Marathon County, Wisconsin
Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,013.[1] Its county seat is Wausau.[2] It was founded in 1850,[2] created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the county stretched to the northern border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is named after the battlefield at Marathon, Greece.[3]
Marathon County comprises the Wausau, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Wausau–Stevens Point–Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.
Geography
[edit | edit source]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,576 square miles (4,080 km2), of which 1,545 square miles (4,000 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (2.0%) is water.[4] It is the largest county in Wisconsin by land area and fourth-largest by total area.
The Marathon County Park Commission has posted a geographical marker[5] that identifies the spot (45°N, 90°W) of the exact center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere, meaning that it is a quarter of the way around the world from the Prime Meridian and halfway from the Equator to the North Pole.
Major highways
[edit | edit source]- File:I-39.svg Interstate 39
- File:US 51.svg US Highway 51
- File:WIS 13.svg Wisconsin Highway 13
- File:WIS 29.svg Wisconsin Highway 29
- File:WIS 34.svg Wisconsin Highway 34
- File:WIS 49.svg Wisconsin Highway 49
- File:WIS 52.svg Wisconsin Highway 52
- File:WIS 97.svg Wisconsin Highway 97
- File:WIS 98.svg Wisconsin Highway 98
- File:WIS 107.svg Wisconsin Highway 107
- File:WIS 153.svg Wisconsin Highway 153
Railroads
[edit | edit source]Buses
[edit | edit source]Airports
[edit | edit source]- KAUW - Wausau Downtown Airport
- KCWA - Central Wisconsin Airport
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- Lincoln County - north
- Langlade County - northeast
- Shawano County - east
- Waupaca County - southeast
- Portage County - south
- Wood County - south
- Clark County - west
- Taylor County - northwest
Natural wildlife refuges
[edit | edit source]Demographics
[edit | edit source]Racial and ethnic composition
[edit | edit source]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[6] | Pop 1990[7] | Pop 2000[8] | Pop 2010[9] | Pop 2020[10] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 110,269 | 111,927 | 117,517 | 121,007 | 118,783 | 99.10% | 96.99% | 93.39% | 90.26% | 86.07% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 35 | 87 | 337 | 820 | 1,141 | 0.03% | 0.08% | 0.27% | 0.61% | 0.83% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 327 | 477 | 412 | 566 | 546 | 0.29% | 0.41% | 0.33% | 0.42% | 0.40% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 184 | 2,429 | 5,703 | 7,107 | 8,431 | 0.17% | 2.10% | 4.53% | 5.30% | 6.11% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [11] | x [12] | 18 | 25 | 29 | x | x | 0.01% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 174 | 10 | 46 | 65 | 340 | 0.16% | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.05% | 0.25% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [13] | x [14] | 822 | 1,481 | 4,290 | x | x | 0.65% | 1.10% | 3.11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 281 | 470 | 979 | 2,992 | 4,453 | 0.25% | 0.41% | 0.78% | 2.23% | 3.23% |
| Total | 111,270 | 115,400 | 125,834 | 134,063 | 138,013 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 138,013. The population density was 89.3 people per square mile (34.5 people/km2). There were 59,828 housing units at an average density of 38.7 units per square mile (14.9 units/km2).[1]
The median age was 41.1 years, 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.9 males age 18 and over.[15]
There were 56,517 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.4% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
Of the 59,828 housing units, 5.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.1% were owner-occupied and 27.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[15]
The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.3% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population.[16]
56.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 43.4% lived in rural areas.[17]
2000 census
[edit | edit source]As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 125,834 people, 47,702 households, and 33,868 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31 people/km2). There were 50,360 housing units at an average density of 33 units per square mile (13 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.84% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 4.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.6% were of German and 13.6% Polish ancestry. 92.9% spoke English, 3.4% Hmong, 1.1% German and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.
There were 47,702 households, out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.90% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.
Libraries
[edit | edit source]The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) has its headquarters in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin. Eight branch libraries have been established in the cities of Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon City, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, and Stratford.
