As of the census of 2000, there were 82,887 people, 32,721 households, and 22,348 families residing in the county. The population density was 140 people per square mile. There were 34,651 housing units at an average density of 59 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 95.90% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 53.7% were of German, 7.3% Polish, 5.3% Czech and 5.0% American ancestry. 95.2% spoke English, 1.8% Spanish, 1.3% Hmong and 1.1% German as their first language. There were 32,721 households out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couplesliving together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males. In 2017, there were 780 births, giving a general fertility rate of 60.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 27th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, there were 43 reported induced abortions performed on women of Manitowoc County residence in 2017.
Government
The county executive is Bob Ziegelbauer. He is serving his fourth term in that position after being elected in April 2006 and reelected in April 2010, April 2014, and April 2018. The county is served by a 25-member county board.
The Netflix documentary seriesMaking a Murderer explores the arrests and trials in 2007 of Manitowoc County residents Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach, who disappeared in October 2005. The series describes an earlier wrongful conviction of Avery, for which he served 18 years, and his subsequent lawsuit against Manitowoc County. It then focuses on the procedures of the Calumet County Sheriff's Office and the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the later Halbach case. The Sheriffs officers have come under intense scrutiny for their involvement in the Halbach case due to Steven Avery's $36 million lawsuit and their questionable police and investigative techniques.
