Lafayette County, Wisconsin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lafayette County
U.S. county
Lafayette County Courthouse in 1982
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1846
Named for	Marquis de Lafayette
Seat	Darlington
Largest city	Darlington
Area
• Total	635 sq mi (1,640 km²)
• Land	634 sq mi (1,640 km²)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (3 km²) 0.2%%
Population (2010)
• Total	16,836
• Estimate (2020)	16,646
• Density	26.513/sq mi (10.237/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Lafayette County, sometimes spelled La Fayette County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It was part of the Wisconsin Territory at the time of its founding. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,836. Its county seat is Darlington. The county was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who rendered assistance to the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The courthouse scenes from the 2009 film Public Enemies were filmed at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Darlington.

Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
Communities
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 635 square miles (1,640 km²), of which 634 square miles (1,640 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 151
Highway 11 (Wisconsin)
Highway 23 (Wisconsin)
Highway 78 (Wisconsin)
Highway 81 (Wisconsin)
Highway 126 (Wisconsin)

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	11,531	—
1860	18,134	57.3%
1870	22,659	25.0%
1880	21,279	−6.1%
1890	20,265	−4.8%
1900	20,959	3.4%
1910	20,075	−4.2%
1920	20,002	−0.4%
1930	18,649	−6.8%
1940	18,695	0.2%
1950	18,137	−3.0%
1960	18,142	0.0%
1970	17,456	−3.8%
1980	17,412	−0.3%
1990	16,076	−7.7%
2000	16,137	0.4%
2010	16,836	4.3%
2020 (est.)	16,646	−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Lafayette County

As of the 2000 census, there were 16,137 people, 6,211 households, and 4,378 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 6,674 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.03% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.8% were of German, 17.5% Norwegian, 13.6% Irish, 11.9% English, 6.8% Swiss and 6.0% American ancestry.

There were 6,211 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.

Lafayette County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Contents

Geography

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Communities

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

See also