Racine County, Wisconsin Explained

County:Racine County
State:Wisconsin
Founded Year:1836
Founded Date:December 7
Seat Wl:Racine
Largest City Wl:Racine
Area Total Sq Mi:792
Area Land Sq Mi:333
Area Water Sq Mi:460
Area Percentage:58%
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:197727
Pop Est As Of:2023
Population Est:196613
Population Density Sq Mi:594.4
Web:www.racinecounty.com
Ex Image:RacineCountyCourtHouse.jpg
Time Zone:Central
District:1st
Coordinates:42.78°N -87.76°W

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.[1] The county was founded in 1836, then a part of the Wisconsin Territory. Racine County comprises the Racine metropolitan statistical area. This area is part of the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha combined statistical area.[2] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of, of which is land and (58%) is water.[3] The county's unemployment rate was 5.6% in June 2021.[4]

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.[5]

Geography

The Root River is the county's namesake.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,[6] the population was 197,727. The population density was 594.4/mi2. There were 84,490 housing units at an average density of 254/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 72.0% White, 11.8% Black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 5.4% from other races, and 9.0% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 14.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 188,831 people, 70,819 households, and 49,856 families residing in the county. The population density was 567/mi2. There were 74,718 housing units at an average density of 224/mi2. 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

Railroads

Buses

Airports

Communities

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

Government

The County Board has 21 members, each elected from single-member districts.[8] The county executive is elected in a countywide vote. The county executive is Jonathan Delagrave. The Circuit Court is made up of ten judges, elected in countywide elections to six-year terms.

Politics

Racine County has been a bellwether county, having voted for the winning presidential candidate in 29 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 Gerald Ford in 1976, Michael Dukakis in 1988, and Donald Trump in 2020.

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Find a County. June 7, 2011. National Association of Counties.
  2. Web site: US Department of Commerce Economic & Statistics Administration . US Census Bureau . Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/econ/ec2012/csa/EC2012_330M200US376M.pdf . October 9, 2022 . live . Census.gov . July 8, 2021 . January 2012.
  3. Web site: 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. August 8, 2015. August 22, 2012.
  4. Web site: Unemployment in the United States. Local Area Unemployment Statistics Map. August 8, 2021.
  5. Book: Kellogg . Louise Phelps . Louise Phelps Kellogg . Thwaites . Reuben Gold . Reuben Gold Thwaites . Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its Fifty-Seventh Annual Meeting . 1910 . Wisconsin Historical Society . Madison . 190 . https://books.google.com/books?id=nbQTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA190 . July 3, 2022 . Organization, Boundaries and Names of Wisconsin Counties.
  6. Web site: 2020 Decennial Census: Racine County, Wisconsin . data.census.gov . U.S. Census Bureau . July 2, 2022.
  7. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. May 14, 2011.
  8. Racine County Website, Web site: Racine County . May 5, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160512173644/http://www.racineco.com/racinecountyboard/index.aspx . May 12, 2016 .