Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,304. Its county seat is Richland Center. The county was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1842 and organized in 1850. It is named for the high quality of its soil.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 14 Highway 56 (Wisconsin) Highway 58 (Wisconsin) Highway 60 (Wisconsin) Highway 80 (Wisconsin) Highway 130 (Wisconsin) Highway 131 (Wisconsin) Highway 133 (Wisconsin) Highway 154 (Wisconsin) Highway 171 (Wisconsin) Highway 193 (Wisconsin)
Airport Richland Airport (93C) serves the county and surrounding communities.
Adjacent counties Vernon County – north Sauk County – east Iowa County – southeast Grant County – southwest Crawford County – west
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Richland County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)17,33417,37517,54617,31516,01499.19%99.17%97.89%96.08%92.55%Black or African American alone (NH)23122679920.13%0.07%0.15%0.44%0.53%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)18333744420.10%0.19%0.21%0.24%0.24%Asian alone (NH)27383888950.15%0.22%0.21%0.49%0.55%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 Census540xx0.03%0.02%0.00%Other race alone (NH)134610240.07%0.02%0.03%0.06%0.14%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census99121511xx0.55%0.67%2.95%Hispanic or Latino (any race)61591673605260.35%0.34%0.93%2.00%3.04%Total17,47617,52117,92418,02117,304 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 17,304, the median age was 45.4 years, 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18, 23.4% were 65 years of age or older, and there were 104.5 males for every 100 females (102.4 per 100 females age 18 and over).
The population density was with 8,475 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.0% of the population.
28.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 71.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 7,141 households in the county, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.1% were married-couple households, 21.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of those housing units, 15.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.4% were owner-occupied and 25.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,924 people, 7,118 households, and 4,833 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 8,164 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.39% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.7% were of German, 12.5% Norwegian, 10.3% Irish, 9.5% English and 8.8% American ancestry. 97.1% spoke English, 1.1% German, and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.
There were 7,118 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.
Communities
City Richland Center (county seat)
Villages Boaz Cazenovia (partly in Sauk County) Lone Rock Viola (partly in Vernon County) Yuba
Towns
Akan Bloom Buena Vista Dayton Eagle Forest Henrietta Ithaca Marshall Orion Richland Richwood Rockbridge Sylvan Westford Willow
Census-designated places Gotham Sextonville
Unincorporated communities
Ash Ridge Aubrey Balmoral Basswood Bear Valley Bloom City Bosstown Buck Creek Bunker Hill Byrds Creek Eagle Corners Excelsior Five Points Germantown Gillingham Hub City Ithaca Jimtown Keyesville Loyd Neptune Nevels Corners Orion Port Andrew Rockbridge Sabin Sand Prairie Sylvan Tavera Tunnelville (partial) Twin Bluffs West Lima Westport Wild Rose Woodstock
Ghost towns/neighborhoods Ashford Corwin Henrietta McGrew Mill Creek
Politics
Richland County has been a Republican-leaning county for most of its existence, only backing Democratic candidates six times and never giving them a vote share of more than 60%.
See also COVID-19 trends for Richland County National Register of Historic Places listings in Richland County, Wisconsin
References
Further reading History of Crawford and Richland Counties, Wisconsin. Springfield, Ill.: Union Publishing, 1884. Miner, James H. (ed.) History of Richland County, Wisconsin. Madison, Wis.: Western Historical Association, 1906.
External links Richland County website Richland County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Richland County Health and Demographic Data