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 2020 census, the population was 16,611. 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

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 635 sqmi, of which 634 sqmi is land and 1.0 sqmi (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

Buses

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 16,611. The population density was 26.2 /mi2. There were 7,156 housing units at an average density of 11.3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% White, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 3.7% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 6.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

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 /mi2. There were 6,674 housing units at an average density of 10 /mi2. 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.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Politics

Lafayette County has been a reliably Republican county at the federal level for most of its existence. Starting in 1992 however, it voted for the Democratic presidential nominees six elections in a row before shifting back to the GOP in 2016.