Demographics of Portage County, Wisconsin

Portage County, Wisconsin had 71,943 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +1,520 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Portage County, in four figures

71,943
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +2.2%
Change since July 2020: +1,520 people.; 38.0 ±0.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $76,070 ±$1,950
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Portage County, Wisconsin's population grew 2.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Portage County, Wisconsin's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Portage County, Wisconsin's population grew 2.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Portage County, Wisconsin's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	70,423	100.0	100.0
2021	69,465	98.6	100.2
2022	70,764	100.5	100.7
2023	71,361	101.3	101.6
2024	71,758	101.9	102.5
2025	71,943	102.2	103.1

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Population of Portage County, Wisconsin on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	70,423	+43	+8	+2	+11
2021	69,465	−958	−52	+38	−898
2022	70,764	+1,299	−160	+236	+1,142
2023	71,361	+597	−99	+178	+523
2024	71,758	+397	−114	+111	+400
2025	71,943	+185	−121	+58	+244

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 38.0 ±0.4: for men 37.1 ±0.4 and for women 39.0 ±0.5. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Portage County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Under 5	3,138 ±110	4.4% ±0.2	5.3% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	10,156 ±378	14.3% ±0.5	16.0% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	10,994 ±663	15.5% ±0.9	9.3% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	16,631 ±423	23.5% ±0.6	25.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	16,923 ±501	23.9% ±0.7	25.6% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	12,990 ±574	18.3% ±0.8	18.5% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $76,070 ±$1,950, and income per person $40,191 ±$884, in 2024 dollars. The median is $77,485 ±$455 in Wisconsin and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Portage County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Under $25,000	3,410 ±390	11.5% ±1.3	13.1% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	5,698 ±492	19.2% ±1.6	17.9% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	5,494 ±439	18.5% ±1.5	17.5% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	4,251 ±375	14.3% ±1.3	13.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	6,154 ±491	20.7% ±1.6	19.1% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	2,588 ±270	8.7% ±0.9	9.4% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	2,084 ±259	7.0% ±0.9	9.2% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Portage County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Wisconsin	United States
All ages	6,863 ±689	10.1% ±1.0	10.6% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,372 ±246	10.5% ±1.8	12.8% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	4,104 ±478	11.0% ±1.3	10.3% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,387 ±243	7.8% ±1.3	9.3% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Portage County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Portage County	Wisconsin	United States
Housing units	31,746 ±86	2,778,572 ±1,533	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	93.5% ±0.9	89.2% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	6.5% ±0.9	10.8% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	69.7% ±1.5	67.8% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	30.3% ±1.5	32.2% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$243,100 ±$5,230	$266,500 ±$1,051	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$940 ±$21	$1,087 ±$4	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1979 ±1	1975 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Portage County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Hispanic or Latino	2,956 ±0	4.2% ±<0.1	8.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	63,074 ±208	89.0% ±0.3	78.6% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	537 ±134	0.8% ±0.2	5.9% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	2,038 ±268	2.9% ±0.4	2.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	8 to 78	< 0.1% to 0.1%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 23	0% to < 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	61 to 209	0.1% to 0.3%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2,049 ±359	2.9% ±0.5	3.7% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Portage County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Born in the state	55,549 ±921	78.4% ±1.3	70.3% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	12,625 ±871	17.8% ±1.2	23.6% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	485 ±193	0.7% ±0.3	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	2,173 ±255	3.1% ±0.4	5.2% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1,314 ±222	1.9% ±0.3	2.5% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	859 ±240	1.2% ±0.3	2.7% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Portage County among the counties of Wisconsin

23rd of 72 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Wisconsin page.

Counties of Wisconsin near Portage County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Ozaukee County	94,346	+3.0%
Dodge County	89,097	−0.3%
Jefferson County	86,505	+0.3%
Manitowoc County	81,710	+0.4%
Wood County	74,060	−0.2%
Portage County	71,943	+2.2%
Chippewa County	67,614	+1.9%
Sauk County	66,652	+1.3%
Columbia County	58,132	−0.7%
Calumet County	53,982	+2.9%
Grant County	52,446	+0.9%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 23 Counties by population growth in Wisconsin
No. 23 Counties by population in Wisconsin

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026