Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety88#115/924
Economy87#120/925
Housing86#132/925
Health79#195/925
Healthcare84#151/923
Environment66#313/917
Education76#224/925
Infrastructure77#213/925
Community90#93/925
Leisure & amenities76#225/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Wausau, WI metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Loneliness · low29.8%
96/100Wisconsin 31.6%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · low9.4%
95/100Wisconsin 12.4%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high57.0%
94/100Wisconsin 53.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Lack of reliable transportation · low6.7%
94/100Wisconsin 7.2%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · low2.8%
94/100Wisconsin 3.2%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Frequent mental distress · low16.1%
93/100Wisconsin 17.3%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Days with unhealthy air · high2.6%
12/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Job growth · low-2.2%
13/100Wisconsin 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · high1.36%
14/100Wisconsin 1.32%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Suicide rate · high24.5 /100k
15/100Wisconsin 16.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · low2.2 /10k
22/100Wisconsin 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low1.1 /10k
23/100Wisconsin 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureWorsening
3% (2021) → 30% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+27 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Firearm deathsWorsening
7.3 /100k (2021) → 15.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+118%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
6.3 /1k (2020) → 9.9 /1k (2025)
+58%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Suicide rateWorsening
16.0 /100k (2021) → 24.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+53%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
18.5% (Dec 2021) → 27.1% (Aug 2026)
+8.6 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.8% (2015-2019) → 90.0% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Wausau, WI metro area improved on 15 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 8 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved15

Pharmacies+13%1.0 /10k → 1.1 /10k
Inequality−0.0180.434 → 0.417
Traffic deaths−16%9.5 /100k → 7.9 /100k
Violent crime−36%247 /100k → 159 /100k
Airport−50 mi124 mi → 74 mi

Declined6

Suicides+143%10.1 /100k → 24.5 /100k
Firearm deaths+109%7.6 /100k → 15.9 /100k
Homicides+18%1.7 /100k → 2.0 /100k
Arts & recreation−9.1%4.4 /10k → 4.0 /10k
Gyms−17%1.3 /10k → 1.1 /10k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Wausau, WI metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.4 /10k2020	4.0 /10k2025	−9.1%	Declined	16%
Average commute time	19.7 min2015-2019	19.1 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	80%
Average weekly wage	$9702020	$1,1642025	+20%	Improved	21%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.2%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	+4 points	Improved	77%
Broadband subscriptions	81.8%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Improved	42%
Child poverty rate	12.3%2015-2019	11.1%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Distance to an airport	124 mi2020	74 mi2025	−50 mi	Improved	99%
Drug overdose deaths	9.4 /100k2020	8.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−7.4%	Improved	33%
Effective property tax rate	1.69%2015-2019	1.35%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	93%
Firearm deaths	7.6 /100k2020	15.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+109%	Declined	1%
Grocery stores	1.7 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	+3.4%	Little change	64%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.3 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	20%
High school diploma or higher	91.9%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	64%
Homicide rate	1.7 /100k2020	2.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+18%	Declined	12%
Income adjusted for local prices	$55,6232019	$70,7922024	+27%	Improved	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4342015-2019	0.4172020-2024	−0.018	Improved	87%
Median household income	$61,7832015-2019	$77,8842020-2024	+26%	Improved	45%
New business applications	6.3 /1k2020	9.9 /1k2025	+58%	Improved	67%
Pharmacies	1.0 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	91%
Poverty rate	9.1%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Property crime rate	915 /100k2020	596 /100k2025	−35%	Improved	53%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−2.4%	Little change	42%
Public transit commuters	0.4%2015-2019	0.2%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Rent as share of income	24.5%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Rent-burdened households	37.9%2015-2019	42.0%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Restaurants and bars	11.3 /10k2020	12.2 /10k2025	+7.9%	Improved	75%
Suicide rate	10.1 /100k2020	24.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+143%	Declined	0%
Traffic deaths	9.5 /100k2015-2019	7.9 /100k2020-2024	−16%	Improved	84%
Unemployment rate	5.0%2020	2.8%2025	−2.2 points	Improved	28%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.7%2015-2019	7.1%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Violent crime rate	247 /100k2020	159 /100k2025	−36%	Improved	82%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Wausau, WI metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wausau, WI metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Wausau, WI metro area itself moved −3 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

138,403 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

57,866 households (±405)

Wausau, WI metro area
United States share

Under $25k11%6,645
$25k–50k18%10,439
$50k–75k19%10,765

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

57,866 households (±405)

Wausau, WI metro area
United States share

Own73%42,414
Rent27%15,452

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

71,122 workers (±863)