Recreation
[edit | edit source]County parks
[edit | edit source]- Amco County Park
- Big Eau Pleine County Park
- Big Rapids County Park
- Bluegill Bay County Park
- Cherokee County Park
- Courthouse Square
- D.C. Everest County Park
- Dells of the Eau Claire County Park
- Duane L. Corbin Shooting Range Park
- Library Park
- Marathon Park
- Mission Lake County Park
- Mountain-Bay State Park Trail
- Reitbrock Geographical Marker
- Rib Falls County Park
- Sunny Vale County Park
Snowmobile trails
[edit | edit source]There are over 884 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Marathon County maintained by 29 area snowmobile clubs. [19]
Communities
[edit | edit source]
Cities
[edit | edit source]- Abbotsford (mostly in Clark County)
- Colby (mostly in Clark County)
- Marshfield (mostly in Wood County)
- Mosinee
- Schofield
- Wausau (county seat)
Villages
[edit | edit source]- Athens
- Birnamwood (mostly in Shawano County)
- Dorchester (mostly in Clark County)
- Edgar
- Elderon
- Fenwood
- Hatley
- Kronenwetter
- Maine
- Marathon City
- Rib Mountain
- Rothschild
- Spencer
- Stratford
- Unity (partly in Clark County)
- Weston
Towns
[edit | edit source]- Bergen
- Berlin
- Bern
- Bevent
- Brighton
- Cassel
- Cleveland
- Day
- Easton
- Eau Pleine
- Elderon
- Emmet
- Frankfort
- Franzen
- Green Valley
- Guenther
- Halsey
- Hamburg
- Harrison
- Hewitt
- Holton
- Hull
- Johnson
- Knowlton
- Marathon
- McMillan
- Mosinee
- Norrie
- Plover
- Reid
- Rib Falls
- Rietbrock
- Ringle
- Spencer
- Stettin
- Texas
- Wausau
- Weston
- Wien
Census-designated places
[edit | edit source]Unincorporated communities
[edit | edit source]- Ashley
- Bradley
- Cherokee
- Corinth
- Dancy
- Emmerich
- Evergreen
- Gad (partial)
- Galloway
- Glandon
- Granite Heights
- Halder
- Hamburg
- Hogarty
- Holt
- Johnson
- Kalinke
- Little Chicago
- Little Eau Claire
- Little Rose
- Mann
- March Rapids
- McMillan
- Milan
- Moon
- Mount View
- Naugart
- Norrie
- Nutterville
- Pike Lake
- Poniatowski
- Rangeline
- Rib Falls
- Ringle
- Rocky Corners
- Rozellville
- Schnappsville
- Snell
- Shantytown
- Sunset
- Swan
- Taegesville
- Weber
- Wien
- Wuertsburg
Ghost towns/neighborhoods
[edit | edit source]Government and politics
[edit | edit source]| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,959 | 33.04% | 3,791 | 63.94% | 179 | 3.02% |
| 1896 | 3,958 | 49.62% | 3,829 | 48.00% | 190 | 2.38% |
| 1900 | 4,717 | 54.32% | 3,768 | 43.40% | 198 | 2.28% |
| 1904 | 6,144 | 63.24% | 3,225 | 33.19% | 347 | 3.57% |
| 1908 | 5,258 | 50.62% | 4,722 | 45.46% | 408 | 3.93% |
| 1912 | 3,033 | 33.20% | 4,043 | 44.26% | 2,059 | 22.54% |
| 1916 | 5,838 | 57.03% | 3,677 | 35.92% | 722 | 7.05% |
| 1920 | 11,356 | 65.53% | 2,133 | 12.31% | 3,840 | 22.16% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Progressive (Wisconsin) |1924 | 5,577 | 29.22% | 1,109 | 5.81% | 12,402 | 64.97% |
| 1928 | 10,127 | 48.02% | 10,675 | 50.61% | 289 | 1.37% |
| 1932 | 6,210 | 25.24% | 17,744 | 72.13% | 647 | 2.63% |
| 1936 | 7,328 | 27.06% | 17,898 | 66.10% | 1,850 | 6.83% |
| 1940 | 15,264 | 51.80% | 13,724 | 46.57% | 481 | 1.63% |
| 1944 | 15,782 | 53.54% | 13,192 | 44.75% | 503 | 1.71% |
| 1948 | 11,494 | 40.93% | 15,898 | 56.62% | 687 | 2.45% |
| 1952 | 20,702 | 58.52% | 14,541 | 41.11% | 130 | 0.37% |
| 1956 | 22,586 | 59.36% | 15,301 | 40.21% | 164 | 0.43% |
| 1960 | 21,880 | 54.67% | 18,145 | 45.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 12,766 | 34.11% | 24,603 | 65.74% | 57 | 0.15% |
| 1968 | 16,907 | 44.40% | 18,063 | 47.43% | 3,111 | 8.17% |
| 1972 | 21,454 | 51.28% | 18,500 | 44.22% | 1,885 | 4.51% |
| 1976 | 21,898 | 45.62% | 24,934 | 51.94% | 1,169 | 2.44% |
| 1980 | 25,868 | 48.34% | 23,281 | 43.50% | 4,365 | 8.16% |
| 1984 | 27,080 | 55.64% | 20,128 | 41.36% | 1,462 | 3.00% |
| 1988 | 24,482 | 49.44% | 24,658 | 49.79% | 381 | 0.77% |
| 1992 | 20,948 | 36.51% | 21,482 | 37.44% | 14,948 | 26.05% |
| 1996 | 19,874 | 38.63% | 24,012 | 46.67% | 7,563 | 14.70% |
| 2000 | 28,883 | 49.48% | 26,546 | 45.48% | 2,945 | 5.05% |
| 2004 | 36,394 | 53.47% | 30,899 | 45.40% | 766 | 1.13% |
| 2008 | 30,345 | 44.66% | 36,367 | 53.53% | 1,228 | 1.81% |
| 2012 | 36,617 | 52.41% | 32,363 | 46.32% | 882 | 1.26% |
| 2016 | 39,014 | 56.12% | 26,481 | 38.09% | 4,023 | 5.79% |
| 2020 | 44,624 | 58.14% | 30,808 | 40.14% | 1,319 | 1.72% |
| 2024 | 46,213 | 58.63% | 31,529 | 40.00% | 1,084 | 1.38% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
Government
[edit | edit source]In the United States Senate, Marathon County is represented by Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Tammy Baldwin. In the United States House of Representatives, the county lies within Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom Tiffany. At the state level, Marathon County lies within the Wisconsin Senate's 23rd and 29th districts (mostly the latter), represented by Republicans Jesse James and Cory Tomczyk, respectively, and the Wisconsin State Assembly's 69th, 85th, 86th, and 87th districts (mostly the latter three), represented by Republicans Karen Hurd, Patrick Snyder, John Spiros, and Brent Jacobson, respectively. Judicially, the county lies within the Wisconsin Court of Appeals's third district and the ninth Wisconsin circuit court (of which it is the seat). At the local level, Marathon County has several elected officials and is governed by a 38-member county board, elected by district.
