With 70,832 people, Portage County is a county in Wisconsin. Few US counties rank higher on income. 3% of people here were born outside the United States. The typical home is worth $243,100, having more than doubled since 2000. Renters pay $940 a month at the median. Getting to work takes 20 minutes on average.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $76,070, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.0
US median: 38.9
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 36%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Portage County
What changed most since 1990
White share97.5% → 89.0%(−8.4 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Hispanic share0.7% → 4.2%(+3.4 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)19.5%(739)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)12.3%(466)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era39.4%(1,496)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.2%(198)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.8%(29)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 3,794 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Portage County, decade by decade
Portage County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
61,405
$68,848
$140,644
19.1%
6.3
2000
67,182
$79,218
$178,887
23.4%
12.3
2010
70,019
$74,023
$205,859
27.1%
17.4
2020
70,377
$73,105
$216,470
33.4%
26.9
2024
70,832
$76,070
$243,100
34.0%
25.4
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
