Lincoln County, Wisconsin
county in Wisconsin, United States
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,415. Its county seat is Merrill. The county was created in 1875 and named after President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln County comprises the Merrill, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Wausau–Stevens Point–Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 879 square miles (2,280 km2) is land and 28 square miles (73 km2) (3.1%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Oneida County – north
Langlade County – east
Marathon County – south
Taylor County – west
Price County – northwest
Major highways
U.S. Highway 8
U.S. Highway 51
Highway 17 (Wisconsin)
Highway 64 (Wisconsin)
Highway 86 (Wisconsin)
Highway 107 (Wisconsin)
Railroads
Tomahawk Railway
Watco
Buses
Airports
KRRL – Merrill Municipal Airport
KTKV – Tomahawk Regional Airport
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,415. The population density was 32.3 people per square mile (12.5 people/km2) and there were 16,034 housing units at an average density of 18.2 units per square mile (7.0 units/km2). The median age was 48.9 years, 19.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 23.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.9 males age 18 and over.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Lincoln County, Wisconsin” is county in Wisconsin, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Lincoln, County and Wisconsin, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “county in Wisconsin, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q494947. VIAF identifies the subject as 125502841. The Library of Congress control number is n81119841. Authority coordinates are 45.330, -89.730. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 1875.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lincoln County, Wisconsin”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lincoln County, Wisconsin primary sources, Lincoln County, Wisconsin archive and Lincoln research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lincoln County, Wisconsin”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lincoln County, Wisconsin” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.