Marinette County, Wisconsin

Marinette County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, in the state’s northeastern corner along the Michigan border, about 45 miles north of Green Bay. It had a population of 41,872 at the 2020 census, an estimated 42,046 by 2024, and covers 1,550 square miles (4,000 km2) centred near 45°20′N 88°00′W.

Marinette is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 54143. The county holds 3 cities, 4 incorporated villages and 25 unincorporated places — four of them census-designated — across 18 townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 55075.

Towns & Villages in Marinette County

Marinette County has 32 named places on record: 3 cities, 4 incorporated villages, 4 census-designated places (CDPs) and 21 smaller unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.

Two names on the old version of this list are not separate settlements. Beecher is the name of the township, not a place in its own right — its one named community is Beecher Lake, listed above. Menekaunee, a historic fishing settlement at the mouth of the Menominee River, was annexed into the city of Marinette decades ago; its residents are already counted in Marinette’s population figure above, not listed separately.

ZIP Codes

• 54143 — Marinette
• 54157 — Peshtigo
• 54114 — Crivitz
• 54151 — Niagara
• 54177 — Wausaukee
• 54112 — Coleman
• 54161 — Pound
• 54156 — Pembine
• 54159 — Porterfield
• 54104 — Athelstane
• 54102 — Amberg
• 54119 — Dunbar
• 54125 — Goodman

Bagley Junction, Beaver, Beecher Lake, Cedarville, Goll, Harmony, Kremlin, Loomis, May Corner, McAllister, Middle Inlet, Miles, Packard, Rubys Corner, Sweetheart City, Wagner, Walsh, White Pine Haven and Wilcox have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest post office town’s code.

Geography

Marinette County sits on the northern edge of Wisconsin’s eastern uplands, a forested belt of glacial hills, kettle lakes and river valleys. Of its 1,550 square miles, 1,399 are land and 151 are water, about 9.7 percent — unusually high for an inland county, driven mostly by the Menominee River system and Lake Noquebay near Crivitz rather than by any single large lake. The Menominee River forms the entire eastern county line, separating Wisconsin from Michigan, and the Peshtigo River crosses the county south to Green Bay, the bay of Lake Michigan that touches the county’s southeastern corner at Marinette and Peshtigo.

Florence County lies to the north, Forest County to the west, and Oconto County to the south. Across the Menominee River, Dickinson County and Menominee County in Michigan border the county to the northeast and east. Florence County, Forest County, Oconto County, Dickinson County and Menominee County all border Marinette directly.

Demographics

Marinette County had a population of 41,872 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 42,046 residents. Marinette and Peshtigo are the two largest communities, together holding well over a third of the county’s population. Median household income runs $63,809, below Wisconsin’s statewide figure of $74,631 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 30 people per square mile of land, low even by rural Wisconsin standards, reflecting the county’s large forested and lake-country interior.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 5,474 people, followed by health care and social assistance at 2,553 and retail trade at 1,923. Fincantieri Marinette Marine, a naval shipbuilder on the Marinette waterfront, is the county’s largest single employer and builds combat ships for the U.S. Navy. Kimberly-Clark runs a paper mill in Marinette, and Tyco/Ansul manufactures fire-suppression systems there as well; Waupaca Foundry operates a metal-casting plant in the city. Outdoor recreation drives much of the county’s tourism — a dense network of snowmobile and ATV trails runs through the northern townships, and Dave’s Falls, near Amberg, is a popular stop on the Pike River.

History

The Wisconsin legislature organized Marinette County in 1879, taking territory then part of Oconto County. Both the county and its seat take their name from Marie Antoinette Chevalier, known as “Queen Marinette,” a Métis trader who ran a post near the mouth of the Menominee River in the early 1800s.

On October 8, 1871, a wind-driven forest fire swept through Peshtigo and a dozen surrounding villages, burning roughly 1.5 million acres and killing between 1,200 and 2,500 people. The Peshtigo Fire remains the deadliest wildfire in American history, though it was overshadowed in the news that same night by the Great Chicago Fire. Peshtigo’s Fire Cemetery holds a mass grave for victims never identified, and the Peshtigo Fire Museum preserves artifacts from the disaster.

Getting There

U.S. Routes 8, 41 and 141 cross the county, along with Wisconsin Highways 64 and 180. No interstate highway reaches Marinette County. Freight rail service comes from Canadian National, the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad and Watco; no passenger rail line serves the county.

• Green Bay — about 45 miles south
• Escanaba, Michigan — about 50 miles north-northeast
• Iron Mountain, Michigan — about 54 miles north-northwest
• Oconto — about 25 miles south

Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, roughly 45 miles south of Marinette, is the nearest major commercial airport. Ford Airport, near Kingsford, Michigan, offers a closer regional alternative to the north.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Marinette County located?
It sits in Wisconsin’s northeastern corner on the Michigan border, about 45 miles north of Green Bay, bordered by Florence, Forest, Oconto, Dickinson and Menominee counties.

What is the population of Marinette County?
41,872 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 42,046.

How big is Marinette County?
1,550 square miles (4,000 km2), of which 1,399 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Marinette County?
Marinette, the county’s largest city, is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Marinette County?
Three cities — Marinette, Peshtigo and Niagara — four villages, four census-designated places and 21 smaller unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes does Marinette County use?
54143 for Marinette, 54157 for Peshtigo, 54151 for Niagara, plus separate codes for Crivitz, Wausaukee, Coleman, Pound, Pembine, Porterfield, Athelstane, Amberg, Dunbar and Goodman.

What is Marinette County known for?
The 1871 Peshtigo Fire, the deadliest wildfire in American history, and Fincantieri Marinette Marine, one of the U.S. Navy’s active shipbuilders.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.