Ashland County, Wisconsin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ashland County
U.S. county
Ashland County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	March 27, 1860
Named for	Henry Clay's farm Ashland
Seat	Ashland
Largest city	Ashland
Area
• Total	2,292 sq mi (5,940 km²)
• Land	1,045 sq mi (2,710 km²)
• Water	1,247 sq mi (3,230 km²) 54%
Population (2020)
• Total	16,027
• Estimate (2023)	16,079
• Density	15.3/sq mi (5.9/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Ashland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,027. Its county seat is Ashland. The county was formed on March 27, 1860, from La Pointe County. The county partly overlaps with the reservation of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Communities
See also

History

Ashland County was named in honor of the Lexington estate of Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, as one of the founders of the city of Ashland was an admirer of Clay.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,292 square miles (5,940 km²), of which 1,045 square miles (2,710 km²) is land and 1,247 square miles (3,230 km²) (54%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Wisconsin by total area. The Apostle Islands are a small group of islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula with the majority of the islands located in Ashland County — only Sand, York and Raspberry Islands are in Bayfield County.

Adjacent counties

Iron County – east
Price County – southeast
Sawyer County – southwest
Bayfield County – northwest
Lake County, Minnesota – northwest
Cook County, Minnesota – north
Ontonagon County, Michigan – northeast
Gogebic County, Michigan – northeast

Major highways

U.S. Highway 2
Highway 13 (Wisconsin)
Highway 77 (Wisconsin)
Highway 112 (Wisconsin)

Highway 118 (Wisconsin)
Highway 137 (Wisconsin)
Highway 169 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

Watco

Buses

Bay Area Rural Transit
Indian Trails
List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airports

John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport (KASX) serves the county and surrounding communities.
Major Gilbert Field Airport (4R5) enhances county service.

National protected area

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (part)
Chequamegon National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	515	—
1870	221	−57.1%
1880	1,559	605.4%
1890	20,063	1,186.9%
1900	20,176	0.6%
1910	21,965	8.9%
1920	24,538	11.7%
1930	21,054	−14.2%
1940	21,801	3.5%
1950	19,461	−10.7%
1960	17,375	−10.7%
1970	16,743	−3.6%
1980	16,783	0.2%
1990	16,307	−2.8%
2000	16,866	3.4%
2010	16,157	−4.2%
2020	16,027	−0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 16,027. The population density was 15.3 inhabitants per square mile (5.9/km²). There were 9,407 housing units at an average density of 9.0 units per square mile (3.5 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.8% White, 13.0% Native American, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 16,157 people living in the county. 84.6% were White, 11.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.3% of some other race and 3.3% of two or more races. 1.9% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 25.6% were of German, 7.6% Finnish, 6.8% American, 6.5% Irish and 5.3% Norwegian ancestry.