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Wausau-Rhinelander

Wausau-Rhinelander

Latest: 2024↓ R+1.3 vs 2020

Safe Republican — 458K residents — 11 counties

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Race & ancestry
Group%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
88.9%
▶Hispanic / Latino(16)
3.3%
▶Black / African American(8)
0.6%
▶Asian(6)
2.6%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(7)
0.1%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
1.0%
Multiracial / Other
3.6%
View full demographics →
Religious adherence
Tradition% Pop% Adherents
Catholic21.5%45.8%
Evangelical Protestant15.7%33.5%
Mainline Protestant7.9%16.8%
Other1.8%3.8%
LDS (Mormon)0.5%1.1%
Non-religious53.2%—
View full religion →
Presidential results
YearResult
2024Trump+19.2
2020Trump+17.9
2016Trump+17.6
2012Romney+1.7
2008Obama+12.3
2004Bush+3.5
2000Bush+2.8
1996Clinton+10.6
1992Clinton+3.4
View full election history →

Wausau-Rhinelander is a media market that has a population of 457,577. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+19.2. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Wausau-Rhinelander Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
YearDem %Rep %MarginSwing
202439.6%58.8%R+19.2R+1.3
202040.2%58.1%R+17.9R+0.3
201638.3%55.9%R+17.6R+15.9
201248.5%50.1%R+1.7R+13.9
200855.2%42.9%D+12.3D+15.7
200447.7%51.1%R+3.5R+0.7
200045.8%48.6%R+2.8R+13.4
199647.4%36.8%D+10.6D+7.2
199239.0%35.6%D+3.4D+2.4
198850.1%49.1%D+1.0D+16.2
198441.7%56.9%R+15.2R+11.1
198043.9%48.0%R+4.1R+9.5
197651.5%46.1%D+5.4D+14.8
197243.1%52.5%R+9.4R+9.4
196845.8%45.7%EvenR+29.8
196464.8%35.0%D+29.8D+36.3
196046.7%53.1%R+6.4D+18.5
195637.2%62.2%R+25.0R+1.5
195238.1%61.5%R+23.4R+31.5
194852.6%44.6%D+8.0—
Political Identity

What defines Wausau-Rhinelander?

Wausau-Rhinelander has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (1D, 5R) — a genuine swing geography.

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer
Similarity Explorer

Similar media markets

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Wausau-Rhinelander

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Marathon138K
R+18.6
31,52946,21378,82629.0%
Wood74K
R+19.9
16,59924,99742,21615.5%
Portage71K
D+1.2
21,50320,98743,25815.9%
Oneida38K
R+17.6
10,08014,45524,8959.1%
Lincoln28K
R+25.1
6,30610,63317,2096.3%
Vilas24K
R+23.0
6,1199,83716,1355.9%
Adams21K
R+25.8
4,4437,76312,8824.7%
Taylor20K
R+48.1
2,8238,20911,1864.1%
Langlade19K
R+34.6
3,7467,78211,6644.3%
Price14K
R+31.1
3,0055,7638,8563.3%
Forest9K
R+33.4
1,6813,3825,0971.9%
11 countiesTotal votes: 272,224
Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Wausau-Rhinelander's political evolution with the Historian
Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
  • The 2012 election was decided by just 1.7 points — razor-thin
  • Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2008, Republicans in 2024
  • Shifted 17.5 points toward Republicans over the last 4 elections
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Wausau-RhinelanderCensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
Expand rows for ancestry detail
White (Non-Hispanic) 88.9%Multiracial 3.6%Hispanic 3.3%Asian 2.6%Native American 1.0%Black 0.6%
GroupWausau-RhinelanderNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
88.9%57.4%
Multiracial / Other
3.6%4.0%
▶Hispanic / Latino(16)
3.3%19.3%
▶Asian(6)
2.6%6.0%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
1.0%0.9%
▶Black / African American(8)
0.6%12.2%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(7)
0.1%0.9%
Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:
46.8%(214.2K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: +7.9pp (vs national 4.5pp). A moderate religious balance between Catholic and Evangelical traditions.

Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Catholic
21.5%45.8%——
Evangelical Protestant
15.7%33.5%——
Mainline Protestant
7.9%16.8%——
Other
1.8%3.8%——
LDS (Mormon)
0.5%1.1%——
Non-religiousPopulation
53.2%———
Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Who lives in the Wausau-Rhinelander media market? 457,577 residents across 11 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Wausau-Rhinelander vs National458K residents

26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 7pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+3 on average nationally.

Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
458K
local
458KNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.14%
local
0.14%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
78.3%
local
78.3%National 75.7%
Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income
Local vs state vs U.S.
$70,963
local
$70,963National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
10.2%
local
10.2%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
25.6%
local
25.6%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
76.0%
local
76.0%National 65.2%
Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age
Local vs state vs U.S.
45.0 yrs
local
45.0 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
13.3%
local
13.3%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
22.5%
local
22.5%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
2.8%
local
2.8%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
4.7%
local
4.7%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
95.3%
local
95.3%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Wausau-Rhinelander

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
2024 Turnout
76.0%
vs Previous
+2.9pp
Voting-Age Pop
358,103
History
1988–2024
Competitiveness

How competitive is Wausau-Rhinelander?

Safe RAvg margin: R+18.2 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+12.3
2012
R+1.7
2016
R+17.6
2020
R+17.9
2024
R+19.2
Elasticity
31.5pp
margin range
Party Flips
3
last 30 years
5-Elec Avg
R+8.8
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Wausau-Rhinelander split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (31/100)
2024 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
President vs SenateR+19.2R+15.93.2pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 12.8pp
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