What is the population of Wausau city?

Wausau city has 39,893 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #18 of 807 in Wisconsin.

What is the median household income in Wausau city?

Median household income in Wausau city is $61,877 a year, 21.2% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Wausau city?

Median gross rent is $950 a month and the median home value is $155,900, so rent absorbs about 18.4% of median household income.

Is Wausau city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 2.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Wausau city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Wisconsin · Census place 84475

Wausau, WI population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Wausau, Wisconsin (Wausau, WI — Census place “Wausau city”) is 39,893 residents, ranking #18 of 807 places in Wisconsin. Median household income is $61,877, the median home is worth $155,900 and median gross rent runs $950 a month. Looking for the Wausau Wisconsin ZIP code list? 2 ZIP codes serve Wausau, WI: 54401, 54403.

Population: 39,893Wausau city residents
Median household income: $61,877Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $155,900Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $950Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 38.4 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 57.6%Owner-occupied households

Wausau ZIP codes (Wisconsin)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Wausau.

The Wausau WI ZIP code list below covers 2 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Wausau city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Wausau city median would spend about 18.4% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 2.5× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 14.4% of residents and 57.6% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Wausau city, WI in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Wausau city is a small city in Wisconsin, with 39,893 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #18 of 807 ranked by population — larger than 97% of them. The median age here is 38.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.

Households in Wausau city earn a median of $61,877 a year, 21.2% below the national figure of $78,538 and 16% below the $73,880 median for the 395 Wisconsin cities we cover. Median household income counts every pre-tax dollar arriving at an address — wages, self-employment, Social Security, pensions, interest and public assistance — for everyone living there, so multi-earner households pull the figure up even where individual pay is modest. Poverty reaches 14.4% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Wausau city is valued at $155,900, 48.6% below the national figure and 26% below the $211,900 peer median, while median gross rent runs $950 a month, 32.4% below the national figure, or roughly $11,400 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 18.4% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 2.5×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 57.6% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.

Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Wisconsin.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Wausau city?: Wausau city has 39,893 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #18 of 807 in Wisconsin.
What is the median household income in Wausau city?: Median household income in Wausau city is $61,877 a year, 21.2% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Wausau city?: Median gross rent is $950 a month and the median home value is $155,900, so rent absorbs about 18.4% of median household income.
Is Wausau city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 2.5× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Wausau city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 18.4% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Wausau city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.