Lincoln County, WI

County

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2024 Population

28,426

US Senator

Ron Johnson

Republican Party

US Senator

Tammy Baldwin

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

49.3

0.203% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.6%

0.82% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$68,164

0.647% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$192,700

8.44% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

13,597

0.556% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Lincoln 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.

99.4% of the residents in Lincoln County, WI are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Lincoln County, WI was $192,700, and the homeownership rate was 79.5%.

Most people in Lincoln County, WI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Lincoln County, WI was 2 cars per household.

Lincoln County, WI borders Langlade County, WI, Marathon County, WI, Oneida County, WI, Price County, WI, and Taylor County, WI.

United States Wisconsin Merrill, WI

Population & Diversity

Lincoln County, WI is home to a population of 28.4k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.85% of Lincoln County, WI residents were born outside of the country (527 people).

In 2024, there were 39.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (26.4k people) in Lincoln County, WI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 669 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 314 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%

2024 Citizenship

99.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.4% of Lincoln County, WI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lincoln County, WI was 99.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lincoln County, WI

White (Non-Hispanic)
26.4k ± 169
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
669 ± 62
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
314 ± 73

2.28%

Hispanic Population

647 people

2.28% of the people in Lincoln County, WI are hispanic (647 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lincoln 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

1.85%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

527 people

1.65%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

469 people

As of 2024, 1.85% of Lincoln County, WI residents (527 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 Lincoln County, WI was 1.65%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
626 ± 131
Gulf War (2001-)
250 ± 80
Gulf War (1990s)
225 ± 72

Lincoln County, WI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.5 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Lincoln County, WI employs 13.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lincoln County, WI were Manufacturing (3,000 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,937 people), and Retail Trade (1,379 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($108,365), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($62,404), and Public Administration ($60,993).

Employment

Occupations

13.6k

2024 Value

± 606

−0.556%

1 Year decline

± 6.47%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lincoln County, WI declined at a rate of −0.556%, from 13.7k employees to 13.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lincoln County, WI, are Production Occupations (1,846 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,338 people), and Management Occupations (1,085 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lincoln 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

13.6k

2024 Value

± 606

−0.556%

1 Year decline

± 6.47%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lincoln County, WI declined at a rate of −0.556%, from 13.7k employees to 13.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lincoln County, WI, are Manufacturing (3,000 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,937 people), and Retail Trade (1,379 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lincoln County, WI, though some of these residents may live in Lincoln County, WI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,363

Median earning men ± $2,646

$42,093

Median earning women ± $1,735

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($86,111), Public Administration ($67,724), and Wholesale Trade ($65,833).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($59,107), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($58,279), and Information ($58,148).

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

53
Retail Trade
47
Construction
44
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

$149k
Manufacturing
$94.2k
Finance and Insurance
$40k
Retail Trade

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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, WI was $192,700 in 2024, which is 0.579 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $177,700 to $192,700, a 8.44% increase. The homeownership rate in Lincoln County, WI is 79.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lincoln County, WI have an average commute time of 22.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lincoln County, WI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 9.29% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lincoln County, WI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.11%.

Housing

Property

$192,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,759

$10,158

Median Property Taxes

±$498

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 Lincoln County, WI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

79.5%

Homeownership

2024

62.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 79.5% of the housing units in Lincoln County, WI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lincoln 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.

$68,164

Median Household Income

± $3,741

12.8k

Number of Households

± 599

In 2024, the median household income of the 12.8k households in Lincoln County, WI grew to $68,164 from the previous year's value of $67,726.

The following chart displays the households in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 (78.8%)
Worked At Home (11.6%)
Carpooled (6.35%)

In 2024, 78.8% of workers in Lincoln County, WI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.6%) and those who carpooled to work (6.35%).

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

22.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lincoln County, WI have a shorter commute time (22.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.89% of the workforce in Lincoln County, WI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, WI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Lincoln County, WI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 9.29% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lincoln County, WI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.11%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

10.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lincoln County, WI (2.96k out of 27.9k 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 Females 65 - 74, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

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

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, 12.4% of the children was living in poverty in Lincoln County, WI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.8%.

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 181 in Lincoln County, WI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 9.63 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.3% of the population of Lincoln County, WI has health coverage, with 47.8% on employee plans, 13.7% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 14.7% on non-group plans, and 1.48% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lincoln County, WI see 2,039 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,039 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1892 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1420 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.7% were men and 49.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,039 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lincoln County, WI

Primary care physicians in Lincoln County, WI see an average of 2,039 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,039 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.5% under 18 years, 15.9% between 18 and 34 years, 42.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.7% were men and 49.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.75%

Uninsured

47.8%

Employer Coverage

13.7%

Medicaid

17.5%

Medicare

14.7%

Non-Group

1.48%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lincoln County, WI declined by 3.05% from 4.9% to 4.75%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 72.7 in Lincoln County, WI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lincoln County, WI.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 40.3% in Lincoln County, WI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lincoln County, WI.