Oneida County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, in the heart of the Northwoods lakes region. It had a population of 37,845 at the 2020 census and covers 1,236 square miles (3,200 km2) centred near 45°42′N 89°31′W.
Rhinelander is the county seat, and its postal code is 54501. The county has one incorporated city and 19 towns (Wisconsin’s version of civil townships), several of which contain unincorporated lake communities. Oneida County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Oneida County
Wisconsin’s Oneida County has a single incorporated city, Rhinelander, plus a scatter of unincorporated resort communities spread across its 19 towns (townships). Most of these places are census-designated places (CDPs) or simply named crossroads on a lake, without their own municipal government — they’re listed here under the town that governs them. Type legend: City · seat, Town (Wisconsin civil township), Unincorp. (unincorporated community/CDP).
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhinelander | City · seat | — | 7,791 | 54501 |
| Minocqua | Unincorp. | Minocqua | 4,387 | 54548 |
| Woodruff | Unincorp. | Woodruff | 1,983 | 54568 |
| Three Lakes | Unincorp. | Three Lakes | 1,857 | 54562 |
| Hazelhurst | Unincorp. | Hazelhurst | — | 54531 |
| Lake Tomahawk | Unincorp. | Lake Tomahawk | — | 54539 |
| Sugar Camp | Unincorp. | Sugar Camp | — | — |
| Monico | Unincorp. | Monico | — | — |
| Newbold | Unincorp. | Newbold | — | — |
| Woodboro | Unincorp. | Woodboro | — | — |
| Harshaw | Unincorp. | Cassian | — | — |
| Pelican Lake | Unincorp. | Pelican | — | — |
| Crescent | Unincorp. | Crescent | — | — |
| Enterprise | Unincorp. | Enterprise | — | — |
| Gagen | Unincorp. | Pine Lake | — | — |
| Goodnow | Unincorp. | Newbold | — | — |
| Jennings | Unincorp. | Enterprise | — | — |
| McNaughton | Unincorp. | Nokomis | — | — |
| Starks | Unincorp. | Stella | — | — |
| Woodruff (Pratt Junction) | Unincorp. | Woodruff | — | — |
A handful of names from older lists — Rantz, Roosevelt, Sunflower, Malvern, Lennox and Clearwater Lake — are informal lake-road or crossroads names within the towns above rather than separately platted communities; they aren’t carried forward here for lack of independent verification. Pratt Junction is a rail siding inside the Town of Woodruff, folded into that entry.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Minocqua | 4,387 | Minocqua |
| Woodruff | 1,983 | Woodruff |
| Three Lakes | 1,857 | Three Lakes |
| Hazelhurst | — | Hazelhurst |
| Lake Tomahawk | — | Lake Tomahawk |
| Sugar Camp | — | Sugar Camp |
| Monico | — | Monico |
| Newbold | — | Newbold, Goodnow |
| Woodboro | — | Woodboro |
| Cassian | — | Harshaw |
| Pelican | — | Pelican Lake |
| Crescent | — | Crescent |
| Enterprise | — | Enterprise, Jennings |
| Pine Lake | — | Gagen |
| Nokomis | — | McNaughton |
| Stella | — | Starks |
| Little Rice | — | — |
| Lynne | — | — |
| Piehl | — | — |
| Schoepke | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 54501 — Rhinelander (also serves Newbold, Crescent, Pine Lake and Pelican townships)
- 54548 — Minocqua
- 54568 — Woodruff
- 54562 — Three Lakes
- 54531 — Hazelhurst
- 54539 — Lake Tomahawk
Smaller communities such as Sugar Camp, Monico, Woodboro and Harshaw share a ZIP code with a neighboring post office town rather than having their own, and are not verified precisely enough to list here.
Geography
Oneida County sits in the glaciated Northern Highland, a landscape of pine and hardwood forest studded with more than 1,100 lakes and connected by the Wisconsin River, which rises in the county and flows south through Rhinelander. Roughly a tenth of the county’s area is water. The Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest covers much of the northwestern towns.
Oneida County borders Vilas County to the north, Forest County (no townsvillages.com page) to the east, Langlade County to the southeast, Lincoln County to the south, and Price County to the west.
Demographics
Oneida County had 37,845 residents at the 2020 census. Rhinelander, the seat, is by far the largest community at 7,791; Minocqua is the second-largest population center at 4,387. Median household income runs below the Wisconsin median of $74,631, typical of a rural Northwoods county with a large retiree and seasonal-resident population. Population density is about 34 people per square mile, concentrated around Rhinelander and the Minocqua-Woodruff lakes corridor.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism and recreation anchor the local economy — the U.S. Department of Agriculture has classified Oneida County as a high-recreation retirement destination, and lake homes, resorts, fishing and snowmobiling draw both seasonal residents and year-round retirees. Rhinelander is also a regional healthcare and retail hub, home to Ascension Rhinelander Hospital and Nicolet College, and hosts the annual Hodag Country Festival, a country-music event named for the county seat’s mythical mascot creature, the Hodag.
History
Oneida County was organized in 1887 out of territory formerly part of Lincoln County. It takes its name from the Oneida Nation, one of the five original nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, though the Oneida people’s own historic and present-day homeland lies farther south and east in Wisconsin, near Green Bay. Rhinelander grew up around a 19th-century lumber and rail junction and became the county seat; logging gave way over the 20th century to tourism as the county’s lakes attracted vacationers from Milwaukee and Chicago.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 8 runs east-west through Rhinelander, and State Highway 17 runs north-south through the Minocqua-Woodruff area; both connect to U.S. Highway 51, the main north-south route through the Northwoods.
- Wausau — 55 miles south
- Green Bay — 85 miles southeast
- Eagle River — 25 miles north
- Wisconsin Rapids — 75 miles south-southwest
Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (RHI) offers regional commercial air service; the nearest major hub airport is Central Wisconsin Airport near Wausau.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Oneida County, Wisconsin?
It is in north-central Wisconsin’s Northwoods lakes region, about 55 miles north of Wausau.
What is the population of Oneida County?
37,845 at the 2020 census.
How big is Oneida County?
1,236 square miles (3,200 km2), of which about 10% is water.
What is the county seat of Oneida County?
Rhinelander is the county seat.
How many towns are in Oneida County?
One incorporated city, Rhinelander, and 19 towns (civil townships), several holding named lake communities such as Minocqua, Woodruff, and Three Lakes.
What ZIP codes are in Oneida County?
Rhinelander is 54501; other ZIPs include 54548 (Minocqua), 54568 (Woodruff), 54562 (Three Lakes), 54531 (Hazelhurst) and 54539 (Lake Tomahawk).
Why is Rhinelander called the “Hodag” town?
The Hodag is a mythical horned creature tied to a famous 1893 local hoax; it remains Rhinelander’s mascot and namesake of its annual country-music festival.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.