Washington County, Wisconsin

Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,761.^[1] Its county seat is West Bend.^[2] The county was created from Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1845.^[3] It was named after President George Washington.^[4] Washington County is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

Washington County
County
Old Washington County courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°22′N 88°14′W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1836
Named after	George Washington
Seat	West Bend
Largest city	West Bend
Government
• County Executive	Josh Schoemann
Area
• Total	436 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Land	431 sq mi (1,120 km2)
• Water	5.0 sq mi (13 km2)  1.2%
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	136,761
• Estimate  (2023)	138,168
• Density	310/sq mi (120/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	www.washcowisco.gov

History

Washington County was created on December 7, 1836, by the Wisconsin Territory Legislature, with Port Washington designated as the county seat. It was run administratively from Milwaukee County until 1840, when an Act of Organization allowed the county self-governance, and the county seat was moved to Grafton, then called Hamburg. This solution was not satisfactory, as at that time four cities were vying to become the county seat: Port Washington, Grafton, Cedarburg, and West Bend. At least four inconclusive elections were held between 1848 and 1852, but the results were unusable due to accusations of foul play and serious irregularities.

In 1852, the state Legislature attempted to split the county into a northern and southern half, with the northern half retaining the name and the southern half becoming Tuskola County. Voters refused this decision, so in 1853 the Legislature again split the county, this time into a western and eastern portion. The western portion remained Washington County, with West Bend as its county seat, while the eastern portion became Ozaukee County, with Port Washington as its county seat.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,130 km²), of which 431 square miles (1,120 km²) is land and 5.0 square miles (13 km²) (1.2%) is water.^[6] It is the fifth-smallest county in Wisconsin by total area.

Major highways

• Interstate 41
• U.S. Highway 41
• U.S. Highway 45
• Highway 28 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 33 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 60 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 83 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 144 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 145 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 164 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 167 (Wisconsin)
• Highway 175 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

• Canadian National
• Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

Buses

Washington County was formerly served by the Washington County Commuter Express until 2023 when the county board elected to terminate the service without replacement, as of the end of 2023 there are no public transit options linking Washington County to the rest of the Milwaukee Metro area. Limited county sponsored shared ride taxi service remains available.

Airports

Hartford Municipal Airport (KHXF) and West Bend Municipal Airport (KETB) serve the county and surrounding communities.

Erin Aero Airport also exists as a small airstrip in the Town of Erin. Some maps claim the existence Arrowhead Springs, Doering Farms Airfield, Hahn Sky Ranch, and Willow Creek Airports, but these do not exist.

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is the nearest commercial airport.

Adjacent counties

• Fond du Lac County - northwest
• Sheboygan County - northeast
• Ozaukee County - east
• Milwaukee County - southeast
• Waukesha County - south
• Dodge County - west

Protected areas

• Ackerman's Grove County Park
• Allenton Marsh State Wildlife Area
• Goeden County Park
• Heritage Trails County Park
• Isadore and Lorraine Spaeth County Park
• Jackson Marsh State Wildlife Area
• Kettle Moraine State Forest (part)
• Leonard J. Yahr County Park
• Lizard Mound State Park
• Pike Lake State Park
• Sandy Knoll County Park
• Theresa Marsh State Wildlife Area (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	343		—
1850	19,485		5,580.8%
1860	23,622		21.2%
1870	23,919		1.3%
1880	23,442		−2.0%
1890	22,751		−2.9%
1900	23,589		3.7%
1910	23,784		0.8%
1920	25,713		8.1%
1930	26,551		3.3%
1940	28,430		7.1%
1950	33,902		19.2%
1960	46,119		36.0%
1970	63,839		38.4%
1980	84,848		32.9%
1990	95,328		12.4%
2000	117,493		23.3%
2010	131,887		12.3%
2020	136,761		3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010[11] 2020[1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,^[1] the population was 136,761. The population density was 317.6 people per square mile (122.6 people/km²). There were 58,311 housing units at an average density of 135.4 units per square mile (52.3 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% White, 1.4% Asian, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Washington County

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 117,493 people, 43,842 households, and 32,749 families residing in the county. The population density was 273 people per square mile (105 people/km²). There were 45,808 housing units at an average density of 106 units per square mile (41 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.69% White, 0.40% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 59.9% were of German, 6.3% Polish and 5.5% Irish ancestry. 95.5% spoke English, 2.0% German and 1.7% Spanish as their first language.

There were 43,842 households, out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.20% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.

Communities

Sign on WIS 28 marking the county boundary

Cities

• Hartford (partly in Dodge County)
• Milwaukee (mostly in Milwaukee County and Waukesha County)
• West Bend (county seat)

Villages

• Germantown
• Jackson
• Kewaskum (partly in Fond du Lac County)
• Newburg (partly in Ozaukee County)
• Richfield
• Slinger

Towns

• Addison
• Barton
• Erin
• Farmington
• Germantown
• Hartford
• Jackson
• Kewaskum
• Polk
• Trenton
• Wayne
• West Bend

Census-designated place

• Allenton

Unincorporated communities

• Ackerville
• Addison
• Aurora
• Boltonville
• Cedar Creek
• Cedar Lake
• Cheeseville
• Colgate
• Diefenbach Corners
• Fillmore
• Hubertus
• Kirchhayn
• Kohlsville
• Mayfield
• Myra
• Nenno
• Nabob
• Orchard Grove
• Pike Lake
• Pleasant Hill
• Rockfield
• Rugby Junction
• Saint Anthony
• Saint Lawrence
• Saint Michaels
• Thompson
• Toland's Prairie
• Victory Center
• Wayne
• Young America

High Schools

High Schools

• East High School
• Germantown High School
• Hartford Union High School
• Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School
• Kewaskum High School
• Living Word Lutheran High School
• Saint Augustine School
• Slinger High School
• West High School

The East High School and West High Schools share the same building but are separated.

