Polk County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,977. Its county seat is Balsam Lake. The county was created in 1853 and named for United States President James K. Polk.

History After the Wisconsin Territory was established in 1836, much of the land was covered in vast pine forests, and logging activates began soon after. In 1837, large amounts of American Indian territories were ceded to the United States via the White Pine Treaty, formally known as the Treaty of St. Peters, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians would become a federally recognized tribe and granted reservation lands.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (4.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties Burnett County – north Barron County – east Dunn County – southeast St. Croix County – south Washington County, Minnesota – southwest Chisago County, Minnesota – west

Major highways

U.S. Highway 8 U.S. Highway 63 Highway 35 (Wisconsin) Highway 46 (Wisconsin) Highway 48 (Wisconsin) Highway 65 (Wisconsin) Highway 87 (Wisconsin) Highway 243 (Wisconsin)

Railroads Canadian National Minnesota Transportation Museum

Buses

Airports Amery Municipal Airport (KAHH) serves the county and surrounding communities. L.O. Simenstad Municipal Airport (KOEO).

National protected area Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)

Interstate Park (Wisconsin)

Established in 1900, the Interstate park is part of the Saint Croix National Scenic riverway, the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve and is the westernmost point of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Polk County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)31,95034,25840,13142,47541,77298.76%98.52%97.12%96.09%92.87%Black or African American alone (NH)292056911590.09%0.06%0.14%0.21%0.35%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2153134154243700.66%0.90%1.00%0.96%0.82%Asian alone (NH)52471051482050.16%0.14%0.25%0.33%0.46%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 Census867xx0.02%0.01%0.02%Other race alone (NH)21423181300.06%0.01%0.06%0.04%0.29%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2523871,387xx0.61%0.88%3.08%Hispanic or Latino (any race)841313296569470.26%0.38%0.80%1.48%2.11%Total32,35134,77341,31944,20544,977 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,977. The population density was . There were 24,129 housing units at an average density of .

The median age was 46.5 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.5% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.

There were 18,959 households in the county, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.0% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Of the 24,129 housing units, 21.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.4% were owner-occupied and 20.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 41,319 people, 16,254 households, and 11,329 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 21,129 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.64% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.4% were of German, 18.6% Norwegian, 11.3% Swedish, 5.5% Irish and 5.3% American ancestry.

There were 16,254 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% 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 99.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.

2017 fertility In 2017, there were 400 births, giving a general fertility rate of 56.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 14th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.

Education

Amery School District Clayton School District Clear Lake School District Frederic School District Luck School District Osceola School District St. Croix Falls School District Unity School District

Communities

Cities Amery St. Croix Falls

Villages

Balsam Lake (county seat) Centuria Clayton Clear Lake Dresser Frederic Luck Milltown Osceola Turtle Lake (mostly in Barron County)

Towns

Alden Apple River Balsam Lake Beaver Black Brook Bone Lake Clam Falls Clayton Clear Lake Eureka Farmington Garfield Georgetown Johnstown Laketown Lincoln Lorain Luck McKinley Milltown Osceola St. Croix Falls Sterling West Sweden

Census-designated place Lewis

Unincorporated communities

Atlas Bunyan Clam Falls Cushing Deronda East Farmington Eureka Center Fox Creek Horse Creek Indian Creek Joel Lamar Little Falls Lykens McKinley Nye Pole Cat Crossing (partial) Range Richardson Sand Lake Ubet Wanderoos West Denmark West Sweden Wolf Creek

Notable residents Arnold Franz Brasz (1888–1966), a prominent painter, sculptor, and printmaker was born in Polk County on July 19, 1888 Dougald D. Kennedy (1879–1941) member of the Wisconsin Progressive Party and Wisconsin State Assembly. Represented Polk County from the 63rd Wisconsin Legislature to the 65th Wisconsin Legislature. George A. Nelson (1873–1962), the 1936 Socialist Party of America nominee for vice president of the United States, was born in rural Polk County and was a dairy farmer there.

Politics From its founding in 1853 through 1928, Polk County was a strongly Republican county in presidential elections, never once backing the Democratic candidate. The only two times in that span it did not support the Republican candidate were in 1912 when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt won the county as the Progressive candidate and in 1924 when Progressive and native Wisconsinite Robert M. La Follette won the county. Then, between 1932 and 2012, Polk County was a very consistently competitive county that leaned slightly Republican. During the 1930s and 1940s at the state level Polk county was a stronghold for the Wisconsin Progressive Party–National Progressives. voting consistently for Philip La Follette during gubernatorial elections and Robert M. La Follette Jr. for senate.

Only two presidential candidates between 1932 and 2012, won at least 60% of the county's vote, Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1952 landslide and Lyndon B. Johnson in his 1964 landslide. In 2016, Donald Trump won over 60% of the county's vote with a winning margin of over 27%, the best margin of victory in the county since 1928 with the exception of Johnson in 1964. Trump won in 2020 with the exact same margin of victory of over 27% while increasing his vote share to nearly 63%. In 2024, Trump once again improved on his previous performance, taking nearly 65% of Polk County's vote and defeating Kamala Harris by more than a 30% margin.

Election results

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Polk County, Wisconsin St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

References

Further reading Prentice, Worthy A. Reminiscences of Early Pioneer Days in Polk County. Balsam Lake, Wis,: Polk County Ledger, n.d..

External links Polk County website Polk County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Polk County Economic Development Corporation Polk County Tourism