Florence County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,558, making it the second-least populous county in Wisconsin after Menominee County. Its county seat is Florence. The county is considered a high-recreation retirement destination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Florence County is part of the Iron Mountain, MI–WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History Florence County was created by the legislature of 1882 from portions of Marinette County and Oconto County. The first white man to document his journey through Florence County was Thomas J. Cram, who surveyed northeast Wisconsin in 1840 and 1841. The region belonged to the Menominee tribe, who mingled with the Chippewa there. Florence County continued to be a region for hunting and trapping until the 1870s when iron was discovered in the region. The Florence mine was discovered in 1874 by H. D. Fisher. In 1879, Fisher named the mine and town after the wife of Nelson Powell Hulst, Florence Terry Hulst, establishing the name for the county as well.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties Iron County, Michigan – north Dickinson County, Michigan – east Marinette County – southeast Forest County – southwest

Major highways U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Highway 141 Highway 70 Highway 101 Highway 139

Buses

National protected area Nicolet National Forest (part)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Florence County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)4,1244,5564,9814,2874,29698.85%99.26%97.90%96.93%94.25%Black or African American alone (NH)9481090.22%0.09%0.16%0.23%0.20%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)14142230300.34%0.31%0.43%0.68%0.66%Asian alone (NH)84131350.19%0.09%0.26%0.29%0.11%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census114xx0.02%0.02%0.09%Other race alone (NH)3100110.07%0.02%0.00%0.00%0.24%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census4045137xx0.79%1.02%3.01%Hispanic or Latino (any race)14112337660.34%0.24%0.45%0.84%1.45%Total4,1724,5905,0884,4234,558 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,558. The population density was and there were 4,601 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.6% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.

The median age was 55.5 years, with 15.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 28.7% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 107.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.1 males age 18 and over.

There were 2,152 households in the county, of which 17.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.2% were married-couple households, 23.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Of the 4,601 housing units, 53.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 86.2% were owner-occupied and 13.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 5,088 people, 2,133 households, and 1,441 families in the county. The population density was . There were 4,239 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.17% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. 0.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.6% were of German, 11.6% Swedish, 8.4% Polish, 8.2% Italian, 6.6% French, 5.9% English, 5.4% French Canadian and 5.2% Irish ancestry. Of the 2,133 households 27.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 27.90% of households were one person and 12.50% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.

The age distribution was 22.90% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 27.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.50 males.

In 2017, there were 31 births, giving a general fertility rate of 57.9 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 21st lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. 10 of the births were to unmarried mothers, 21 were to married mothers. Additionally, there were fewer than five reported induced abortions performed on women of Florence County residence in 2017.Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin, Office of Health Informatics, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Section: Trend Information, 2013-2017, Table 18, pages 17-18

Communities

Florence County is one of only two counties in Wisconsin with no incorporated communities, the other being Menominee County.

Towns Aurora Commonwealth Fence Fern Florence Homestead Long Lake Tipler

Census-designated places Florence Long Lake

Unincorporated communities Commonwealth Hematite Spread Eagle Tipler

Politics Florence County has voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1996.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Florence County, Wisconsin

References

External links Florence County government website Florence County Tourism & Economic Development Florence County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation