Iron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,137, making it the third-least populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat is Hurley. It was named for the valuable iron ore found within its borders. The county overlaps with small parts of the Bad River and Lac du Flambeau Indian reservations.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (18%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Vilas County - east, southeast
Price County - southwest
Ashland County - west
Gogebic County, Michigan - northeast
Major highways
County Highways
Railroads
Watco
Buses
List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin
Airport
KIWD - Gogebic-Iron County Airport – Commercial air service is available.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, the population was 6,137. The population density was . There were 5,523 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.0% White, 1.1% Native American, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,916 people living in the county. 97.9% were White, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.2% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 0.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 22.9% were of German, 13.7% Italian, 12.6% Finnish, 8.2% Polish, 6.6% American and 5.4% Irish ancestry.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,861 people, 3,083 households, and 1,960 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 5,706 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.28% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.9% were of German, 18.6% Italian, 15.2% Finnish, 9.3% Polish and 6.4% Irish ancestry. 97.1% spoke English as their first language.
There were 3,083 households, out of which 22.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.40% were non-families. 32.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.40% under the age of 18, 5.90% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 23.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.
In 2017, there were 34 births, giving a general fertility rate of 46.1 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 2nd lowest rate out of 72 Wisconsin counties. 13 of the births were to unmarried mothers, 21 were to married mothers. Additionally, there were no reported induced abortions performed on women of Iron County residence in 2017.
Communities
Cities
Hurley (county seat) Montreal
Towns
Anderson
Carey
Gurney
Kimball
Knight
Mercer
Oma
Pence
Saxon
Sherman
Census-designated places
Iron Belt
Mercer
Pence
Saxon
Unincorporated communities
Carter
Cedar
Germania
Gurney
Hoyt
Kimball
Manitowish
Pine Lake
Orva
Powell
Rouse
Springstead
Tyler Forks
Upson
Van Buskirk
Historical sites
The National Register of Historic Places lists the following historic sites in Iron County: