Racine County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Racine County
Quick facts for kids Racine County
	U.S. county
	Racine County courthouse
	Flag
	Flag
	Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
	; Wisconsin's location within the U.S.;
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	December 7, 1836
Seat	Racine
Largest city	Racine
Area
• Total	792 sq mi (2,050 km2)
• Land	333 sq mi (860 km2)
• Water	460 sq mi (1,200 km2) 58%%
Population (2010)
• Total	195,408
• Estimate (2020)	195,802
• Density	246.73/sq mi (95.26/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Racine County (RUS-een, sometimes also RAY-seen) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, its population was 195,408, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a part of the Wisconsin Territory. Racine County comprises the Racine metropolitan statistical area. This area is included as part of the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha combined statistical area.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 792 square miles (2,050 km²), of which 333 square miles (860 km²) is land and 460 square miles (1,200 km²) (58%) is water.

The county's unemployment rate was 5.6% in June 2021.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	3,475	—
1850	14,973	330.9%
1860	21,360	42.7%
1870	26,740	25.2%
1880	30,922	15.6%
1890	36,268	17.3%
1900	45,644	25.9%
1910	57,424	25.8%
1920	78,961	37.5%
1930	90,217	14.3%
1940	94,047	4.2%
1950	109,585	16.5%
1960	141,781	29.4%
1970	170,838	20.5%
1980	173,132	1.3%
1990	175,034	1.1%
2000	188,831	7.9%
2010	195,408	3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 2020 census

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Racine County

As of the census of 2000, there were 188,831 people, 70,819 households, and 49,856 families residing in the county. The population density was 567 people per square mile (219/km²). There were 74,718 housing units at an average density of 224 per square mile (87/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.04% White, 10.47% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. 7.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.9% were of German, 7.4% Polish and 5.5% Irish ancestry.

There were 70,819 households, of which 34.5% had children under 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.