Portage County, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Portage County Courthouse in Stevens Point | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofWisconsin | |
| Coordinates:44°29′N89°30′W / 44.48°N 89.5°W /44.48; -89.5 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Founded | 1844 |
| Named after | the portage between theFox andWisconsin Rivers |
| Seat | Stevens Point |
| Largest city | Stevens Point |
| Area | |
• Total | 823 sq mi (2,130 km2) |
| • Land | 801 sq mi (2,070 km2) |
| • Water | 22 sq mi (57 km2) 2.7% |
| Population | |
• Total | 70,377 |
• Estimate (2024) | 72,040 |
| • Density | 87.9/sq mi (33.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Portage County is acounty in theU.S. state ofWisconsin. As of the2020 census, the population was 70,377.[2] Itscounty seat isStevens Point.[3]
Portage County comprises the Stevens Point, WIMicropolitan Statistical Area and is included in theWausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WICombined Statistical Area.
Portage County was created from theWisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1844.[4] Like the city ofPortage, Portage County is named for theportage between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers; Portage County originally included the city of Portage and the portage for which it was named, but boundary changes detached the county from its namesake.[5]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 823 square miles (2,130 km2), of which 801 square miles (2,070 km2) is land and 22 square miles (57 km2) (2.7%) is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 1,623 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,250 | −23.0% | |
| 1860 | 7,507 | 500.6% | |
| 1870 | 10,634 | 41.7% | |
| 1880 | 17,731 | 66.7% | |
| 1890 | 24,798 | 39.9% | |
| 1900 | 29,483 | 18.9% | |
| 1910 | 30,945 | 5.0% | |
| 1920 | 33,649 | 8.7% | |
| 1930 | 33,827 | 0.5% | |
| 1940 | 35,800 | 5.8% | |
| 1950 | 34,858 | −2.6% | |
| 1960 | 36,964 | 6.0% | |
| 1970 | 47,541 | 28.6% | |
| 1980 | 57,420 | 20.8% | |
| 1990 | 61,405 | 6.9% | |
| 2000 | 67,182 | 9.4% | |
| 2010 | 70,019 | 4.2% | |
| 2020 | 70,377 | 0.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 72,040 | [7] | 2.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010[2] 2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the population was 70,377, the median age was 38.8 years, 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.7 males age 18 and over.[12]
There were 29,138 households in the county, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.2% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
Thepopulation density was 87.9 people per square mile (33.9 people/km2). There were 31,148 housing units at an average density of 38.9 units per square mile (15.0 units/km2); 6.5% were vacant, 68.4% of occupied units were owner-occupied, and 31.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.[12]
The racial makeup of the county was 89.5%White, 1.3%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.3% from some other race, and 4.2% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.7% of the population.[13]
63.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 36.6% lived in rural areas.[14]
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 67,182 people, 25,040 households, and 16,501 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 83 people per square mile (32 people/km2). There were 26,589 housing units at an average density of 33 units per square mile (13 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.73%White, 0.32%Black orAfrican American, 0.36%Native American, 2.25%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.43% fromother races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 32.8% were ofPolish, 31.6%German, 5.4%Norwegian and 5.0%Irish ancestry. 93.9% spokeEnglish, 1.7%Spanish, 1.6%Polish and 1.3%Hmong as their first language.
There were 25,040 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% weremarried couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 16.20% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.
In 2017, there were 674 births, giving a general fertility rate of 46.4 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the third lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[16]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 2,291 | 44.75% | 2,570 | 50.21% | 258 | 5.04% |
| 1896 | 3,537 | 53.81% | 2,890 | 43.97% | 146 | 2.22% |
| 1900 | 3,285 | 54.60% | 2,633 | 43.77% | 98 | 1.63% |
| 1904 | 3,633 | 61.09% | 2,168 | 36.46% | 146 | 2.46% |
| 1908 | 3,269 | 56.42% | 2,362 | 40.77% | 163 | 2.81% |
| 1912 | 1,932 | 36.37% | 2,301 | 43.32% | 1,079 | 20.31% |
| 1916 | 2,520 | 44.52% | 3,000 | 53.00% | 140 | 2.47% |
| 1920 | 5,527 | 65.39% | 2,656 | 31.42% | 269 | 3.18% |
| 1924 | 2,854 | 27.76% | 2,010 | 19.55% | 5,416 | 52.68% |
| 1928 | 5,161 | 43.03% | 6,764 | 56.39% | 70 | 0.58% |
| 1932 | 3,434 | 26.79% | 9,195 | 71.72% | 191 | 1.49% |
| 1936 | 3,969 | 26.74% | 10,576 | 71.25% | 299 | 2.01% |
| 1940 | 5,670 | 35.63% | 10,148 | 63.78% | 94 | 0.59% |
| 1944 | 5,405 | 38.27% | 8,678 | 61.44% | 42 | 0.30% |
| 1948 | 5,424 | 39.33% | 8,154 | 59.13% | 213 | 1.54% |
| 1952 | 8,499 | 52.83% | 7,537 | 46.85% | 51 | 0.32% |
| 1956 | 8,320 | 54.08% | 7,010 | 45.56% | 56 | 0.36% |
| 1960 | 6,436 | 37.92% | 10,516 | 61.96% | 20 | 0.12% |
| 1964 | 4,579 | 27.75% | 11,887 | 72.05% | 32 | 0.19% |
| 1968 | 6,180 | 36.10% | 10,014 | 58.49% | 927 | 5.41% |
| 1972 | 9,346 | 40.04% | 13,564 | 58.11% | 431 | 1.85% |
| 1976 | 9,520 | 36.28% | 15,912 | 60.65% | 805 | 3.07% |
| 1980 | 10,465 | 34.09% | 16,443 | 53.56% | 3,794 | 12.36% |
| 1984 | 13,605 | 48.28% | 14,399 | 51.10% | 175 | 0.62% |
| 1988 | 12,057 | 42.25% | 16,317 | 57.18% | 161 | 0.56% |
| 1992 | 10,914 | 32.37% | 15,553 | 46.13% | 7,249 | 21.50% |
| 1996 | 9,631 | 32.18% | 15,901 | 53.13% | 4,396 | 14.69% |
| 2000 | 13,214 | 39.14% | 17,942 | 53.15% | 2,604 | 7.71% |
| 2004 | 16,546 | 42.47% | 21,861 | 56.11% | 554 | 1.42% |
| 2008 | 13,810 | 35.03% | 24,817 | 62.95% | 795 | 2.02% |
| 2012 | 16,615 | 42.24% | 22,075 | 56.12% | 647 | 1.64% |
| 2016 | 17,305 | 44.84% | 18,529 | 48.02% | 2,755 | 7.14% |
| 2020 | 19,299 | 47.53% | 20,428 | 50.31% | 876 | 2.16% |
| 2024 | 20,987 | 48.52% | 21,503 | 49.71% | 768 | 1.78% |
Portage County has been reliably Democratic in presidential elections since Dwight Eisenhower's win in 1956.
Places adjacent to Portage County, Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofPortage County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| CDPs | ||
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| Former community | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| Other | |
