# Dodge County, Wisconsin

Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 89,396. Its county seat is Juneau. The county was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1844.
Dodge County comprises the Beaver Dam, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 square miles (2,350 km$^2$), of which 876 square miles (2,270 km$^2$) is land and 31 square miles (80 km$^2$) (3.5%) is water.
The 6,718 acre Beaver Dam Lake and the 2,713 acre Fox Lake are found within the county.

### Adjacent counties

* Fond du Lac County – northeast
* Washington County – east
* Waukesha County – southeast
* Jefferson County – south
* Dane County – southwest
* Columbia County – west
* Green Lake County – northwest

### National protected area

* Horicon National Wildlife Refuge (part)

## Climate

Dodge County :
Climate chart (explanation) :

## Demographics
### 2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 89,396. The population density was 102.1 people per square mile (39.4 people/km$^2$). There were 38,123 housing units at an average density of 43.5 units per square mile (16.8 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 88.8% White, 3.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 2.4% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 6.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

### 2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 85,897 people, 31,417 households, and 22,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 97 people per square mile (37 people/km$^2$). There were 33,672 housing units at an average density of 38 units per square mile (15 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 95.28% White, 2.49% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Ancestry-wise, 56.2% were of German, 8.7% Irish, 5.0% English, 4.2% Norwegian and 3.9% selected "United States or American" ancestry. 95.4% spoke English, 2.2% Spanish and 2.0% other Indo-European languages as their language spoken at home.
There were 31,417 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 109.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.80 males.
In 2017, there were 758 births, giving a general fertility rate of 54.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 12th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.

## Transportation
### Major highways

* Interstate 41
* U.S. Highway 41
* U.S. Highway 151
* Highway 16
* Highway 19
* Highway 26
* Highway 28
* Highway 33
* Highway 49
* Highway 60
* Highway 67
* Highway 68
* Highway 73
* Highway 89
* Highway 175

### Railroads

* Amtrak
* Canadian National
* Canadian Pacific
* Union Pacific
* Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

### Airport

* Dodge County Airport (KUNU) serves the county and surrounding communities.

## Communities
### Cities

* Beaver Dam
* Columbus (mostly in Columbia County)
* Fox Lake
* Hartford (part; mostly in Washington County)
* Horicon
* Juneau (county seat)
* Mayville
* Watertown (mostly in Jefferson County)
* Waupun (partly in Fond du Lac County)

### Villages

* Brownsville
* Clyman
* Hustisford
* Iron Ridge
* Kekoskee
* Lomira
* Lowell
* Neosho
* Randolph (partly in Columbia County)
* Reeseville
* Theresa

### Towns

* Ashippun
* Beaver Dam
* Burnett
* Calamus
* Chester
* Clyman
* Elba
* Emmet
* Fox Lake
* Herman
* Hubbard
* Hustisford
* Lebanon
* LeRoy
* Lomira
* Lowell
* Oak Grove
* Portland
* Rubicon
* Shields
* Theresa
* Trenton
* Westford
* Williamstown

### Census-designated places

* Ashippun
* Burnett
* Lebanon

### Unincorporated communities

* Alderley
* Astico
* Atwater
* Beaver Edge
* Clyman Junction
* Danville
* Delbern Acres
* East Waupun
* Farmersville
* Fox Lake Junction
* Herman Center
* Hochheim
* Huilsburg
* Knowles
* LeRoy
* Leipsig
* Lost Lake
* Lyndon Dale
* Minnesota Junction
* Nasbro
* Neda
* North Lowell
* Oak Grove
* Old Ashippun
* Old Lebanon
* Portland (partial)
* Richwood
* Rolling Prairie
* Rubicon
* Saylesville
* South Beaver Dam
* South Randolph
* Sugar Island
* Sunset Beach
* Theresa Station
* Woodland

### Ghost town

* Clason Prairie

## Gallery

* Dodge County Fairgrounds
* Dodge County Historical Society
* Downtown Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
* Watertown Riverwalk

