- Lead
- 4,327
- Total
- 17,209
- vs nation
- R+23.7
- Turnout
- 74.5%
Lincoln County, WI
▦ precinct · ▥ counties · ▢ no spatial detail
President margin by year
Place winner margin
President results by year
2024 turnout 74.5% of 23,216 citizens 18+
- Lead
- 3,756
- Total
- 16,497
- vs nation
- R+27.2
- Turnout
- 73.8%
- Lead
- 3,030
- Total
- 14,712
- vs nation
- R+22.7
- Turnout
- 65.3%
- Lead
- 108
- Total
- 15,216
- vs nation
- R+3.1
- Turnout
- —
- Lead
- 1,905
- Total
- 15,268
- vs nation
- D+5.2
- Turnout
- —
- Lead
- 540
- Total
- 15,700
- vs nation
- R+1.0
- Turnout
- —
- Lead
- 63
- Total
- 14,239
- vs nation
- R+1.0
- Turnout
- —
- Lead
- 2,090
- Total
- 12,246
- vs nation
- D+8.5
- Turnout
- —
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+25.1MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 28,4262024 5-year
- Population density
- 32 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 879 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $68,1642024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 93.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.5%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+31.2 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+55.8 in 1920MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Price County, WI · twin score 89.3
Turnout and midterm durability
Participation measured against the same-year citizen voting-age population. Audited cycles count total general-election participants — ballots or participating voters, not presidential candidate votes. Cycles before 2016 predate that series and are derived from the certified presidential returns instead; they are marked everywhere they appear and are excluded from the figures below.
- 2024 turnout
- 74.5%17,301 participants ÷ 23,216 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +15.0 ptsVolatile
- Drop-off vs state
- -0.6 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026
- 59.5%–64.7%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
Select a presidential cycle to show it on the map and results ledger above.
| Cycle | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Series | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17,301 | 23,216 ± 150 | 74.5% | Audited | B/A | |
| 2022Mid | 13,641 | 23,193 ± 144 | 58.8% | Audited | B/A |
| 16,566 | 22,446 ± 102 | 73.8% | Audited | B/A | |
| 2018Mid | 13,633 | 22,446 ± 96 | 60.7% | Audited | B/A |
| 14,712 | 22,524 ± 103 | 65.3% | Audited | C/A | |
| 15,216 | 22,398 | 67.9% | Derived | — | |
| 15,268 | 22,849 | 66.8% | Derived | — | |
| 15,700 | 23,300 extrapolated | 67.4% | Derived | — |
Sources and methods
Audited cycles (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) count total general-election participants against the same-year CVAP special tabulation, each cell carrying its own numerator and denominator quality grade. Derived cycles (2004, 2008, 2012) come from the certified presidential returns on this page over the ACS 5-year CVAP series, so they measure presidential votes cast rather than ballots — a floor on participation. Where a derived cycle predates the ACS its denominator is extrapolated rather than read, and says so on its own line below. They are shown for the longer arc and are excluded from the drop-off, excess-drop-off, and 2026 scenario figures above.
- 2024: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 310/228.
- 2022: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 305/183.
- 2020: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 300/2.
- 2018: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 296/138.
- 2016: numerator source 159, denominator source 157; top ticket votes; canonical-complete-contest-floor-v1; allocation share 0.0%; series 148/111.
- 2012 (derived): Certified presidential returns · ACS 5-year CVAP (B05003); presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count.
- 2008 (derived): Certified presidential returns · ACS 5-year CVAP (B05003); presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count.
- 2004 (derived): Certified presidential returns · extrapolated CVAP denominator; presidential votes cast — a floor on participation, not a ballot count; 2004 predates the ACS, so the denominator is a linear back-extrapolation from the 2008 and 2012 CVAP values, not a read figure.
Interactive election map
One map. Every available contest.
Explore precinct resultsSearch, sort, compare years, or export CSV · 27 precincts
Precinct data
Results by precinct
27 precincts · 17,209 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -TOWN OF MERRILL WARDS 1-5TOWN OF MERRILL WARDS 1-5 | 609 | 1,214 | 18 | 1,841 | 33.1% | 65.9% | R+32.9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -TOWN OF BRADLEY WARDS 1-5TOWN OF BRADLEY WARDS 1-5 | 633 | 1,077 | 19 | 1,729 | 36.6% | 62.3% | R+25.7 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF PINE RIVER WARDS 1-4TOWN OF PINE RIVER WARDS 1-4 | 382 | 801 | 18 | 1,201 | 31.8% | 66.7% | R+34.9 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF SCOTT WARDS 1-2TOWN OF SCOTT WARDS 1-2 | 274 | 600 | 12 | 886 | 30.9% | 67.7% | R+36.8 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 6,12-13,16CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 6,12-13,16 | 363 | 385 | 12 | 760 | 47.8% | 50.7% | R+2.9 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF KING WARDS 1-2TOWN OF KING WARDS 1-2 | 275 | 435 | 4 | 714 | 38.5% | 60.9% | R+22.4 |
| Precinct -CITY OF TOMAHAWK WARDS 3-4CITY OF TOMAHAWK WARDS 3-4 | 253 | 396 | 14 | 663 | 38.2% | 59.7% | R+21.6 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARD 1CITY OF MERRILL WARD 1 | 304 | 336 | 17 | 657 | 46.3% | 51.1% | R+4.9 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF HARRISON WARDS 1-3TOWN OF HARRISON WARDS 1-3 | 213 | 409 | 21 | 643 | 33.1% | 63.6% | R+30.5 |
