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Oconto County
Oconto County
County
	The Oconto County Courthouse, circa 1910
	Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
	Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 44°59′N 88°14′W / 44.99°N 88.23°W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1854
Named for	Oconto River
Seat	Oconto
Largest city	Oconto
Area
• Total	1,149 sq mi (2,980 km2)
• Land	998 sq mi (2,580 km2)
• Water	151 sq mi (390 km2) 13%
Population (2020)
• Total	38,965
• Estimate (2023)	39,775
• Density	39.1/sq mi (15.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.co.oconto.wi.us

Oconto County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,965.^[1] Its county seat is Oconto.^[2] The county was established in 1851.^[3]

Oconto County is part of the Green Bay, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Green Bay-Shawano, WI Combined Statistical Area.

History

First visited by French explorers in the 17th century, Oconto County is among the oldest settlements in Wisconsin. Father Claude-Jean Allouez of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order said the first Mass in Oconto. Among the first settlers was Joseph Tourtilott, who explored much of the Oconto River watershed. Oconto County was created in 1851 and organized in 1854.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,149 square miles (2,980 km²), of which 998 square miles (2,580 km²) is land and 151 square miles (390 km²) (13%) is water.^[5]

Adjacent counties

Marinette County - northeast
Door County - southeast, border is in Green Bay
Brown County - south
Shawano County - southwest
Menominee County - west
Langlade County - west
Forest County - northwest

Major highways

Railroads

Buses

Airport

J. Douglas Bake Memorial Airport (KOCQ) serves the county and surrounding communities.

National protected area

Nicolet National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	3,592	—
1870	9,321	159.5%
1880	9,848	5.7%
1890	15,009	52.4%
1900	20,874	39.1%
1910	25,657	22.9%
1920	27,104	5.6%
1930	26,386	−2.6%
1940	27,075	2.6%
1950	26,238	−3.1%
1960	25,110	−4.3%
1970	25,553	1.8%
1980	28,947	13.3%
1990	30,226	4.4%
2000	35,634	17.9%
2010	37,660	5.7%
2020	38,965	3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790–1960^[7] 1900–1990^[8] 1990–2000^[9] 2010^[10] 2020^[1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,^[1] the population was 38,965. The population density was 39.1 people per square mile (15.1 people/km²). There were 23,754 housing units at an average density of 23.8 units per square mile (9.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.5% White, 1.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.8% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 35,634 people, 13,979 households, and 10,050 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km²). There were 19,812 housing units at an average density of 20 units per square mile (7.7 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.76% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.9% were of German, 11.8% Polish, 6.0% French and 5.6% American ancestry.

There were 13,979 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.

In 2017, there were 353 births, giving a general fertility rate of 61.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 28th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.^[12] Additionally, there were 14 reported induced abortions performed on women of Oconto County residence in 2017.^[13]

Communities

Cities

Gillett
Oconto (county seat)
Oconto Falls

Villages

Lena
Pulaski (mostly in Brown County and Shawano County)
Suring

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Native American community

Forest County Potawatomi Community

Ghost town/neighborhood

Politics

United States presidential election results for Oconto County, Wisconsin^[14]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	17,675	70.95%	6,967	27.97%	270	1.08%
2020	16,226	69.89%	6,715	28.93%	274	1.18%
2016	13,345	66.04%	5,940	29.40%	921	4.56%
2012	10,741	54.09%	8,865	44.64%	253	1.27%
2008	8,755	46.16%	9,927	52.34%	286	1.51%
2004	11,043	55.79%	8,534	43.11%	217	1.10%
2000	8,706	52.46%	7,260	43.75%	630	3.80%
1996	5,389	38.81%	6,723	48.42%	1,773	12.77%
1992	5,720	35.59%	5,898	36.70%	4,455	27.72%
1988	7,084	51.65%	6,549	47.75%	83	0.61%
1984	8,714	61.70%	5,289	37.45%	121	0.86%
1980	8,292	58.01%	5,352	37.44%	649	4.54%
1976	6,232	47.84%	6,541	50.21%	254	1.95%
1972	6,511	59.38%	4,041	36.85%	413	3.77%
1968	5,680	53.74%	3,737	35.36%	1,152	10.90%
1964	4,420	40.94%	6,360	58.92%	15	0.14%
1960	6,223	55.15%	5,045	44.71%	15	0.13%
1956	6,836	64.95%	3,632	34.51%	57	0.54%
1952	7,807	69.58%	3,382	30.14%	31	0.28%
1948	4,865	52.61%	4,269	46.17%	113	1.22%
1944	5,923	57.38%	4,348	42.12%	51	0.49%
1940	6,238	53.88%	5,273	45.55%	66	0.57%
1936	3,774	34.20%	6,729	60.98%	531	4.81%
1932	2,915	30.80%	6,440	68.04%	110	1.16%
1928	4,661	51.91%	4,253	47.37%	65	0.72%
1924	2,562	33.12%	602	7.78%	4,571	59.10%
1920	4,735	78.16%	1,030	17.00%	293	4.84%
1916	2,570	56.21%	1,892	41.38%	110	2.41%
1912	1,988	46.60%	1,523	35.70%	755	17.70%
1908	3,020	64.77%	1,453	31.16%	190	4.07%
1904	3,279	73.70%	1,024	23.02%	146	3.28%
1900	2,754	69.72%	1,117	28.28%	79	2.00%
1896	2,836	67.08%	1,290	30.51%	102	2.41%
1892	1,275	43.31%	1,499	50.92%	170	5.77%

In the latter half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, Oconto County was a bellwether in presidential elections, supporting the winning candidate in every election from 1964 to 2008. In 2012, however, the county voted for Republican Mitt Romney despite Romney losing the state of Wisconsin and the national election. In 2016, the county swung 27 percentage points to the right, giving Republican Donald Trump a margin of victory of more than 37 percentage points and a vote share of 66%. In 2020, Trump improved his performance, carrying Oconto by a margin of 41 percentage points and winning 69.9% of the vote to Democrat Joe Biden's 28.9%. This was the best result for any presidential nominee in Oconto County since 1920, when Warren Harding received 78.2% of the vote, and remains the third strongest performance of any candidate ever.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "2020 Decennial Census: Oconto County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer, (New York:Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 1364
^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables". Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
^ Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin, Office of Health Informatics, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Section: Trend Information, 2013-2017, Table 18, pages 17-18
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved August 14, 2018.