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Dodge County, Wisconsin :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 33,067 | 65.74% | 16,518 | 32.84% | 715 | 1.42% |
| 2020 | 31,355 | 64.73% | 16,356 | 33.77% | 725 | 1.50% |
| 2016 | 26,635 | 61.83% | 13,968 | 32.42% | 2,475 | 5.75% |
| 2012 | 25,211 | 56.67% | 18,762 | 42.17% | 515 | 1.16% |
| 2008 | 23,015 | 53.74% | 19,183 | 44.80% | 625 | 1.46% |
| 2004 | 27,201 | 61.35% | 16,690 | 37.64% | 445 | 1.00% |
| 2000 | 21,684 | 57.52% | 14,580 | 38.67% | 1,437 | 3.81% |
| 1996 | 12,890 | 43.81% | 12,625 | 42.91% | 3,907 | 13.28% |
| 1992 | 14,971 | 41.93% | 11,438 | 32.03% | 9,300 | 26.04% |
| 1988 | 17,003 | 56.81% | 12,663 | 42.31% | 261 | 0.87% |
| 1984 | 20,458 | 64.41% | 11,052 | 34.80% | 251 | 0.79% |
| 1980 | 19,435 | 57.70% | 11,966 | 35.53% | 2,281 | 6.77% |
| 1976 | 17,335 | 54.79% | 13,643 | 43.12% | 663 | 2.10% |
| 1972 | 17,068 | 61.54% | 9,898 | 35.69% | 771 | 2.78% |
| 1968 | 14,909 | 57.88% | 8,948 | 34.74% | 1,901 | 7.38% |
| 1964 | 10,772 | 40.95% | 15,497 | 58.91% | 39 | 0.15% |
| 1960 | 17,152 | 62.84% | 10,113 | 37.05% | 30 | 0.11% |
| 1956 | 17,569 | 72.10% | 6,704 | 27.51% | 93 | 0.38% |
| 1952 | 19,298 | 73.28% | 7,001 | 26.58% | 37 | 0.14% |
| 1948 | 10,831 | 56.15% | 8,212 | 42.58% | 245 | 1.27% |
| 1944 | 14,102 | 64.44% | 7,667 | 35.04% | 114 | 0.52% |
| 1940 | 14,651 | 61.41% | 8,948 | 37.50% | 260 | 1.09% |
| 1936 | 6,829 | 30.22% | 14,782 | 65.41% | 988 | 4.37% |
| 1932 | 4,936 | 23.34% | 15,874 | 75.06% | 338 | 1.60% |
| 1928 | 9,660 | 49.71% | 9,536 | 49.07% | 238 | 1.22% |
| 1924 | 5,167 | 30.45% | 2,019 | 11.90% | 9,785 | 57.66% |
| 1920 | 11,354 | 77.46% | 2,293 | 15.64% | 1,011 | 6.90% |
| 1916 | 4,887 | 50.66% | 4,519 | 46.85% | 240 | 2.49% |
| 1912 | 2,559 | 29.26% | 5,246 | 59.97% | 942 | 10.77% |
| 1908 | 4,015 | 39.66% | 5,883 | 58.12% | 225 | 2.22% |
| 1904 | 4,248 | 44.91% | 5,005 | 52.91% | 206 | 2.18% |
| 1900 | 4,780 | 44.35% | 5,813 | 53.93% | 185 | 1.72% |
| 1896 | 5,610 | 51.55% | 4,900 | 45.03% | 372 | 3.42% |
| 1892 | 2,653 | 27.33% | 6,810 | 70.14% | 246 | 2.53% |
Since 1940, Dodge County has been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. It has voted Republican in every election in that span with the exception of the 1964 landslide victory of Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson. Only six other times in that span has the Democratic candidate obtained at least 40% of the vote. In 2024, Donald Trump received over 65% of the vote in Dodge County, the best Republican performance since the 1956 landslide reelection of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Historically, Dodge County had been a major stronghold of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, from the establishment of the state, in 1848, until the 1910s, when a combination of World War I and the rise of the progressive faction of Republicans began to eat into the Democratic vote in the county. A significant factor in the switch was the anti-war attitude among the county's large German American population. Democratic president Woodrow Wilson and Wisconsin's Democratic U.S. senator Paul O. Husting (who was actually from Dodge County) supported the declaration of war against Germany in 1917, while progressive Republican leader Robert M. La Follette was one of only six senators who voted against the resolution. In the next presidential election, Dodge County gave 77% of its votes to the Republican nominee—the largest majority the county has given to either party in the last 130 years.