| Official Name: | Manitowoc County, Wisconsin |
| Flag Size: | 200px |
| Seal Size: | 125px |
| Mapsize: | 200px |
| Image Map1: | Map_of_USA_WI.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 200px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Established Date: | 1848 |
| Seat1 Type: | Largest city |
| Parts Type: | Incorporated Municipalities |
| Parts: | 30 (total) |
| Parts Style: | list |
| P1: | 3 cities |
| P2: | 18 towns |
| P3: | 9 villages |
| Leader Name: | Tyler Martell[1] |
| Leader Title2: | County Board |
| Leader Name2: | 25 commissioners |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1494 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 589 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 905 |
| Area Rank: | 6th largest county in Wisconsin |
| Population Total: | 81359 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Est: | 81331 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 138.1 |
| Population Rank: | 21st largest county in Wisconsin |
| Utc Offset: | −6 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −5 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Congressional districts |
| Blank Info Sec2: | ---- |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | ---- |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | ---- |
| Blank3 Name Sec2: | Airports |
| Blank3 Info Sec2: | Manitowoc County Airport---- |
| Blank4 Name Sec2: | Waterways |
| Blank4 Info Sec2: | Lake Michigan – Manitowoc River---- |
| Blank5 Info Sec2: | ---- |
Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359.[2] Its county seat is Manitowoc.[3] The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848.[4] Manitowoc County comprises the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (61%) is water.[5]
Manitowoc County Airport (KMTW) serves the county and surrounding communities.
The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary was established in 2021 in the waters of Lake Michigan, with most of its northern half lying off Manitowoc County's coast. The national marine sanctuary is the site of a large number of historically significant shipwrecks.[6] [7] [8]
As of the census of 2020,[9] the population was 81,359. The population density was 138.1/mi2. There were 37,818 housing units at an average density of 64.2/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% White, 2.8% Asian, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.8% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The 2000 census[10] shows Manitowoc County as having 82,887 people, 32,721 households and 22,348 families. The population density was 140/mi2. There were 34,651 housing units at an average density of 59/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.90% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 53.7% were of German, 7.3% Polish, 5.3% Czech and 5.0% American ancestry. 95.2% spoke English, 1.8% Spanish, 1.3% Hmong and 1.1% German as their first language.
There were 32,721 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population is spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.
In 2017, there were 780 births, giving a general fertility rate of 60.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 27th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[11]
The county executive is Bob Ziegelbauer. He is serving his fourth term in that position after being elected in April 2006 and reelected in April 2010, April 2014, and April 2018.[12] The county is served by a 25-member county board.
Manitowoc County is fairly competitive in presidential elections; in 2016, Donald Trump became the first candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson from his 1964 landslide to win more than 55% of the vote. He expanded his share to over 60% during the 2020 election, the first time since Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1956 landslide that a Republican has hit 60% of the vote in the county. Statewide, Manitowoc County has voted Republican since the 2002 gubernatorial election.
The Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer (2015) explores the arrests and trials in 2007 of Manitowoc County residents Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach, who disappeared in October 2005. The series describes an earlier wrongful conviction of Avery, for which he served 18 years, and his subsequent lawsuit against Manitowoc County. It then focuses on the procedures of the Calumet County Sheriff's Office and the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the later Halbach case. The Sheriffs officers have come under intense scrutiny for their involvement in the Halbach case due to Steven Avery's $36 million lawsuit and their questionable police and investigative techniques.[13] [14]
In 2017, Charlie Berens created a comedic short-form video series called Manitowoc Minute, which features a fictitious news presenter character who exaggerates the culture and dialect of Wisconsin.[15] [16]