the senators currently representing Wisconsin.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Wisconsin over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bayfield County, WI was $240,800 in 2024, which is 0.724 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $228,100 to $240,800, a 5.57% increase. The homeownership rate in Bayfield County, WI is 83.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bayfield County, WI have an average commute time of 23.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bayfield County, WI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bayfield County, WI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.03%.

Housing

Property

$240,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,203

$6,237

Median Property Taxes

±$223

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bayfield County, WI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bayfield County, WI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

83.9%

Homeownership

2024

65.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 83.9% of the housing units in Bayfield County, WI were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 84.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bayfield County, WI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$71,151

Median Household Income

± $2,275

7.44k

Number of Households

± 277

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.44k households in Bayfield County, WI grew to $71,151 from the previous year's value of $69,609.

The following chart displays the households in Bayfield County, WI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bayfield County, WI is from Wisconsin.

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

0.443

2022 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

In 2023, the income inequality in Wisconsin was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.492% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Wisconsin was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Wisconsin in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Wisconsin across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71%)
Worked At Home (13.4%)
Carpooled (9.75%)

In 2024, 71% of workers in Bayfield County, WI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.4%) and those who carpooled to work (9.75%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bayfield County, WI have a shorter commute time (23.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.28% of the workforce in Bayfield County, WI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bayfield County, WI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bayfield County, WI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bayfield County, WI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bayfield County, WI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.03%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

9.77% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bayfield County, WI (1.6k out of 16.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bayfield County, WI is White, followed by Native American and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 15.9% of the children was living in poverty in Bayfield County, WI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 209 in Bayfield County, WI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 15.7 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

94.7% of the population of Bayfield County, WI has health coverage, with 36% on employee plans, 16.2% on Medicaid, 23.2% on Medicare, 17.1% on non-group plans, and 2.28% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Bayfield County, WI see 2,331 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,331 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2373 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 419 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,331 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Bayfield County, WI

Primary care physicians in Bayfield County, WI see an average of 2,331 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,331 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Bayfield County, WI in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.5% under 18 years, 12.2% between 18 and 34 years, 39.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 31.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

5.27%

Uninsured

36%

Employer Coverage

16.2%

Medicaid

23.2%

Medicare

17.1%

Non-Group

2.28%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bayfield County, WI declined by 10% from 5.86% to 5.27%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bayfield County, WI changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.