Wausau, WI
Latest: 2024
Safe Republican — 138K residents — 1 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 86.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(11) | 3.5% |
▶Black / African American(4) | 0.6% |
▶Asian(6) | 5.7% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4) | 0.1% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.8% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 21.0% | 41.4% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 16.5% | 32.6% |
| Mainline Protestant | 10.0% | 19.7% |
| Other | 3.2% | 6.2% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Non-religious | 49.3% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+18.6 |
| 2020 | Trump+18.0 |
| 2016 | Trump+18.0 |
| 2012 | Romney+6.1 |
| 2008 | Obama+8.9 |
| 2004 | Bush+8.1 |
| 2000 | Bush+4.0 |
| 1996 | Clinton+8.0 |
| 1992 | Clinton+0.9 |
Wausau, WI is a metro area that has a population of 138,403. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+18.6. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 40.0% | 58.6% | R+18.6 | R+0.6 |
| 2020 | 40.1% | 58.1% | R+18.0 | 0.0 |
| 2016 | 38.1% | 56.1% | R+18.0 | R+11.9 |
| 2012 | 46.3% | 52.4% | R+6.1 | R+15.0 |
| 2008 | 53.5% | 44.7% | D+8.9 | D+16.9 |
| 2004 | 45.4% | 53.5% | R+8.1 | R+4.1 |
| 2000 | 45.5% | 49.5% | R+4.0 | R+12.0 |
| 1996 | 46.7% | 38.6% | D+8.0 | D+7.1 |
| 1992 | 37.4% | 36.5% | D+0.9 | D+0.6 |
| 1988 | 49.8% | 49.4% | D+0.4 | D+14.6 |
| 1984 | 41.4% | 55.6% | R+14.3 | R+9.4 |
| 1980 | 43.5% | 48.3% | R+4.8 | R+11.2 |
| 1976 | 51.9% | 45.6% | D+6.3 | D+13.4 |
| 1972 | 44.2% | 51.3% | R+7.1 | R+10.1 |
| 1968 | 47.4% | 44.4% | D+3.0 | R+28.6 |
| 1964 | 65.7% | 34.1% | D+31.6 | D+41.0 |
| 1960 | 45.3% | 54.7% | R+9.3 | D+9.8 |
| 1956 | 40.2% | 59.4% | R+19.1 | R+1.7 |
| 1952 | 41.1% | 58.5% | R+17.4 | R+33.1 |
| 1948 | 56.6% | 40.9% | D+15.7 | — |
What defines Wausau, WI?
Wausau, WI has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (1D, 5R) — a genuine swing geography.
Constituent Counties
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Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI
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Manitowoc, WI
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Red Wing, MN
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Counties in Wausau, WI
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 138K | R+18.6 | 31,529 | 46,213 | 78,826 | 100.0% |
1 countiesTotal votes: 78,826
Ask the Historian
Explore Wausau, WI's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2008, Republicans in 2024
- Highly elastic — margins have ranged 27.5 points across recent elections, suggesting a volatile electorate
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Wausau, WI | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 86.2% | 57.4% |
▶Asian(6) | 5.7% | 6.0% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.8% | 4.0% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(11) | 3.5% | 19.3% |
▶Black / African American(4) | 0.6% | 12.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4) | 0.1% | 0.9% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
50.7%
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.0% | 41.4% | — | — | |
| 16.5% | 32.6% | — | — | |
| 10.0% | 19.7% | — | — | |
| 3.2% | 6.2% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.3% | 0.7% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 49.3% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Wausau, WI metro area? 138,403 residents across 1 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
138K
Share of U.S. population
0.04%
Voting-age population
76.3%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$77,884
Poverty rate
8.7%
College degree
28.1%
Homeownership
73.3%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
41.3 yrs
Age 18–29
13.2%
Age 65+
19.2%
Foreign born
4.3%
Non-English at home
7.6%
English only
92.4%
Turnout in Wausau, WI
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
74.6%
+1.9pp
105,610
1988–2024
How competitive is Wausau, WI?
Safe RAvg margin: R+18.2 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+8.9
2012
R+6.1
2016
R+18.0
2020
R+18.0
2024
R+18.6
27.5pp
3
R+10.4
Do voters in Wausau, WI split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (27/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+18.6 | R+16.5 | 2.2pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 13.4pp
Located In
Wausau, WI sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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