| Precinct -CITY OF TOMAHAWK WARDS 5-6CITY OF TOMAHAWK WARDS 5-6 | 277 | 354 | 8 | 639 | 43.3% | 55.4% | R+12.1 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 7,9CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 7,9 | 247 | 349 | 10 | 606 | 40.8% | 57.6% | R+16.8 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARD 4CITY OF MERRILL WARD 4 | 243 | 345 | 8 | 596 | 40.8% | 57.9% | R+17.1 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 2-3,15CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 2-3,15 | 224 | 364 | 7 | 595 | 37.6% | 61.2% | R+23.5 |
| Precinct -CITY OF TOMAHAWK WARDS 1-2CITY OF TOMAHAWK WARDS 1-2 | 266 | 318 | 8 | 592 | 44.9% | 53.7% | R+8.8 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 8,10CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 8,10 | 252 | 328 | 11 | 591 | 42.6% | 55.5% | R+12.9 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARD 11CITY OF MERRILL WARD 11 | 211 | 364 | 14 | 589 | 35.8% | 61.8% | R+26.0 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF SCHLEY WARDS 1-2TOWN OF SCHLEY WARDS 1-2 | 146 | 400 | 7 | 553 | 26.4% | 72.3% | R+45.9 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF CORNING WARDS 1-2TOWN OF CORNING WARDS 1-2 | 146 | 397 | 5 | 548 | 26.6% | 72.4% | R+45.8 |
| Precinct -CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 5,14CITY OF MERRILL WARDS 5,14 | 210 | 249 | 11 | 470 | 44.7% | 53.0% | R+8.3 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF ROCK FALLS WARDS 1-2TOWN OF ROCK FALLS WARDS 1-2 | 144 | 313 | 9 | 466 | 30.9% | 67.2% | R+36.3 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF RUSSELL WARD 1TOWN OF RUSSELL WARD 1 | 126 | 226 | 3 | 355 | 35.5% | 63.7% | R+28.2 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF TOMAHAWK WARD 1TOWN OF TOMAHAWK WARD 1 | 103 | 213 | 14 | 330 | 31.2% | 64.5% | R+33.3 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF BIRCH WARD 1TOWN OF BIRCH WARD 1 | 89 | 198 | 3 | 290 | 30.7% | 68.3% | R+37.6 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF SKANAWAN WARD 1TOWN OF SKANAWAN WARD 1 | 107 | 170 | 7 | 284 | 37.7% | 59.9% | R+22.2 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF WILSON WARD 1TOWN OF WILSON WARD 1 | 93 | 167 | 5 | 265 | 35.1% | 63.0% | R+27.9 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF HARDING WARD 1TOWN OF HARDING WARD 1 | 87 | 165 | 5 | 257 | 33.9% | 64.2% | R+30.4 |
| Precinct -TOWN OF SOMO WARD 1TOWN OF SOMO WARD 1 | 29 | 60 | 0 | 89 | 32.6% | 67.4% | R+34.8 |
presidential history
Party record book
Lincoln County, WI · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1932
61.6%
5,093 votes · D+25.8
Runner-up · Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964 · 60.1%
Republican
Warren G. Harding1920
72.1%
3,713 votes · R+55.8
Runner-up · Theodore Roosevelt, 1904 · 70.4%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Barack Obama2008
8,424votes
55.2% of the vote · D+12.5
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2012 · 7,563 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
10,633votes
61.8% of the vote · R+25.1
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 10,017 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Grover Cleveland1892
+13.6pts D vs U.S.
Place D+15.3 · U.S. D+1.7
Runner-up · Michael Dukakis, 1988 · +12.8 pts
Republican
Thomas E. Dewey1944
+38.0pts R vs U.S.
Place R+30.5 · U.S. D+7.5
Runner-up · Warren G. Harding, 1920 · +29.6 pts
Current officeholders
Seats representing Lincoln County, WI. A county elects none of these itself — they are the members for the 1 congressional, 1 state senate and 1 state house districts it falls inside, so parts of the county are represented by different members.
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row shows U.S. House votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+140 net domestic migration · 2025
Net +95 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $58,523 in average income, against $72,744 for residents who stayed — 20% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+11.3 on average — 14 points more Democratic-leaning than Lincoln County, WI itself (R+25.1).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Marathon County, WI198R+18.6
- Oneida County, WI80R+17.6
- Dane County, WI27D+51.5
- Portage County, WI20D+1.2
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Marathon County, WI187
- Oneida County, WI69
- Portage County, WI23
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | −213 |
| 2012 | +56 |
| 2013 | −114 |
| 2014 | −129 |
| 2015 | −157 |
| 2016 | +27 |
| 2017 | −9 |
| 2018 | −47 |
| 2019 | −54 |
| 2021 | +214 |
| 2022 | +85 |
| 2023 | +193 |
| 2024 | +103 |
| 2025 | +140 |
Lincoln County's economy anchors on timber, manufacturing, and tourism around the Tomahawk and Wisconsin River corridors. It shifted from a competitive swing county to a reliable Republican stronghold over roughly 15 years, tracking broader rural realignment across the upper Midwest.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 31.2 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 55.8 points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 2.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 25.1 points.
A population of 28,426, a 93% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $68,164 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Price County and Marquette County.
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Lincoln County, Wisconsin. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/55069/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.