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Wausau-Rhinelander

A north-central Wisconsin market where margins routinely swing single digits

Spanning from the paper-mill city of Wausau up through the Northwoods resort economy around Rhinelander, this market blends union-rooted blue-collar voters with rural exurban communities that have shifted sharply over the past decade.

Presidential margin · 2024
Data unavailable for this race.
Race data unavailable
Geography
Race data unavailable
No current race for this office.
2024FIPS 705
Population1.8M
Median ageU.S. 38.9y
42y▲ 3.1
Bachelor's+U.S. 35%
21.3%▼ 13.7
  • White92.2%
  • Asian2.4%
  • Two or more2.1%
  • Hispanic2.0%
  • Native1.1%
  • Black0.6%
  • Other0.6%
Trajectory · 2008–2024
Wausau-RhinelanderBaseline
Reagan → Bush IIObama → TrumpR+20R+100D+10D+202020flip · 2012D+20R+25
Cycle2024
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Constituent Counties

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Similarity Explorer

Similar media markets

Reads like Traverse City-Cadillac, Bangor, and Green Bay-Appleton.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Wausau-Rhinelander

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Marathon138K
R+18.6
31,52946,21378,8267.2%
Marathon135K
R+18.6
31,52946,21378,8267.2%
Marathon130K
R+18.6
31,52946,21378,8267.2%
Marathon126K
R+18.6
31,52946,21378,8267.2%
Wood76K
R+19.9
16,59924,99742,2163.9%
Wood74K
R+19.9
16,59924,99742,2163.9%
Wood74K
R+19.9
16,59924,99742,2163.9%
Wood74K
R+19.9
16,59924,99742,2163.9%
Portage71K
D+1.2
21,50320,98743,2584.0%
Portage71K
D+1.2
21,50320,98743,2584.0%
Portage68K
D+1.2
21,50320,98743,2584.0%
Portage67K
D+1.2
21,50320,98743,2584.0%
Oneida38K
R+17.6
10,08014,45524,8952.3%
Oneida37K
R+17.6
10,08014,45524,8952.3%
Oneida36K
R+17.6
10,08014,45524,8952.3%
Oneida36K
R+17.6
10,08014,45524,8952.3%
Lincoln30K
R+25.1
6,30610,63317,2091.6%
Lincoln30K
R+25.1
6,30610,63317,2091.6%
Lincoln28K
R+25.1
6,30610,63317,2091.6%
Lincoln28K
R+25.1
6,30610,63317,2091.6%
Vilas24K
R+23.0
6,1199,83716,1351.5%
Vilas22K
R+23.0
6,1199,83716,1351.5%
Vilas21K
R+23.0
6,1199,83716,1351.5%
Adams21K
R+25.8
4,4437,76312,8821.2%
Vilas21K
R+23.0
6,1199,83716,1351.5%
Langlade21K
R+34.6
3,7467,78211,6641.1%
Taylor21K
R+48.1
2,8238,20911,1861.0%
Adams20K
R+25.8
4,4437,76312,8821.2%
Adams20K
R+25.8
4,4437,76312,8821.2%
Langlade20K
R+34.6
3,7467,78211,6641.1%
Taylor20K
R+48.1
2,8238,20911,1861.0%
Taylor20K
R+48.1
2,8238,20911,1861.0%
Langlade19K
R+34.6
3,7467,78211,6641.1%
Langlade19K
R+34.6
3,7467,78211,6641.1%
Taylor19K
R+48.1
2,8238,20911,1861.0%
Adams19K
R+25.8
4,4437,76312,8821.2%
Price16K
R+31.1
3,0055,7638,8560.8%
Price15K
R+31.1
3,0055,7638,8560.8%
Price14K
R+31.1
3,0055,7638,8560.8%
Price14K
R+31.1
3,0055,7638,8560.8%
Forest10K
R+33.4
1,6813,3825,0970.5%
Forest10K
R+33.4
1,6813,3825,0970.5%
Forest9K
R+33.4
1,6813,3825,0970.5%
Forest9K
R+33.4
1,6813,3825,0970.5%
44 countiesTotal votes: 1,088,896
Historian Query

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Explore Wausau-Rhinelander's political evolution with the Historian
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Wausau-RhinelanderCensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
Expand rows for ancestry detail
White (Non-Hispanic) 92.2%Asian 2.4%Hispanic 2.0%Multiracial 1.7%Native American 1.1%Black 0.6%
GroupWausau-RhinelanderNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
92.2%57.4%
▶Asian(6)
2.4%6.0%
▶Hispanic / Latino(16)
2.0%19.3%
Multiracial / Other
1.7%4.0%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
1.1%0.9%
▶Black / African American(8)
0.6%12.2%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(7)
0.1%0.9%
Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:
46.8%(214.2K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: +7.9pp (vs national 4.5pp). A moderate religious balance between Catholic and Evangelical traditions.

Ecological pattern — how to read this

Reflects patterns in counties where this religious tradition concentrates — not a claim about individual voters.

Values are derived by joining Religion Census 2020 (U.S. Religion Data Archive) with certified election results at the county level. That means we know what counties with more or fewer of this group did — not how any individual voted.

This is known as ecological inference. It is a valid way to surface geographic correlation but must not be read as a personal-vote claim about anyone in the group.

Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Catholic
21.5%45.8%——
Evangelical Protestant
15.7%33.5%——
Mainline Protestant
7.9%16.8%——
Other
1.8%3.8%——
LDS (Mormon)
0.5%1.1%——
Non-religiousPopulation
53.2%———
Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.
Explore Catholic adherence nationally

Who lives in the Wausau-Rhinelander media market? 1,790,540 residents across 44 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Export CSVPro
Wausau-Rhinelander vs National1.8M residents

21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 12pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 on average nationally.

Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
1.8M
local
1.8MNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.53%
local
0.53%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
39.3%
local
39.3%National 75.7%
Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income
Local vs state vs U.S.
$52,785
local
$52,785National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
10.0%
local
10.0%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
21.3%
local
21.3%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
75.9%
local
75.9%National 65.2%
Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age
Local vs state vs U.S.
42.0 yrs
local
42.0 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
10.5%
local
10.5%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
14.6%
local
14.6%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
2.5%
local
2.5%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
5.2%
local
5.2%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
94.8%
local
94.8%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Wausau-Rhinelander

Turnout % = votes cast ÷ citizen voting-age population (CVAP). Source: CVAP Special Tab 2020-2024.
2024 Turnout
75.3%
vs Previous
+2.9pp
Eligible Non-Voters
89K · 24.7%
Citizen VAP
361,590
History
1988–2024
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Wausau-Rhinelander split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (31/100)
2024 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
President vs SenateR+19.2R+15.93.2pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 12.8pp
Containing Geography

Located In

Wausau-Rhinelander sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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