Oconto County, Wisconsin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Oconto County
U.S. county
The Oconto County Courthouse, circa 1910
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1854
Named for	Oconto River
Seat	Oconto
Largest city	Oconto
Area
• Total	1,149 sq mi (2,980 km²)
• Land	998 sq mi (2,580 km²)
• Water	151 sq mi (390 km²) 13%%
Population (2020)
• Total	38,965
• Estimate (2023)	39,775
• Density	39.1/sq mi (15.1/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

Rural Oconto County in fall

Oconto County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,965. Its county seat is Oconto. The county was established in 1851.

Oconto County is part of the Green Bay, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Green Bay-Shawano, WI Combined Statistical Area.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
Communities
See also

History

First visited by French explorers in the 17th century, Oconto County is among the oldest settlements in Wisconsin. Father Claude-Jean Allouez of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order said the first Mass in Oconto. Among the first settlers was Joseph Tourtilott, who explored much of the Oconto River watershed. Oconto County was created in 1851 and organized in 1854.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,149 square miles (2,980 km²), of which 998 square miles (2,580 km²) is land and 151 square miles (390 km²) (13%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Marinette County - northeast
Door County - southeast, border is in Green Bay
Brown County - south
Shawano County - southwest
Menominee County - west
Langlade County - west
Forest County - northwest

Major highways

U.S. Highway 41
U.S. Highway 141
Highway 22 (Wisconsin)
Highway 32 (Wisconsin)
Highway 64 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

Canadian National
Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad

Buses

List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airport

J. Douglas Bake Memorial Airport (KOCQ) serves the county and surrounding communities.

National protected area

Nicolet National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	3,592	—
1870	9,321	159.5%
1880	9,848	5.7%
1890	15,009	52.4%
1900	20,874	39.1%
1910	25,657	22.9%
1920	27,104	5.6%
1930	26,386	−2.6%
1940	27,075	2.6%
1950	26,238	−3.1%
1960	25,110	−4.3%
1970	25,553	1.8%
1980	28,947	13.3%
1990	30,226	4.4%
2000	35,634	17.9%
2010	37,660	5.7%
2020	38,965	3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 38,965. The population density was 39.1 people per square mile (15.1 people/km²). There were 23,754 housing units at an average density of 23.8 units per square mile (9.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.5% White, 1.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.8% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.