county

Vilas County, WI

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

AI Overview

Vilas County is a small, recreation-oriented economy of 23,410 residents in northern Wisconsin, where a median age of 55.7 years and a labor force participation rate of just 53.9% reflect a largely retired or semi-retired population rather than a conventional workforce base. The county posted 8.4% population growth over five years, and median worker earnings of $37,763 sit below the household median income of $68,431, suggesting significant non-wage income among residents. Housing costs are moderate relative to ownership rates, with a median home value of $270,700 and an 84.0% homeownership rate, while median gross rent of $810/month and a short mean commute of 19.5 minutes round out a relatively low-cost operating environment.

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

Population

23,410

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$68,431

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

55.7 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+8.4% since 2018

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

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone20,150 (85.2%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone2,015 (8.5%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races692 (2.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race482 (2.0%)
  • Some Other Race Alone152 (0.6%)
  • Asian Alone91 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish266
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic80
  3. 3.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic49
  4. 4.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)28
  5. 5.Other Indo-European19

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

16.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

52.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

31.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.7%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,712

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$43,225

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$42,822

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

4.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

10.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance2,314
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)1,402
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services1,230
  4. 4.Construction (Group)1,036
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services860

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations3,954
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations2,234
  3. 3.Service Occupations2,058
  4. 4.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations1,226
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,060

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 1.97×)326
  2. 2.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.47×)1,337
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.36×)977
  4. 4.Public Administration (LQ 1.16×)568
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 1.11×)1,253

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$270,700

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$810/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

84.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,9991,589 (17.0%)
  • $500,000 to $749,9991,141 (12.2%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9991,117 (11.9%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999961 (10.3%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999906 (9.7%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999730 (7.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

30.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

96.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

53.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$37,763

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

19.5 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

4.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone7,776 (75.1%)
  • Worked At Home1,174 (11.3%)
  • Carpooled805 (7.8%)
  • Walked353 (3.4%)
  • Bicycle100 (1.0%)
  • Other70 (0.7%)

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.