Lafayette County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, in the Driftless Area along the Illinois border. It had a population of 16,611 at the 2020 census and covers 635 square miles (1,645 km2), centred near 42°40′N 90°08′W.
Darlington is the county seat, and its postal code is 53530. The county has 3 cities, 7 villages, roughly two dozen unincorporated communities, and 18 towns (Wisconsin’s civil-township form of local government). Lafayette County sits in the Central time zone, and its FIPS code is 55065.
Towns & Villages in Lafayette County
Thirty named places appear on maps of Lafayette County: 3 incorporated cities, 7 incorporated villages, and about 20 unincorporated communities and crossroads settlements. Cuba City and Hazel Green both straddle the Grant County line, with only part of each community inside Lafayette County. Unincorporated places have no population figures of their own in the census and are marked below.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington | City · seat | 2,462 | 53530 |
| Shullsburg | City | 1,173 | 53586 |
| Cuba City | City | — | 53807 |
| Argyle | Village | — | 53504 |
| Belmont | Village | — | 53510 |
| Benton | Village | — | 53803 |
| Blanchardville | Village | — | 53516 |
| Gratiot | Village | — | 53541 |
| Hazel Green | Village | — | 53811 |
| South Wayne | Village | — | 53587 |
| Avon | Unincorp. | — | 53510 |
| Calamine | Unincorp. | — | 53541 |
| Dunbarton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elk Grove | Unincorp. | — | 53516 |
| Etna | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fayette | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jenkinsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lamont | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lead Mine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Leslie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Meekers Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Diggings | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Rock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Riverside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Slateford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Strawbridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Truman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| White Oak | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wiota | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodford | Unincorp. | — | — |
Cuba City and Hazel Green each report a single combined population figure spanning both Lafayette and Grant counties, so no county-only breakout is given here.
Townships
Lafayette County is divided into 18 towns, Wisconsin’s version of the civil township. Several share a name with an incorporated place or unincorporated community that serves as their center. The county has not published 2020 town-level population totals broken out separately from this table, so populations are omitted here rather than estimated.
| Town | Main settlement |
|---|---|
| Argyle | Argyle |
| Belmont | Belmont |
| Benton | Benton |
| Blanchard | Blanchardville (part) |
| Darlington | Darlington (part) |
| Elk Grove | Elk Grove |
| Fayette | Fayette |
| Gratiot | Gratiot |
| Kendall | Woodford |
| Lamont | Lamont |
| Monticello | Meekers Grove |
| New Diggings | New Diggings |
| Seymour | Calamine |
| Shullsburg | Shullsburg (part) |
| Wayne | South Wayne |
| White Oak Springs | White Oak |
| Willow Springs | Leslie |
| Wiota | Wiota |
ZIP Codes
- 53530 — Darlington (also serves surrounding Town of Darlington)
- 53586 — Shullsburg
- 53807 — Cuba City
- 53504 — Argyle
- 53510 — Belmont (also serves Avon)
- 53803 — Benton
- 53516 — Blanchardville (also serves Elk Grove)
- 53541 — Gratiot (also serves Calamine)
- 53811 — Hazel Green
- 53587 — South Wayne
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Dunbarton, Etna, Jenkinsville, Lead Mine, New Diggings, Red Rock, Riverside, Slateford, Strawbridge, Truman, White Oak, Wiota, and Woodford use the ZIP code of the nearest post-office town rather than one of their own; this page does not guess which one where the assignment is uncertain.
Geography
Lafayette County lies in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, a hilly, unglaciated region of ridges and coulees cut by the Pecatonica River, which crosses the county roughly west to east through Darlington. The terrain is rougher than the flat glaciated counties to the north and east, with limestone outcrops and karst features left over from the region’s lead- and zinc-mining past. Of the county’s 635 square miles, 634 are land and about 1 square mile is water.
Lafayette County borders Iowa County to the north, Green County to the east, Grant County to the west, and Jo Daviess County and Stephenson County, Illinois, to the south across the state line.
Demographics
Lafayette County’s population was 16,611 at the 2020 census, spread across a mostly rural county at a density of about 26 people per square mile. Darlington, the county seat, is the largest community at 2,462 residents, followed by Cuba City, whose reported total also includes residents on the Grant County side of the city line. The county’s median household income runs below the Wisconsin median of $74,631, consistent with an economy still anchored in farming rather than the state’s larger metro areas.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture is the backbone of Lafayette County’s economy, with dairy farming, corn, and soybeans dominating the landscape; the county is regularly ranked among Wisconsin’s top dairy-producing counties. Darlington and Shullsburg anchor local retail and services, and the Lafayette County Fair, held in Darlington each summer, is the county’s largest annual gathering. Shullsburg’s history as a 19th-century lead-mining town is preserved through tours of the old mine workings beneath the city.
History
Lafayette County was organized in 1846, split off from Iowa County, and named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The area was first settled by lead miners in the 1820s and 1830s, part of the broader Driftless Area lead-mining boom that also built up neighboring Grant County. The Lafayette County Courthouse in Darlington later gained a moment of pop-culture fame as a filming location for scenes in the 2009 film “Public Enemies.”
Getting There
Lafayette County is reached by Wisconsin Highways 11, 23, 78, and 81, which cross through Darlington and the county’s other towns; no interstate passes through the county.
- Platteville — about 20 miles west
- Monroe — about 20 miles east
- Dodgeville — about 25 miles north
- Freeport, Illinois — about 25 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, roughly 60 miles northeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lafayette County, Wisconsin?
It is in the southwestern part of the state, in the Driftless Area along the Illinois border, between Grant and Green counties.
What is the population of Lafayette County?
16,611, as of the 2020 census.
How big is Lafayette County?
635 square miles, of which 634 square miles are land and about 1 square mile is water.
What is the county seat of Lafayette County?
Darlington is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Lafayette County?
3 cities, 7 villages, roughly 20 unincorporated communities, and 18 towns.
What ZIP codes are in Lafayette County?
Darlington is 53530; other ZIP codes include 53586 (Shullsburg), 53807 (Cuba City), 53504 (Argyle), 53510 (Belmont), 53803 (Benton), 53516 (Blanchardville), 53541 (Gratiot), 53811 (Hazel Green), and 53587 (South Wayne).
Why is the county named Lafayette?
It honors the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who fought alongside American forces in the Revolutionary War.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.