Wausau, WI metro area
United States share

Drive alone76%54,160
Carpool7.5%5,369
Public transit0.2%†164

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Wausau, WI employ 15,590 people. 4 pay a median above the US median and 6 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Wausau, WI by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators2,110 jobs	2,110	$45,670US $44,650	+2%	3.35×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand1,840 jobs	1,840	$43,460US $40,240	+8%	1.4×
Registered Nurses1,830 jobs	1,830	$89,190US $97,550	−9%	1.21×
Cashiers1,660 jobs	1,660	$30,480US $32,880	−7%	1.2×
Retail Salespersons1,660 jobs	1,660	$34,160US $35,410	−4%	0.95×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers1,460 jobs	1,460	$58,520US $58,640	0%	1.59×
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,440 jobs	1,440	$27,830US $31,200	−11%	0.83×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides1,330 jobs	1,330	$35,910US $35,800	0%	0.69×
Office Clerks, General1,170 jobs	1,170	$44,660US $45,010	−1%	1.06×
Food Batchmakers1,090 jobs	1,090	$48,560US $42,290	+15%	14×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Wausau, WI.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Wausau, WI has 3,436 employer establishments, 248 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248), with 65,770 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,164. The Census Bureau also counts 8,963 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,436; 8,963 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 248; US 248
Paid employees: 65,770
Average annual pay: $57,164; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Wausau, WI by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	276	19.9	0.95×About typical	5,277	$107,543	351
Specialty trade contractors	249	17.9	1.16×About typical	1,971	$74,974	752
Restaurants and other eating places	233	16.8	0.91×About typical	3,726	$19,934	34
Truck transportation	118	8.5	1.68×More than typical	1,040	$53,695	204
Religious organizations	113	8.1	1.47×More than typical	703	$20,893	—
Full-service restaurants	112	8.1	1.05×About typical	1,853	$21,451	18
Construction of buildings	104	7.5	0.99×About typical	822	$77,156	377
Offices of physicians	97	7	1.08×About typical	3,189	$128,160	60
Building equipment contractors	96	6.9	1.15×About typical	1,042	$72,636	119
Automotive repair and maintenance	93	6.7	1.33×More than typical	458	$46,504	168
Limited-service restaurants	89	6.4	0.80×Fewer than typical	1,565	$18,278	12
Services to buildings and dwellings	89	6.4	0.95×About typical	1,061	$29,882	432

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 138,768 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.1M on contracts performed in Wausau, WI metro area: $14.75 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.1M; −23% vs FY2025
Per resident: $14.75; US $1,994
Sole-source: 39%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.2%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Bureau of Reclamation$775.9K38%
Agricultural Research Service$729.4K35%
Department of Veterans Affairs$343.8K17%
Department of the Army$145.7K7.1%
Department of State$45.7K2.2%
Defense Information Systems Agency$12.9K0.6%
Defense Logistics Agency$2,9160.1%

Top recipients

L & S ELECTRIC INC$805.9K39%
UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS LLC$343K17%
HUMAN SERVICES BOARD SERVING NORTH CENTRAL HEALTH CARE FACILITY$326.8K16%
KINGLINE EQUIPMENT, INC.$301.8K15%
THE KELLY-TURNER GROUP INCORPORATED$103.4K5.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.2MFY2017
2.5MFY2018
4MFY2019
4.1MFY2020
1.6MFY2021
2.1MFY2022
1.1MFY2023
8.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$775.9K38%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$644.8K31%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$326.8K16%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$145.7K7.1%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$84.7K4.1%

Largest awards

UNITY AUTO MART RI/FS (SFGLAES)$6.3M
JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP INC.· Marathon County, WI· Facilities & utilities· Apr 17, 2024 – Jun 18, 2026· 68HE0524F0037
SHASTA POWER PLANT DIGITAL GOVERNOR MODERNIZATION$775.9K
L & S ELECTRIC INC· Marathon County, WI· Construction & real property· Apr 21, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026· 140R2026P0034
DESIGN OF HEADQUARTERS OFFICE, MEETING SPACE, AND SAMPLE PROCESSING SPACE FOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) FACILITIES IN STRATFORD, WI$561.9K
BAILEY EDWARD DESIGN, INC· Marathon County, WI· Construction & real property· Aug 15, 2024 – Dec 10, 2025· 12505B24F0157
FY26 360 RAIN - AUTONOMOUS LIQUID DAIRY MANURE APPLICATOR

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $904.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Wausau, WI metro area: $6,486 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $904.3M; −0.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,486; US $12,955
Loan face value: $27.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$612.6M68%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$59.8M6.6%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$53M5.9%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$42.6M4.7%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$27.9M3.1%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$17.7M2.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$14.6M1.6%
20.263 · Bridge Formula Program$7.7M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$18.3M2.0%
MADISON, WI
NORTHCENTRAL TECHNICAL COLLEGE$9M1.0%
WAUSAU, WI
FAMILY HEALTH CENTER OF MARSHFIELD, INC.$8M0.9%
MARSHFIELD, WI
MARATHON COUNTY$2.9M0.3%
MOSINEE, WI
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY$2.6M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$729.7M81%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$59.8M6.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$51M5.6%
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Highway Administration$18.3M2.0%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency

Assistance by fiscal year

750MFY2021
729.5MFY2022
788.9MFY2023
824.5MFY2024
905.4MFY2025
904.3MFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Wausau, WI

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Marathon CountyCentral county98139,432

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

WausauPrincipal city39,996

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Wisconsin

Areas based in Wisconsin, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M48140

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved15

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Wausau, WI metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Wausau, WI

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Wisconsin

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved15

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought