Racine County ( ) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 197,727, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a part of the Wisconsin Territory. The Root River is the county's namesake, as is the French for "root".

Racine County comprises the Racine metropolitan statistical area. This area is part of the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha combined statistical area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (58%) is water. The county's unemployment rate was 5.6% in June 2021.

History The Potawatomi people occupied the area of Racine County until European settlement. The Wisconsin Territory legislature established Racine County in 1836, separating it from Milwaukee County. Racine County originally extended to Wisconsin's southern border and encompassed the land that is now Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Kenosha County was created as a separate entity in 1850.

Adjacent counties Milwaukee County (north) Ottawa County, Michigan (northeast across Lake Michigan) Allegan County, Michigan (southeast across Lake Michigan) Kenosha County (south) Walworth County (west) Waukesha County (northwest)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Racine County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)150,936147,745150,238145,414135,33387.18%84.41%79.56%74.42%68.44%Black or African American alone (NH)13,73116,69319,44121,21222,5317.93%9.54%10.30%10.86%11.40%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4194565416145380.24%0.26%0.29%0.31%0.27%Asian alone (NH)5769641,3312,0812,2610.33%0.55%0.70%1.06%1.14%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census544047xx0.03%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)2691421562287920.16%0.08%0.08%0.12%0.40%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,0803,2738,314xx1.10%1.67%4.20%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7,2019,03414,99022,54627,9114.16%5.16%7.94%11.54%14.12%Total173,132175,034188,831195,408197,727 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the population was 197,727. The population density was . There were 84,490 housing units at an average density of .

The median age was 41.1 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older.

For every 100 females there were 97.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.9 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 72.0% White, 11.8% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.4% from some other race, and 9.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 14.1% of the population.

85.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 14.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 78,959 households in the county, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.0% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Of those housing units, 6.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.7% were owner-occupied and 32.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 188,831 people, 70,819 households, and 49,856 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 74,718 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 83.04% White, 10.47% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 7.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.9% were of German, 7.4% Polish and 5.5% Irish ancestry.

There were 70,819 households, of which 34.5% had children under 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

Transportation Major highways

Railroads Amtrak Canadian National Canadian Pacific Union Pacific Sturtevant station

Buses Ryde Racine

Airports John H. Batten Airport (KRAC) serves the county and surrounding communities. Burlington Municipal Airport (KBUU) enhances county service. Cindy Guntly Memorial Airport (62C) enhances county service. Fox River Airport (96C) enhances county service. Sylvania Airport (C89) enhances county service.

Communities

Cities Burlington (partly in Walworth County) Racine (county seat)

Villages

Caledonia Elmwood Park Mount Pleasant North Bay Raymond Rochester Sturtevant Union Grove Waterford Wind Point Yorkville

Towns Burlington Dover Norway Waterford

Census-designated places Bohners Lake (Town of Burlington) Browns Lake (Town of Burlington) Eagle Lake (Town of Dover) Tichigan (Town of Waterford) Wind Lake (Town of Norway)

Unincorporated communities

Beaumont Buena Park Caldwell Cedar Park Eagle Lake Manor Eagle Lake Terrace Franksville Honey Creek (partial) Honey Lake (partial) Husher Ives Grove Kansasville Kneeland North Cape Raymond Rosewood Sylvania Union Church Yorkville

Ghost towns/neighborhoods DeNoon Muskego Settlement Raymond Center

Government

The County Board has 21 members, each elected from single-member districts in nonpartisan elections. In 1974, county voters voted in favor of a referendum to replace the appointed county administrator with an elected county executive, with the first election taking place in 1975. The County Executive is elected in nonpartisan elections taking place in the spring. The current County Executive is Ralph Malicki, who was elected in a 2024 special election following the death of County Executive Jonathan Delagrave.

+ Racine County Executives Name Term start Term end Elected Gilbert Berthelsen May 5, 1975 March 3, 1982 1975, 1979 John Neis (interim) March 12, 1982 May 7, 1982 Appointed as acting and then interim County Executive following Berthelsen's resignation. Leonard Ziolkowski May 7, 1982 April 21, 1987 1982 (special), 1983 Dennis Kornwolf April 21, 1987 April 18, 1995 1987, 1991 Jean Jacobson April 18, 1995 April 15, 2003 1995, 1999 William McReynolds April 15, 2003 April 19, 2011 2003, 2007 Jim Ladwig April 19, 2011 December 30, 2014 2011 Peter Hansen (interim) December 30, 2014 April 21, 2015 Appointed acting and then interim County Executive following Ladwig's resignation. Jonathan Delagrave April 21, 2015 June 28, 2024 2015, 2019, 2023 Thomas Kramer (acting) June 28, 2024 July 23, 2024 Became acting County Executive following Delagrave's death. Thomas Roanhouse (interim) July 23, 2024 December 30, 2024 Appointed interim County Executive. Ralph Malicki December 30, 2024 incumbent 2024 (special)

Politics Racine County has been a bellwether county, having voted for the winning presidential candidate in 28 of the last 33 elections since 1896 despite its solidly Democratic county seat, Racine, Wisconsin. The only exceptions to this were when it voted for Charles Evans Hughes in 1916, Gerald Ford in 1976, Michael Dukakis in 1988, and Donald Trump in 2020. No presidential candidate has won over 60 percent of the vote in Racine County since 1964.

See also Peggy Johnson, a young woman whose body was discovered in 1999 in Raymond National Register of Historic Places listings in Racine County, Wisconsin

References

Further reading Commemorative Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Racine and Kenosha Counties Wisconsin. Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1906.

External links

Racine County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation