Dodge County, Wisconsin

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 sqmi, of which 876 sqmi is land and 31 sqmi (3.5%) is water.

The 6,718 acre Beaver Dam Lake and the 2,713 acre Fox Lake are found within the county.

Adjacent counties

• Fond du Lac County – northeast
• Washington County – east
• Waukesha County – southeast
• Jefferson County – south
• Dane County – southwest
• Columbia County – west
• Green Lake County – northwest

National protected area

• Horicon National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Climate

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 89,396 and a population density of 102.1 /mi2.

The median age was 43.3 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 112.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 113.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 88.8% White, 3.1% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian,

45.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 54.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 35,437 households in the county, of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.3% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 38,123 housing units at an average density of 43.5 /mi2, of which 7.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.0% were owner-occupied and 29.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 85,897 people, 31,417 households, and 22,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 97 /mi2. There were 33,672 housing units at an average density of 38 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.28% White, 2.49% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Ancestry-wise, 56.2% were of German, 8.7% Irish, 5.0% English, 4.2% Norwegian and 3.9% selected "United States or American" ancestry. 95.4% spoke English, 2.2% Spanish and 2.0% other Indo-European languages as their language spoken at home.

There were 31,417 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 109.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.80 males.

In 2017, there were 758 births, giving a general fertility rate of 54.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 12th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.

Transportation

Major highways

• [[Image:I-41.svg|20px]] Interstate 41
• [[Image:US 41.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 41
• [[Image:US 151.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 151
• [[Image:WIS 16.svg|20px]] Highway 16
• [[Image:WIS 19.svg|20px]] Highway 19
• [[Image:WIS 26.svg|20px]] Highway 26
• [[Image:WIS 28.svg|20px]] Highway 28
• [[Image:WIS 33.svg|20px]] Highway 33
• [[Image:WIS 49.svg|20px]] Highway 49
• [[Image:WIS 60.svg|20px]] Highway 60
• [[Image:WIS 67.svg|20px]] Highway 67
• [[Image:WIS 68.svg|20px]] Highway 68
• [[Image:WIS 73.svg|20px]] Highway 73
• [[Image:WIS 89.svg|20px]] Highway 89
• [[Image:WIS 175.svg|20px]] Highway 175

Railroads

• Amtrak
• Canadian National
• Canadian Pacific
• Union Pacific
• Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

Buses

Airport

• Dodge County Airport (KUNU) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Communities

Cities

• Beaver Dam
• Columbus (mostly in Columbia County)
• Fox Lake
• Hartford (part; mostly in Washington County)
• Horicon
• Juneau (county seat)
• Mayville
• Watertown (mostly in Jefferson County)
• Waupun (partly in Fond du Lac County)

Villages

• Brownsville
• Clyman
• Hustisford
• Iron Ridge
• Kekoskee
• Lomira
• Lowell
• Neosho
• Randolph (partly in Columbia County)
• Reeseville
• Theresa

Towns

• Ashippun
• Beaver Dam
• Burnett
• Calamus
• Chester
• Clyman
• Elba
• Emmet
• Fox Lake
• Herman
• Hubbard
• Hustisford
• Iron Ridge
• Lebanon
• LeRoy
• Lomira
• Lowell
• Oak Grove
• Portland
• Rubicon
• Shields
• Theresa
• Trenton
• Westford
• Williamstown

Census-designated places

• Ashippun
• Burnett
• Lebanon
• Rubicon

Unincorporated communities

• Alderley
• Astico
• Atwater
• Beaver Edge
• Clyman Junction
• Danville
• Delbern Acres
• East Waupun
• Farmersville
• Fox Lake Junction
• Herman Center
• Hochheim
• Huilsburg
• Knowles
• LeRoy
• Leipsig
• Lost Lake
• Lyndon Dale
• Minnesota Junction
• Nasbro
• Neda
• North Lowell
• Oak Grove
• Old Ashippun
• Old Lebanon
• Portland (partial)
• Richwood
• Rolling Prairie
• Saylesville
• South Beaver Dam
• South Randolph
• Sugar Island
• Sunset Beach
• Theresa Station
• Woodland

Ghost town

• Clason Prairie

Gallery

File:Dodge County Fairgrunds Beaver Dam, Wisconsin 4.jpg|Dodge County Fairgrounds File:Dodge County Historical Society Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.jpg|Dodge County Historical Society File:Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Downtown.jpg|Downtown Beaver Dam, Wisconsin File:Watertown River Walk 02.jpg|Watertown Riverwalk

Politics

Since 1940, Dodge County has been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. It has voted Republican in every election in that span with the exception of the 1964 landslide victory of Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson. Only six other times in that span has the Democratic candidate obtained at least 40% of the vote. In 2024, Donald Trump received over 65% of the vote in Dodge County, the best Republican performance since the 1956 landslide reelection of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Historically, Dodge County had been a major stronghold of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, from the establishment of the state, in 1848, until the 1910s, when a combination of World War I and the rise of the progressive faction of Republicans began to eat into the Democratic vote in the county. A significant factor in the switch was the anti-war attitude among the county's large German American population. Democratic president Woodrow Wilson and Wisconsin's Democratic U.S. senator Paul O. Husting (who was actually from Dodge County) supported the declaration of war against Germany in 1917, while progressive Republican leader Robert M. La Follette was one of only six senators who voted against the resolution. In the next presidential election, Dodge County gave 77% of its votes to the Republican nominee—the largest majority the county has given to either party in the last 130 years.

Education

K-12 school districts include:

• Beaver Dam School District
• Columbus School District
• Dodgeland School District
• Fall River School District
• Horicon School District
• Hustisford School District
• Lomira School District
• Markesan School District
• Mayville School District
• Oakfield School District
• Oconomowoc Area School District
• Randolph School District
• Waterloo School District
• Watertown School District
• Waupun School District

There are also two elementary school districts: Herman-Neosho-Rubicon School District and Hartford Joint No. 1 School District, and one secondary school district, Hartford Union High School District.

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (2007). "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
4. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA.
6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. "2020 Decennial Census: Dodge County, Wisconsin". U.S. Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. (2000). "Dodge County, Wisconsin Demographics tables DP-1, DP-2 Profile of Selected Social Characteristics: 2000".
17. "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables".
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
19. Geography Division. (January 14, 2021). "2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Dodge County, WI". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].