Racine County, Wisconsin

Racine County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, on the Lake Michigan shore between Milwaukee and the Illinois state line. It had a population of 197,727 at the 2020 census and covers 792 square miles (2,050 km2) in total, centred near 42°47′N 87°46′W.

Racine is the county seat, and its postal code is 53403. The county has 2 cities, 11 villages and 4 towns, plus a cluster of unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone.

Towns & Villages in Racine County

Racine County groups its 17 incorporated places — 2 cities, 11 villages and 4 towns (civil townships) — around several census-designated places and unincorporated crossroads. City and village population figures below are 2020 census counts; townships are covered in their own section next.

Union Grove and Yorkville share a single ZIP (53182) and sit only a couple of miles apart; Union Grove is the incorporated village, Yorkville the surrounding town. Wind Lake, Tichigan, Eagle Lake and Browns Lake are lake-community CDPs inside the towns of Norway, Waterford and Burlington rather than standalone municipalities — they’re listed above under their own names but administered as part of the township they sit in.

Townships

ZIP Codes

• 53401, 53402, 53403, 53404, 53405, 53406, 53408 — Racine (also serves Mount Pleasant, North Bay and Wind Point)
• 53105 — Burlington (also serves Bohners Lake, Browns Lake and Eagle Lake)
• 53108 — Caledonia
• 53177 — Sturtevant
• 53182 — Union Grove (also serves Yorkville and Union Church)
• 53185 — Waterford (also serves Tichigan and Wind Lake)
• 53126 — Franksville
• 53139 — Kansasville
• 53167 — Rochester

Small unincorporated crossroads such as North Cape, Husher and Ives Grove have no ZIP of their own and are served by the nearest listed post office town.

Geography

Racine County covers 792 square miles in all, but well over half of that — 460 square miles (1,200 km2), or 58 percent — is open water: Lake Michigan forms the entire eastern edge of the county. The remaining 333 square miles of land is gently rolling farmland and small kettle lakes left by glacial moraines, drained west to east by the Root River and Fox River. Wind Lake, Eagle Lake, Browns Lake, Bohners Lake and Tichigan Lake are the county’s main inland waterbodies and anchor its lake-cottage communities.

Racine County borders Milwaukee County to the north, Waukesha County to the northwest, Walworth County to the west and Kenosha County to the south. Lake Michigan lies to the east, with several Michigan counties across the water.

Demographics

Racine County’s population was 197,727 at the 2020 census, making it Wisconsin’s fifth-most populous county. The city of Racine (77,816) and the village of Mount Pleasant (27,732) together hold well over half the county’s residents, with the village of Caledonia (25,361) close behind. Median household income in the county runs close to the Wisconsin median of $74,631, with the city of Racine below that mark and the county’s western and lakeside towns above it. Population density across the county’s 333 land square miles works out to roughly 594 people per square mile.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing has anchored Racine’s economy for well over a century — S.C. Johnson & Son (SC Johnson), maker of household products, is headquartered in the city of Racine and remains one of the county’s largest employers, alongside CNH Industrial’s agricultural-equipment operations. Gateway Technical College and a growing logistics and warehousing sector around I-94 have diversified the base in recent decades. Foxconn’s Mount Pleasant campus, announced in 2017, brought a large electronics manufacturing footprint to the county’s north side. Downtown Racine’s lakefront festival grounds host Salmon-A-Rama, one of the Midwest’s largest freshwater fishing tournaments, each July.

History

Racine County was established on December 7, 1836, as part of Wisconsin Territory, taking its name from the French word for “root,” a reference to the Root River that flows through the city of Racine to Lake Michigan. The county’s lakefront position made Racine an early Great Lakes shipping and manufacturing port, and 19th-century immigration from Denmark, Germany and Bohemia shaped many of its rural townships. Racine is part of the Racine metropolitan statistical area and, more broadly, the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha combined statistical area.

Getting There

Interstate 94 crosses the county’s western townships north-south, with US 41 and WIS 20/32/38 providing the main east-west and shoreline routes into the city of Racine.

• Milwaukee — 25 miles north
• Kenosha — 15 miles south
• Chicago — 65 miles south
• Madison — 85 miles west

The nearest commercial airport is Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, about 20 miles north of the city of Racine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Racine County?
It’s in southeastern Wisconsin, on the Lake Michigan shore between Milwaukee and the Illinois state line.

What is the population of Racine County?
197,727 as of the 2020 census, making it Wisconsin’s fifth-most populous county.

How big is Racine County?
792 square miles in total, of which 333 square miles is land and 460 square miles is Lake Michigan water.

What is the county seat of Racine County?
Racine is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Racine County?
2 cities, 11 villages and 4 towns (civil townships), plus several unincorporated communities and lake-community CDPs.

What ZIP codes are in Racine County?
Nine post office towns cover the county, led by the 53401–53408 Racine ZIPs, plus 53105 Burlington, 53108 Caledonia, 53177 Sturtevant, 53182 Union Grove, 53185 Waterford, 53126 Franksville, 53139 Kansasville and 53167 Rochester.

What is Racine County known for?
It’s the home of SC Johnson’s headquarters and the annual Salmon-A-Rama fishing tournament on the Racine lakefront.

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