Demographics of Rusk County, Wisconsin

Rusk County, Wisconsin had 14,146 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −23 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.

Rusk County, in four figures

14,146
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −0.2%
Change since July 2020: −23 people.; 49.2 ±0.3
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $59,944 ±$2,781
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.

Rusk County, Wisconsin's population shrank 0.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Rusk 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).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Rusk County, Wisconsin's population shrank 0.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Rusk 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	14,169	100.0	100.0
2021	14,099	99.5	100.2
2022	14,160	99.9	100.7
2023	14,233	100.5	101.6
2024	14,126	99.7	102.5
2025	14,146	99.8	103.1

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Population of Rusk 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	14,169	−12	−9	0	−4
2021	14,099	−70	−93	+2	+10
2022	14,160	+61	−107	+9	+157
2023	14,233	+73	−55	+8	+120
2024	14,126	−107	−69	+6	−40
2025	14,146	+20	−74	+3	+92

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 49.2 ±0.3: for men 48.3 ±0.5 and for women 49.7 ±0.3. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Rusk County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Under 5	670 ±21	4.7% ±0.2	5.3% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,164 ±106	15.3% ±0.7	16.0% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	888 ±87	6.3% ±0.6	9.3% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	2,764 ±124	19.5% ±0.9	25.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	4,002 ±136	28.2% ±1.0	25.6% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,691 ±192	26.0% ±1.4	18.5% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $59,944 ±$2,781, and income per person $33,309 ±$1,153, 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 Rusk County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Under $25,000	1,147 ±145	18.0% ±2.2	13.1% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,392 ±162	21.9% ±2.5	17.9% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,267 ±138	19.9% ±2.1	17.5% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	967 ±109	15.2% ±1.7	13.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	987 ±113	15.5% ±1.7	19.1% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	410 ±86	6.5% ±1.3	9.4% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	185 ±46	2.9% ±0.7	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 Rusk County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Wisconsin	United States
All ages	1,829 ±247	13.1% ±1.8	10.6% ±0.1	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	573 ±104	20.6% ±3.5	12.8% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	782 ±115	12.6% ±1.8	10.3% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	474 ±78	9.5% ±1.5	9.3% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Rusk County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Rusk County	Wisconsin	United States
Housing units	8,663 ±48	2,778,572 ±1,533	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	73.4% ±1.6	89.2% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	26.6% ±1.6	10.8% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	77.9% ±2.0	67.8% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	22.1% ±2.2	32.2% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$163,400 ±$5,993	$266,500 ±$1,051	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$874 ±$36	$1,087 ±$4	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1977 ±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 Rusk County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Hispanic or Latino	296 ±0	2.1% ±<0.1	8.0% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	13,194 ±53	93.1% ±0.4	78.6% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	164 ±31	1.2% ±0.2	5.9% ±<0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	52 ±18	0.4% ±0.1	2.9% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	43 ±19	0.3% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 15	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	13 to 43	0.1% to 0.3%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	397 ±63	2.8% ±0.4	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 Rusk County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Wisconsin	United States
Born in the state	10,504 ±251	74.1% ±1.8	70.3% ±0.1	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	3,428 ±231	24.2% ±1.6	23.6% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	92 ±44	0.6% ±0.3	0.9% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	155 ±49	1.1% ±0.3	5.2% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	87 ±36	0.6% ±0.3	2.5% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	32 to 104	0.2% to 0.7%	2.7% ±0.1	6.8% ±<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%.

Rusk County among the counties of Wisconsin

65th of 72 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Wisconsin page.

Counties of Wisconsin near Rusk County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Richland County	17,036	−1.4%
Bayfield County	16,787	+3.4%
Ashland County	16,203	+1.1%
Marquette County	15,927	+2.1%
Crawford County	15,910	−1.1%
Rusk County	14,146	−0.2%
Price County	13,988	−0.3%
Buffalo County	13,318	−0.1%
Forest County	9,574	+4.4%
Pepin County	7,513	+2.2%
Iron County	6,127	−0.3%

Elsewhere on the site

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

Data retrieved September 25, 2026