county

Bayfield County, WI

Demographic and economic profile of Bayfield County, WI, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Bayfield County is a small, rural Wisconsin county of 16,410 residents with an economy generating $27,056 in GDP per capita against median worker earnings of $36,478, reflecting a workforce oriented toward lower-wage sectors typical of northern Wisconsin's natural resource and recreation-adjacent industries. The labor force is notably constrained, with participation at just 54.1% and a median age of 54.6 years, though 35.0% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher and the unemployment rate sits at 3.6%. Housing costs remain relatively accessible at a $228,100 median home value and $789 median monthly rent, and the county posted 9.5% population growth over five years despite its small base.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

16,410

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$71,151

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

54.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+9.5% since 2018

Bayfield County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone13,945 (84.1%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone1,290 (7.8%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races741 (4.5%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race316 (1.9%)
  • Black or African American Alone125 (0.8%)
  • Asian Alone92 (0.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish105
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic49
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)45
  4. 4.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic24
  5. 5.Other Indo-European20

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

16.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

53.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

30.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,488

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$27,056

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$40,846

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

8.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,696
  2. 2.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services946
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)724
  4. 4.Manufacturing (Group)681
  5. 5.Construction (Group)615

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations2,883
  2. 2.Service Occupations1,342
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations1,191
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations976
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations835

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.53×)295
  2. 2.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.62×)1,038
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.30×)657
  4. 4.Public Administration (LQ 1.27×)439
  5. 5.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.04×)444

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$228,100

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$789/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

83.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,9991,087 (17.4%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999773 (12.4%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999619 (9.9%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999594 (9.5%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999570 (9.1%)
  • $175,000 to $199,999453 (7.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

35.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

96.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

54.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$36,478

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

23.3 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

3.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone5,030 (71.0%)
  • Worked At Home952 (13.4%)
  • Carpooled691 (9.8%)
  • Walked252 (3.6%)
  • Public Transit60 (0.8%)
  • Bicycle56 (0.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.