Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,415. Its county seat is Merrill. The county was created in 1875 and named after President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln County comprises the Merrill, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Wausau–Stevens Point–Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties Oneida County – north Langlade County – east Marathon County – south Taylor County – west Price County – northwest

Major highways U.S. Highway 8 U.S. Highway 51 Highway 17 (Wisconsin) Highway 64 (Wisconsin) Highway 86 (Wisconsin) Highway 107 (Wisconsin)

Railroads Tomahawk Railway Watco

Buses

Airports KRRL – Merrill Municipal Airport KTKV – Tomahawk Regional Airport

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Lincoln County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)26,29326,62328,85727,76326,73499.01%98.63%97.36%96.59%94.08%Black or African American alone (NH)24791191521480.09%0.29%0.40%0.53%0.52%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7089120891080.26%0.33%0.40%0.31%0.38%Asian alone (NH)42781151241170.16%0.29%0.39%0.43%0.41%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 Census4102xx0.01%0.03%0.01%Other race alone (NH)326614350.12%0.02%0.02%0.05%0.12%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census177251742xx0.60%0.87%2.61%Hispanic or Latino (any race)941182433405290.35%0.44%0.82%1.18%1.86%Total26,55526,99329,64128,74328,415 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,415. The population density was and there were 16,034 housing units at an average density of . The median age was 48.9 years, 19.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 23.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.9 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.7% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.

33.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 66.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 12,473 households in the county, of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.7% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Of those housing units, 22.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.4% were owner-occupied and 23.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 29,641 people, 11,721 households, and 8,228 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 14,681 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.76% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 55.9% were of German, 5.7% Polish and 5.3% Norwegian ancestry. 96.9% spoke English, 1.3% German and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 11,721 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

In 2017, there were 270 births, giving a general fertility rate of 62.6 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 34th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.

Communities

Cities Merrill (county seat) Tomahawk

Towns

Birch Bradley Corning Harding Harrison King Merrill Pine River Rock Falls Russell Schley Scott Skanawan Somo Tomahawk Wilson

Unincorporated communities

Bloomville Bradley Bundy Clifford (partial) Doering Dudley Dutch Corners Gilbert Gleason Harrison Heafford Junction Irma Jeffris McCord (partial) Otis Pine River Spirit Falls Tripoli (partial) West Kraft

Politics

Between 1964 and 2016, Lincoln County supported the nationwide winner in every election except for 1988. In 2020, Donald Trump received the highest share of the vote for any candidate in the county since 1960 and won by an even bigger margin in 2024, possibly indicating that this bellwether has shifted to the right.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Lincoln County, Wisconsin

References

External links Lincoln County Lincoln County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Lincoln County interactive maps Libraries and Schools in Marathon and Lincoln Counties: This digital collection contains historic images and texts that document central Wisconsin schools and libraries in Marathon and Lincoln Counties. Text-based materials include: Marchetti, Louis. History of the Public Library Building and Names of Donors, 1909, a record of the proceedings, leading up, and culminating in the erection and completion of the Library Building of the city of Wausau, with names of Donors attached thereto. Compiled and presented to the Library by Louis Marchetti, President of the Library Board from 1904 to 1908.