Shawano County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, on the transition zone between the state’s farm country and its northern forests. It had a population of 40,881 at the 2020 census and covers 909 square miles (2,350 km2) centred near 44°47′N 88°46′W.
Shawano is the county seat, and its postal code is 54166. The county has 2 cities, 11 villages, roughly two dozen unincorporated communities, and 25 towns (civil townships). It sits in the Central time zone, and its FIPS county code is 55115.
Towns & Villages in Shawano County
Shawano County’s settlements split between two cities on U.S. 45, eleven villages spread across the townships, and a long list of crossroads communities and rural post-office hamlets. The Type column reads “City · seat” for the county seat, “City” and “Village” for the other incorporated places, and “Unincorp.” for the smaller communities, which have no municipal government of their own and sit inside one of the county’s towns.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawano | City · seat | — | 9,243 | 54166 |
| Marion | City | — | 1,324 | — |
| Aniwa | Village | Aniwa | — | — |
| Birnamwood | Village | Birnamwood | — | 54414 |
| Bonduel | Village | Waukechon | — | 54107 |
| Bowler | Village | Richmond | — | 54416 |
| Cecil | Village | Wescott | — | 54111 |
| Eland | Village | Germania | — | — |
| Gresham | Village | Red Springs | — | 54128 |
| Mattoon | Village | Herman | — | 54450 |
| Pulaski | Village | Hutchins | — | — |
| Tigerton | Village | Wittenberg | — | 54486 |
| Wittenberg | Village | Wittenberg | — | 54499 |
| Adams Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Advance | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Almon | Unincorp. | Almon | — | — |
| Angelica | Unincorp. | Angelica | — | — |
| Belle Plaine | Unincorp. | Belle Plaine | — | — |
| Briarton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Caroline | Unincorp. | — | — | 54928 |
| Five Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Frazer Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Green Valley | Unincorp. | Green Valley | — | 54127 |
| Hofa Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hunting | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Krakow | Unincorp. | — | — | 54137 |
| Landstad | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Laney | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Leopolis | Unincorp. | — | — | 54948 |
| Lunds | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lyndhurst | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Middle Village | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Morgan | Unincorp. | Morris | — | — |
| Navarino | Unincorp. | Navarino | — | — |
| Pella | Unincorp. | Pella | — | — |
| Pulcifer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Red River | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Regina | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rose Lawn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shepley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Slab City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Split Rock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Thornton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tilleda | Unincorp. | — | — | 54978 |
| Whitcomb | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Zachow | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Marion and Pulaski are border villages: Marion sits mostly in Waupaca County with a small share of its population in Shawano County, and Pulaski straddles the Shawano–Oconto–Brown county line. Both are counted here for their Shawano County share only. “Paac Ciinak” is a Menominee-language place name used on the reservation lands along the county’s northern edge and is carried over from the county’s community list.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Wittenberg | — | Wittenberg, Tigerton |
| Waukechon | — | Bonduel |
| Red Springs | — | Gresham |
| Richmond | — | Bowler |
| Wescott | — | Cecil |
| Herman | — | Mattoon |
| Hutchins | — | Pulaski (part) |
| Germania | — | Eland |
| Birnamwood | — | Birnamwood |
| Aniwa | — | Aniwa |
| Almon | — | Almon |
| Angelica | — | Angelica |
| Belle Plaine | — | Belle Plaine |
| Bartelme | — | Stockbridge-Munsee reservation land |
| Fairbanks | — | — |
| Grant | — | — |
| Green Valley | — | Green Valley |
| Hartland | — | — |
| Lessor | — | — |
| Maple Grove | — | — |
| Morris | — | Morgan |
| Navarino | — | Navarino |
| Pella | — | Pella |
| Seneca | — | — |
| Washington | — | — |
Bartelme and Red Springs townships together hold the Stockbridge-Munsee Community’s reservation, a federally recognized Mohican tribal nation headquartered at Bowler.
ZIP Codes
- 54166 — Shawano
- 54107 — Bonduel
- 54414 — Birnamwood
- 54499 — Wittenberg
- 54486 — Tigerton
- 54128 — Gresham
- 54111 — Cecil
- 54416 — Bowler
- 54137 — Krakow
- 54928 — Caroline
- 54450 — Mattoon
- 54948 — Leopolis
- 54978 — Tilleda (PO Box only)
- 54127 — Green Valley
Aniwa, Eland, Pulaski and Marion do not carry their own Shawano County ZIP code; mail there is served by a neighboring town’s post office.
Geography
Shawano County sits where Wisconsin’s central sand plain meets the start of the northern forest belt. The Wolf River crosses the county from north to south past the city of Shawano, widening into Shawano Lake just east of town, the county’s largest body of water. Of the county’s 909 square miles, 893 are land and 16 are water.
Shawano County borders eight other Wisconsin counties. Menominee County lies to the north, Oconto County to the east, Brown County to the southeast, Outagamie County and Waupaca County to the south, Portage County to the southwest, Marathon County to the west, and Langlade County to the northwest.
Demographics
Shawano County had 40,881 residents at the 2020 census, for a density of about 45.8 people per square mile. Shawano, the county seat, is by far the largest community at 9,243; Marion is a distant second among incorporated places, though most of its 1,324 residents live across the line in Waupaca County. Median household income in the county trails the Wisconsin median of $74,631; Native American residents, concentrated on the Stockbridge-Munsee reservation, make up 8.5% of the population — well above the statewide share.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, forestry and food processing anchor the county’s economy, alongside tourism drawn by Shawano Lake and the Wolf River. The Wisconsin Towns Association, which represents the state’s town governments, is headquartered in the city of Shawano. The Stockbridge-Munsee Community operates North Star Mohican Resort Casino near Bowler, one of the county’s larger employers. Shawano hosts an annual county fair each August, a fixture of the local calendar since the 19th century.
History
Shawano County was organized on February 16, 1853. Its name comes from an Ojibwe word meaning roughly “southern,” marking what was once the southern edge of Ojibwe territory; many locals also connect the name to Sawanoh, a Menominee chief who lived in the area. The Stockbridge-Munsee Community, a Mohican nation relocated from New York and New England over the 19th century, settled its reservation in the county’s northeastern townships, where it remains headquartered today.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 45 runs north–south through the county past Shawano, meeting a web of Wisconsin state highways — 22, 29, 32, 47, 52, 55, 110, 117, 153, 156, 160 and 187 — that connect its towns and villages.
- Green Bay — 35 miles east
- Wausau — 40 miles west
- Appleton — 35 miles south
- Antigo — 25 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Shawano County?
It sits in the northeastern part of Wisconsin, between Green Bay and Wausau, centred near 44°47′N 88°46′W.
What is the population of Shawano County?
40,881 at the 2020 census.
How big is Shawano County?
909 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 16 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Shawano County?
Shawano is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Shawano County?
The county has 2 cities, 11 villages, 25 towns, and numerous smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Shawano County?
Fourteen, led by 54166 for Shawano, 54107 for Bonduel and 54499 for Wittenberg.
What tribal nation is based in Shawano County?
The Stockbridge-Munsee Community, a federally recognized Mohican nation, whose reservation covers Bartelme and Red Springs townships.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.