Pepin County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, bordered on the west by Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River. It had a population of 7,318 at the 2020 census and covers 249 square miles (640 km2), centred near 44°36′N 92°00′W.
Durand is the county seat and its postal code is 54736. The county has one city, two villages, eight towns and several unincorporated communities. Pepin County sits in the Central time zone; its FIPS code is 55091.
Towns & Villages in Pepin County
Pepin County has one incorporated city (Durand), two incorporated villages (Pepin and Stockholm), and a scatter of unincorporated communities across its eight towns. “Unincorp.” below marks places with no municipal government of their own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durand | City · seat | Town of Durand | 1,854 | 54736 |
| Pepin | Village | Town of Pepin | 731 | 54759 |
| Stockholm | Village | Town of Stockholm | — | 54769 |
| Arkansaw | CDP | Town of Waterville | — | 54721 |
| Barry Corner | Unincorp. | Town of Albany | — | — |
| Devils Corner | Unincorp. | Town of Waubeek | — | — |
| Ella | Unincorp. | Town of Frankfort | — | — |
| Hawkins Corner | Unincorp. | Town of Waubeek | — | — |
| Lakeport | Unincorp. | Town of Durand | — | — |
| Lima | Unincorp. | Town of Lima | — | — |
| Porcupine | Unincorp. | Town of Frankfort | — | — |
| Tarrant | Unincorp. | Town of Waterville | — | — |
Pepin (the village) and Pepin (the town) share a name but are separate units — the village is the incorporated centre inside the larger Town of Pepin. The same pattern applies to Durand and Stockholm, each an incorporated place inside a like-named town.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Town of Durand | — | Lakeport |
| Town of Waterville | — | Arkansaw, Tarrant |
| Town of Frankfort | — | Ella, Porcupine |
| Town of Pepin | — | Pepin village |
| Town of Stockholm | — | Stockholm village |
| Town of Waubeek | — | Devils Corner, Hawkins Corner |
| Town of Albany | — | Barry Corner |
| Town of Lima | — | Lima |
ZIP Codes
- 54736 — Durand (also serves the Town of Durand)
- 54759 — Pepin (also serves the Town of Pepin)
- 54769 — Stockholm (also serves the Town of Stockholm)
- 54721 — Arkansaw (also serves the Town of Waterville)
Smaller unincorporated places such as Ella, Lima, Lakeport, Porcupine, Tarrant and the “Corner” communities use a nearby post office ZIP rather than one of their own.
Geography
Pepin County is the smallest Wisconsin county by land area and one of its least populous. The Chippewa River crosses the county before joining the Mississippi, and the county’s western edge runs along Lake Pepin, a natural widening of the Mississippi shared with Minnesota. Bluffs and ridges above the river valley give way to rolling farmland further inland.
Pepin County borders Pierce County to the northwest, Dunn County to the north, Eau Claire County to the east, Buffalo County to the south, and, across the Mississippi in Minnesota, Wabasha County to the southwest and Goodhue County to the west.
Demographics
Pepin County had 7,318 residents at the 2020 census, the fourth-least of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Durand (1,854) and Pepin (731) are its two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs below the Wisconsin median of $74,631, typical of the state’s smaller rural counties. Population density is about 32 people per square mile, among the lowest in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Farming remains central to Pepin County’s economy, with dairy, corn and soybeans the dominant crops on the land between the river bluffs. Durand, the county seat, holds the county courthouse and county government offices and serves as the local trade centre. Tourism tied to the Mississippi River, Lake Pepin and the Laura Ingalls Wilder connection brings visitors to the village of Pepin, which holds an annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Days celebration.
History
Pepin County was organized on February 25, 1858, carved from neighboring Dunn County. It takes its name from Lake Pepin, the Mississippi River lake on its western border, itself named for a French-Canadian family associated with the fur trade. The county’s first newspaper, The North Pepin Independent, published from 1856. The village of Pepin is the birthplace of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Little House on the Prairie books are set partly in the county.
Getting There
Wisconsin Highway 25 runs north–south through the county and Highway 35, the Great River Road, follows the Mississippi along its western edge.
- Eau Claire — 35 miles northeast
- La Crosse — 55 miles south
- Red Wing, Minnesota — 20 miles west
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul — 75 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in Eau Claire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pepin County?
It is in west-central Wisconsin, on the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin, bordering Minnesota.
What is the population of Pepin County?
7,318 at the 2020 census, the fourth-least of any Wisconsin county.
How big is Pepin County?
249 square miles (640 km2), the smallest county in Wisconsin by land area.
What is the county seat of Pepin County?
Durand is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Pepin County?
One city (Durand), two villages (Pepin and Stockholm), eight towns, and several unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Pepin County?
54736 (Durand), 54759 (Pepin), 54769 (Stockholm) and 54721 (Arkansaw) are the main ones.
Where was Laura Ingalls Wilder born?
In a log cabin near Pepin, Wisconsin, in Pepin County — the setting for the opening of the Little House on the Prairie series.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.