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COUNTY

Vilas County

Wisconsin · 23,761 residents (2025 est.) · 858 sq mi
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The short version

Vilas County is a county of 23,647 people in Wisconsin. At a median age of 55.7, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 84% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 2%. There are 28 people per square mile. Median rent is $847 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 55.7
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 39%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
23,647
+12%since 2000
from 21,033 in 2000
23,761 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
28 / sq mi
+8%since 2009
from 25 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
55.7
+22%since 2000
from 45.8 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
858 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
17K19K21K22K24K19902000201020202024Vilas County
202424K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.8%(900)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.8%(1,134)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.4%(1,045)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.5%(1,070)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 243.3%(781)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 348.3%(1,959)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 448.9%(2,116)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.3%(2,431)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6419.9%(4,698)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7419.5%(4,613)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 849.3%(2,204)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.9%(696)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$68,431
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $33,759 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$43,101
+135%since 2000
from $18,361 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
45.0%
+21.0 ptssince 2009
from 24.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.1%
+3.1 ptssince 2000
from 8.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.436
−2%since 2010
from 0.443 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information13.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9.8%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services7.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade6.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Construction1.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing1.4%
US avg: 0.4%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$300,000
+39%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $118,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$847
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $434 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
84.0%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 81.8% in 2000
16.0% rent
Vacancy rate
55.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 55.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.10 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.05 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.3%
−7.1 ptssince 2009
from 29.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
26.1%
−12.4 ptssince 2009
from 38.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.4
−4%since 2009
from 4.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
53
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.2%(18,765)
Black0.2%(42)
Hispanic / Latino0.9%(181)
Asian0.2%(37)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic84.8%(20,054)
Black0.3%(65)
Hispanic / Latino2.3%(541)
Asian0.4%(91)
Other12.2%(2,896)
Diversity Score
33
+22%since 2009
from 27 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
48
−6%since 2020
from 51 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican1.1%(259)
Puerto Rican0.4%(90)
Cuban0.3%(64)
Colombian0%(11)
Chilean0%(2)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.1%(22)
Pakistani0.1%(20)
Filipino0.1%(14)
Mongolian0.1%(12)
Korean0%(9)
Uzbek0%(6)
Ancestry
German38.7%(9,162)
Irish11.4%(2,686)
Polish10.2%(2,401)
English6.9%(1,636)
Norwegian6%(1,409)
Swedish4.4%(1,032)
American3.1%(731)
Italian2.9%(678)
French2%(478)
Dutch2%(463)
Finnish1.8%(424)
Czech1.6%(375)
+ 28 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1%(244)
Danish1%(241)
Austrian0.9%(220)
Russian0.8%(187)
Welsh0.5%(117)
Swiss0.5%(113)
Croatian0.4%(98)
Portuguese0.4%(97)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(93)
Hungarian0.4%(83)
Greek0.3%(80)
Belgian0.3%(79)
British0.3%(75)
Slovak0.3%(70)
Guyanese0.3%(67)
Lithuanian0.3%(60)
Slovene0.2%(51)
Romanian0.2%(37)
Ukrainian0.1%(25)
Arab0.1%(19)
Serbian0.1%(17)
Canadian0.1%(14)
Nigerian0.1%(12)
Syrian0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.9%
+13.4 ptssince 2000
from 17.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.6%
+11.1 ptssince 2000
from 85.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
10.4%
+5.5 ptssince 2000
from 4.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.5 min
+54%since 2000
from 12.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
75.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 75.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.3%
+3.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.4%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.0%
−5.2 ptssince 2011
from 9.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
53.9%
−3.1 ptssince 2011
from 57.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
73.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 72.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
19.5%
+5.9 ptssince 2009
from 13.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
37.5%
+5.9 ptssince 2009
from 31.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.8%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.5% in 2009
Female
48.2%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
Foreign born
1.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.6%
−7.6 ptssince 2009
from 16.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2012
from 18.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.6%
−5.0 ptssince 2013
from 10.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
87.9%
+19.1 ptssince 2017
from 68.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.8%
+5.4 ptssince 2020
from 88.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
91.0%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 89.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2016
from 97.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
0.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 0.8% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married25.1%(2,667)
Married55.8%(5,929)
Widowed5.4%(569)
Divorced13.7%(1,455)
Women 15+
Never married16.8%(1,673)
Married60.1%(5,981)
Widowed10%(998)
Divorced13%(1,296)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.6%
−5.0 ptssince 2013
from 10.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
39.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 38.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
29.6%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 31.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
33.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 33.3% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 20.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
4.6%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 6.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
66.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 68.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
49.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 49.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)11.6%(198)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)14.3%(245)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era42.6%(730)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War9.8%(168)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.5%(8)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,712 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Vilas County to nearby counties

VILAS COUNTY VS
Oneida County
Income$69,371+1%
Home value$238,400−21%
Population38,131+60%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
VILAS COUNTY VS
Gogebic County
Income$52,732−23%
Home value$107,200−64%
Population14,285−40%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
VILAS COUNTY VS
Iron County
Income$60,625−11%
Home value$165,900−45%
Population6,127−74%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
VILAS COUNTY VS
Forest County
Income$61,071−11%
Home value$185,000−38%
Population9,574−60%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Vilas County, Wisconsin?

Vilas County, Wisconsin has about 23,647 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Vilas County, Wisconsin?

The typical household in Vilas County, Wisconsin earns about $68,431 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Vilas County, Wisconsin expensive?

In Vilas County, Wisconsin, the median home is worth about $300,000, and the typical rent is about $847 a month.

How educated are people in Vilas County, Wisconsin?

About 30.9% of adults age 25 and over in Vilas County, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Vilas County, Wisconsin?

About 11.1% of people in Vilas County, Wisconsin live below the federal poverty line.

Has Vilas County, Wisconsin grown since 1990?

Yes, Vilas County, Wisconsin has grown since 1990. The population has added about 5,940 residents, a change of about 34 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →