Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the
2020 census, the population was 23,047, and the population density was . There were 24,486 housing units at an average density of . The median age was 56.8 years. 15.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 33.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.7 males age 18 and over. <0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 10,804 households in the county, of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.6% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 21,033 people, 9,066 households, and 6,300 families residing in the county. The
population density was . There were 22,397 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.69%
White, 0.20%
Black or
African American, 9.08%
Native American, 0.18%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.19% from
other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 37.8% were of
German, 7.9%
Polish, 6.6%
Irish and 5.3%
English ancestry. 95.9% spoke
English, 1.3%
Spanish and 1.2%
German as their first language. There were 9,066 households, out of which 23.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were
married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.73. In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.70% under the age of 18, 5.00% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males. In 2017, there were 186 births, giving a general fertility rate of 74.9 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 7th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, there were twelve reported induced abortions performed on women of Vilas County residence in 2017. ==Economy==