Politics
[edit | edit source]At founding, Marathon was reliably Democratic, attributed to its large population of German Catholic immigrants, who had many grievances against the Republican Party.[21] In 1896, the Democratic Party's adoption of the populist movement infuriated the local anti-free silver Germans, and Marathon broke for the Republican Party for the first time since formation.[22] Deeply progressive, the county saw the Democratic Party's perceived abandonment of progressive values as an offense, and like the state became a Republican stronghold for the next four election cycles.[23] Marathon's semi-urban but largely rural and heavily German Catholic population, which reflected the demographics of the state, led to it eventually becoming one of the most reliable bellwether counties in the state, voting for the candidate that won the state in every election between 1892 and 1996 (with two exceptions: 1928, when the losing candidate was a Catholic, and 1940, when many German Americans turned sharply away from Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was seen as Anglophilic). Starting in 2000, Marathon County began following the trend of many other rural counties, breaking for George W. Bush even as Wisconsin remained a safely blue state and continuing to shift rightward (with the exception of Barack Obama's 2008 landslide). Since 2008, Republicans have gained ground in the county in every election cycle even as the state has flip-flopped between Republicans and Democrats. Marathon County's Republican swing has continued locally as well - it has not voted for a Democrat at the state level since 2006, and Republicans won the mayoralty of Wausau in 2024.[24]
Education
[edit | edit source]School districts include:[25]
- Abbotsford School District
- Antigo School District
- Athens School District
- Auburndale School District
- Colby School District
- D.C. Everest Area School District
- Edgar School District
- Marathon City School District
- Marshfield School District
- Medford Area School District
- Merrill Area School District
- Mosinee School District
- Rosholt School District
- Spencer School District
- Stratford School District
- Wausau School District
- Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "2020 Decennial Census: Marathon County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "Here's How Iron Got Its Name". The Rhinelander Daily News. June 16, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved August 24, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. open access
- ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2021.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ↑ "1980 General Population Characteristics - Wisconsin - Table 15: Persons by Race and Table 16: Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race". United States Census Bureau – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Wisconsin - Table 3: Race and Hispanic Origin: 1990" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 23-111. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Marathon County, Wisconsin". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Marathon County, Wisconsin". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Marathon County, Wisconsin". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Marathon County Parks, Recreation, Forestry Department". Marathon County, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
- ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ↑ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 381-382, 414 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
- ↑ Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 384
- ↑ Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 ISBN 0815719094
- ↑ Mentzer, Rob (April 3, 2024). "Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg loses reelection bid". WPR. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Marathon County, WI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 3, 2024. - Text list
External links
[edit | edit source]- Marathon County
- Marathon County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
- Plat maps: ca. 1881 1901 1905-1917 ca. 1912 ca. 1920 1930
- Libraries and Schools in Marathon and Lincoln Counties - Digital collection of historic images and texts on schools and libraries in Marathon and Lincoln Counties
Template:Geographic Location Template:Marshfield, Wisconsin Template:Marathon County, Wisconsin Template:Wisconsin Coordinates: 44°54′N 89°46′W / 44.90°N 89.76°W