Bayfield County Demographics

A map of Bayfield County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	13,873	13,445	83.7%	82.9%
Native American/Other	1,275	1,670	7.7%	10.3%
Multiracial	893	736	5.4%	4.5%
Hispanic	351	279	2.1%	1.7%
Black	109	54	0.7%	0.3%
Asian	74	36	0.4%	0.2%

Bayfield County, Wisconsin has an estimated population of 16,575, a slight increase from the 16,220 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 83.7% White, 7.7% Native American/Other, 5.4% Multiracial, 2.1% Hispanic, 0.7% Black, and 0.4% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Bayfield County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Bayfield has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Wisconsin overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Bayfield County, that probability was 30.0% in 2020 and 29.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Bayfield County is ranked the 61st most populous county in Wisconsin, out of 72 counties. Bayfield County was ranked the 61st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Bayfield County's White Population

13,873 residents of Bayfield County, or 83.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Bayfield County is higher than in Wisconsin overall, where 78.6% of the population is White. Bayfield County ranks 60th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 72 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bayfield County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.2%. White residents' share of Bayfield County's population has increased from 82.9% to 83.7%.

Bayfield County is more White than neighboring Ashland County (81.3% White), and Sawyer County (76.9% White). Bayfield County is less White than neighboring Douglas County (89.7% White), Lake County (94.3% White), and Washburn County (92.4% White).

Bayfield County's Black Population

109 residents of Bayfield County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Bayfield County is lower than in Wisconsin overall, where 5.9% of the population is Black. Bayfield County ranks 55th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 72 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bayfield County's Black population has grown by an estimated 101.9%. Black residents' share of Bayfield County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Bayfield County is more Black than neighboring Ashland County (0.5% Black), Sawyer County (0.6% Black), Lake County (0.2% Black), and Washburn County (0.2% Black). Bayfield County is less Black than neighboring Douglas County (0.8% Black).

Bayfield County's Asian Population

74 residents of Bayfield County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Bayfield County is slightly lower than in Wisconsin overall, where 2.9% of the population is Asian. Bayfield County ranks 66th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 72 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bayfield County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 105.6%. Asian residents' share of Bayfield County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Bayfield County is less Asian than neighboring Ashland County (0.7% Asian), Douglas County (0.7% Asian), Sawyer County (0.6% Asian), Lake County (0.5% Asian), and Washburn County (0.5% Asian).

Bayfield County's Hispanic Population

351 residents of Bayfield County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Bayfield County is lower than in Wisconsin overall, where 8% of the population is Hispanic. Bayfield County ranks 64th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 72 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bayfield County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 25.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Bayfield County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.1%.

Bayfield County is more Hispanic than neighboring Douglas County (1.9% Hispanic), and Lake County (1.5% Hispanic). Bayfield County is less Hispanic than neighboring Ashland County (3% Hispanic), and Sawyer County (2.4% Hispanic).

Bayfield County's Native American/Other Population

1,275 residents of Bayfield County, or 7.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Bayfield County is higher than in Wisconsin overall, where 0.9% of the population is Native American/Other. Bayfield County ranks 5th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 72 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bayfield County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 23.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Bayfield County's population has decreased from 10.3% to 7.7%.

Bayfield County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Douglas County (1.4% Native American/Other), Lake County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Washburn County (1.2% Native American/Other). Bayfield County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Ashland County (9.4% Native American/Other), and Sawyer County (13.3% Native American/Other).

Bayfield County's Multiracial Population

893 residents of Bayfield County, or 5.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Bayfield County is comparable to the share in Wisconsin overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Bayfield County ranks 5th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 72 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Bayfield County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 21.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Bayfield County's population has increased from 4.5% to 5.4%.

Bayfield County is more Multiracial than neighboring Ashland County (5.1% Multiracial), Douglas County (5.3% Multiracial), Lake County (3% Multiracial), and Washburn County (3.6% Multiracial). Bayfield County is less Multiracial than neighboring Sawyer County (6.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.