Richland County, Wisconsin: Heartland Swing county. In 2024, voted R+13%. Republican peak: R+59 in 1920.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+13MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Heartland SwingAkashic typology
- Population
- 17,2052024 5-year
- Median household income
- $66,4202024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 92.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+21 in 2008MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+59 in 1920MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- LaPorte County, IN · similarity 0.97
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Richland CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Richland County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −11.9% |
| 1896 | −11.0% |
| 1900 | −24.5% |
| 1904 | −31.0% |
| 1908 | −17.2% |
| 1912 | −3.3% |
| 1916 | −4.9% |
| 1920 | −59.2% |
| 1924 | −27.9% |
| 1928 | −42.7% |
| 1932 | +10.4% |
| 1936 | −1.9% |
| 1940 | −21.9% |
| 1944 | −24.1% |
| 1948 | −12.3% |
| 1952 | −49.0% |
| 1956 | −28.9% |
| 1960 | −27.8% |
| 1964 | +14.5% |
| 1968 | −26.8% |
| 1972 | −33.6% |
| 1976 | −10.1% |
| 1980 | −13.8% |
| 1984 | −26.0% |
| 1988 | −5.0% |
| 1992 | +3.7% |
| 1996 | +11.9% |
| 2000 | −1.9% |
| 2004 | −3.6% |
| 2008 | +20.6% |
| 2012 | +16.1% |
| 2016 | −5.5% |
| 2020 | −9.7% |
| 2024 | −13.1% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 3,985 | 5,207 | 9,323 | ||
| R | 3,995 | 4,871 | 9,014 | ||
| R | 3,569 | 4,013 | 8,069 | ||
| D | 4,969 | 3,573 | 8,655 | ||
| D | 5,041 | 3,298 | 8,450 | ||
| R | 4,501 | 4,836 | 9,420 | ||
| R | 3,837 | 3,994 | 8,293 | ||
| D | 3,502 | 2,642 | 7,222 | ||
| D | 3,458 | 3,144 | 8,540 | ||
| R | 3,643 | 4,026 | 7,708 | ||
| R | 2,844 | 4,858 | 7,753 | ||
| R | 3,413 | 4,601 | 8,588 | ||
| R | 3,634 | 4,466 | 8,251 | ||
| R | 2,492 | 5,062 | 7,654 | ||
| R | 2,288 | 4,141 | 6,922 | ||
| D | 4,315 | 3,224 | 7,548 | ||
| R | 2,965 | 5,253 | 8,229 | ||
| R | 2,783 | 5,062 | 7,874 | ||
| R | 2,260 | 6,605 | 8,875 | ||
| R | 2,990 | 3,836 | 6,906 | ||
| R | 3,109 | 5,088 | 8,226 | ||
| R | 3,524 | 5,527 | 9,139 | ||
| R | 4,080 | 4,245 | 8,686 | ||
| D | 4,027 | 3,256 | 7,435 | ||
| R | 2,262 | 5,685 | 8,022 | ||
| O | 898 | 2,669 | 6,338 | ||
| R | 917 | 3,952 | 5,130 | ||
| R | 1,845 | 2,051 | 4,224 | ||
| R | 1,493 | 1,623 | 3,958 | ||
| R | 1,689 | 2,464 | 4,494 | ||
| R | 1,340 | 2,698 | 4,386 | ||
| R | 1,524 | 2,593 | 4,357 | ||
| R | 2,098 | 2,636 | 4,879 | ||
| R | 1,670 | 2,194 | 4,389 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
36.8%
Irish
13.8%
English
9.6%
Polish
3.7%
American
3.1%
French
2.1%
Italian
1.2%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 46.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$66,420
Richland County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Richland County$66,420
Wisconsin$77,485
United States$80,734
Richland County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.5%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1821.0%
Working age (18–64)13.0%
Seniors (65+)11.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.2%
speak English only
Other Indo-European4.2%
Spanish2.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 65.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Richland County sits in Wisconsin's rugged Driftless Area, and its small-farm, largely white rural population has shifted steadily rightward over the past decade, moving from a competitive swing county to a consistent double-digit Republican margin.
The Democratic margin here peaked at twenty-one points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was thirteen points.
A population of 17,205, a 93% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $66,420 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of LaPorte County and Grant County.
Most similar counties
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 →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Richland County, Wisconsin. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/55103/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More heartland swing counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Richland County, Wisconsin vote in 2024?
In 2024, Richland County, Wisconsin voted Republican by 13.1 points (R+13), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 9,323 votes cast, 3,985 went Democratic and 5,207 went Republican.
What is Richland County, Wisconsin's political typology?
Akashic places Richland County, Wisconsin in the "Heartland Swing" typology — Industrial Midwest swing counties drifting steadily toward the Republican Party. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.
When did Richland County, Wisconsin last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Richland County, Wisconsin voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Richland County, Wisconsin?
Richland County, Wisconsin has a population of 17,205 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Richland County, Wisconsin?
Median household income in Richland County, Wisconsin is $66,420 — below the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Richland County, Wisconsin?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Richland County, Wisconsin from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The county's typology — "Heartland Swing" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.