Trempealeau County, Wisconsin

Trempealeau County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, on the Mississippi River bluffs of the Driftless Zone. It had a population of 30,760 at the 2020 census and covers 742 square miles (1,920 km2) centred near 44°18′N 91°21′W.

Whitehall is the county seat, and its postal code is 54773. The county has 6 cities, 5 villages, 15 towns and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities; it observes Central time.

Towns & Villages in Trempealeau County

Trempealeau County’s population centres split into 6 incorporated cities, 5 incorporated villages, and a wide scatter of unincorporated crossroads communities, most of them Norwegian- and Polish-settled farm hamlets founded in the second half of the 19th century. Type key: CDP = census-designated place (unincorporated but tracked by the Census Bureau); Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no formal municipal government.

Arcadia is the county’s largest city and Blair its smallest chartered city. Chapultepec, a hamlet name that appeared on older lists, does not correspond to a confirmed Trempealeau County place and has been dropped here.

Townships

The county’s rural land outside the cities and villages is organized into 15 civil towns (New England-style townships), each governing its own unincorporated hamlets and farm crossroads.

ZIP Codes

• 54773 — Whitehall (also serves the surrounding town of Whitehall)
• 54612 — Arcadia
• 54616 — Blair
• 54630 — Galesville
• 54747 — Independence
• 54758 — Osseo
• 54738 — Eleva
• 54627 — Ettrick
• 54770 — Strum
• 54661 — Trempealeau
• 54625 — Dodge
• 54760 — Pigeon Falls (post office box service only)

Small unincorporated communities such as Centerville, Hale, and North Creek use the mailing ZIP code of their nearest post-office town rather than one of their own.

Geography

Trempealeau County lies in the Driftless Zone, the unglaciated corner of western Wisconsin where steep, forested ridges cut by coulees replace the flat till plains found elsewhere in the state. The Trempealeau River, which gives the county its name, flows west across the county to join the Mississippi River at its southwestern corner, near the village of Trempealeau. The Mississippi itself forms part of the county’s western edge.

The county borders Eau Claire County to the north, Jackson County to the east, La Crosse County to the southeast, Buffalo County to the west, and Winona County, Minnesota, across the Mississippi to the southwest.

Demographics

Trempealeau County had 30,760 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 42 people per square mile. Arcadia is the largest city; Whitehall, the county seat, Galesville, Osseo, Blair, and Independence round out the other five chartered cities. The county’s population reflects heavy 19th- and early-20th-century Norwegian and Polish settlement, with a growing Hispanic and Latino community tied to food-processing and manufacturing jobs in recent decades. Wisconsin’s statewide median household income is $74,631; a largely rural, agricultural and light-manufacturing county like Trempealeau typically runs below that statewide figure.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture, especially dairy farming, anchors much of the county’s rural economy, alongside food processing and light manufacturing. Arcadia is the headquarters of Ashley Furniture Industries, one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the world and among the county’s biggest employers. Small-town main streets in Whitehall, Galesville, and Osseo serve their surrounding farm trade areas with schools, clinics, and local retail.

History

Trempealeau County was created by the Wisconsin legislature in 1854 and organized in 1855, carved from neighboring territory as settlement pushed up the Mississippi and Trempealeau river valleys. Its name comes from the Trempealeau River, itself named by early French traders for a nearby bluff — “la montagne qui trempe à l’eau,” roughly “the mountain that soaks in the water.” Norwegian and Polish immigrants settled the county’s farmland through the late 1800s and early 1900s, shaping its churches, place names, and small-town culture. The county today includes part of the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge along the Mississippi River bottoms.

Getting There

Interstate 94 crosses the northern part of the county near Osseo, and U.S. Highways 10 and 53 run through the county’s core, linking Whitehall, Blair, and Independence. Wisconsin Highways 35, 54, 93, 95, and 121 connect the smaller villages.

• Eau Claire — about 25 miles north via US-53
• La Crosse — about 30 miles south via US-53/I-90
• Winona, Minnesota — about 20 miles southwest via US-53/I-90
• Black River Falls — about 20 miles east via US-10

The nearest commercial airports are La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE) to the south and Eau Claire’s Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (EAU) to the north.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Trempealeau County, Wisconsin?
It sits in west-central Wisconsin’s Driftless Zone, along the Mississippi River, between Eau Claire and La Crosse.

What is the population of Trempealeau County?
30,760 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Trempealeau County?
742 square miles (1,920 km2), of which 733 square miles is land.

What is the county seat of Trempealeau County?
Whitehall is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Trempealeau County?
6 cities, 5 villages, 15 civil towns, and around a dozen smaller unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Trempealeau County?
Twelve ZIP codes serve the county, including 54773 (Whitehall), 54612 (Arcadia), and 54630 (Galesville); see the ZIP Codes section above for the full list.

Why is it called Trempealeau County?
It takes its name from the Trempealeau River and a nearby Mississippi River bluff, named by French traders for appearing to “soak in the water.”

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