The Slinger High School's Owls and the Hartford Union High School's Orioles have a rivalry, playing every year at the Coaches vs Cancer Game. Despite their rivalry they have a joint swim team based out of Hartford.

All high schools in the county feed into the West Bend Ice Bears for boys hockey.

East, Germantown, Hartford Union, Slinger, and West High Schools feed into the Cedarburg co-op for girls hockey, called the Lakeshore Lightning.

East, Slinger, and West High Schools feed into the West Bend Rush for boys and girls lacrosse.

A portion of Cedarburg School District reaches into Washington County.

Golf Courses

• Arrowhead Golf Course
• Blackstone Creek Golf Club (18 Holes)
• Erin Hills Golf Course (18 Holes)
• Hartford Golf Club (18 Holes)
• Hon-E-Kor Golf and Country Club (18 Holes)
• Kettle Hills Golf Course (45 Holes, plus a practice hole)
• Scenic View Country Club (18 Holes)
• Washington County Golf Course (21 Holes)
• West Bend Lakes Golf Club (18 Holes)

Private Courses also include:

• West Bend Country Club (18 Holes)

Ski Areas

• Little Switzerland Ski Area
• Sunburst Ski Area

Private ski areas also include:

• Fox Hill Ski Area
• Heiliger Huegel Ski Area

Government

The County Executive is Josh Schoemann, a Republican who is the 1st County Executive, with the office having been established in 2020. Schoemann served as County Administrator from 2014 until 2020. In 2020, the position of County Executive was established to replace the Administrator role. While the responsibilities of the two positions are functionally identical, the primary distinction lies in the method of selection: the County Executive is an elected official, whereas the County Administrator was appointed.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Wisconsin^[13]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	61,604	67.40%	28,504	31.18%	1,299	1.42%
2020	60,237	68.40%	26,650	30.26%	1,183	1.34%
2016	51,740	67.41%	20,852	27.17%	4,165	5.43%
2012	54,765	69.55%	23,166	29.42%	811	1.03%
2008	47,729	64.14%	25,719	34.56%	963	1.29%
2004	50,641	69.88%	21,234	29.30%	592	0.82%
2000	41,162	67.03%	18,115	29.50%	2,135	3.48%
1996	25,829	52.96%	17,154	35.18%	5,784	11.86%
1992	22,739	45.41%	13,339	26.64%	13,995	27.95%
1988	24,328	60.01%	15,907	39.24%	304	0.75%
1984	25,279	65.54%	12,966	33.61%	328	0.85%
1980	23,213	58.81%	12,944	32.79%	3,314	8.40%
1976	18,798	55.17%	14,422	42.33%	850	2.49%
1972	15,338	56.81%	10,434	38.64%	1,229	4.55%
1968	12,439	54.96%	8,104	35.81%	2,088	9.23%
1964	9,191	44.21%	11,563	55.62%	37	0.18%
1960	11,452	57.29%	8,523	42.63%	16	0.08%
1956	12,167	72.93%	4,447	26.66%	69	0.41%
1952	12,626	73.84%	4,440	25.96%	34	0.20%
1948	6,876	59.46%	4,495	38.87%	194	1.68%
1944	8,921	69.44%	3,840	29.89%	86	0.67%
1940	8,501	63.54%	4,683	35.00%	196	1.46%
1936	3,589	29.68%	7,129	58.96%	1,374	11.36%
1932	2,209	20.11%	8,570	78.02%	206	1.88%
1928	4,163	41.13%	5,827	57.57%	132	1.30%
1924	1,987	24.44%	980	12.05%	5,164	63.51%
1920	5,949	76.78%	1,328	17.14%	471	6.08%
1916	2,892	50.30%	2,732	47.52%	125	2.17%
1912	1,799	38.26%	2,425	51.57%	478	10.17%
1908	2,588	48.54%	2,625	49.23%	119	2.23%
1904	2,565	52.00%	2,243	45.47%	125	2.53%
1900	2,614	50.24%	2,524	48.51%	65	1.25%
1896	2,877	53.19%	2,404	44.44%	128	2.37%
1892	1,700	39.04%	2,624	60.27%	30	0.69%

Like most other suburban counties surrounding Milwaukee (the "WOW counties"), Washington County is a Republican stronghold. Since 1940, the county has been won by the Republican presidential candidate in every election except 1964, as is the case in neighboring Ozaukee and Waukesha counties. Additionally, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter are the only Democratic presidential candidates since the 1936 election to have crossed the 40 percent mark. In 2008, while Barack Obama won Wisconsin by 14 points, Washington County, one of the 13 out of 72 counties to vote for his Republican rival John McCain was his weakest county in the state, as McCain won it by almost 30 points; and other WOW counties were the only three counties where Obama did not win 40 percent of the vote.^[14]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Wisconsin