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COUNTY

Waupaca County

Wisconsin · 51,461 residents (2025 est.) · 748 sq mi
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The short version

Waupaca County is home to 51,569 people in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top 8% of US counties for household income. The median age is 45.3, about 6 years above the US median. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 21% of adults. The foreign-born share is 1%. 75% of homes are owner-occupied.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 45.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
21% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 27%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
51,569
Unchangedsince 2000
from 51,731 in 2000
51,461 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
69 / sq mi
−1%since 2009
from 69 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
45.3
+18%since 2000
from 38.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
748 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
45K47K49K51K53K19902000201020202024Waupaca County
202452K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.9%(2,545)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.9%(2,551)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.4%(3,292)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.7%(2,929)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245%(2,564)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.8%(5,560)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.9%(6,130)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.7%(6,546)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6416.5%(8,485)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.7%(6,558)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.9%(3,065)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.6%(1,344)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$72,830
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,910 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$41,606
+123%since 2000
from $18,664 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
48.8%
+24.6 ptssince 2009
from 24.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.4%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 6.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.452
+15%since 2010
from 0.393 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade29.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services4.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical3.5%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction3.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$211,400
+27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $91,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$852
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $450 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
75.3%
−1.6 ptssince 2000
from 77.0% in 2000
24.7% rent
Vacancy rate
12.5%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.23 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.36 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
19.6%
−9.9 ptssince 2009
from 29.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.4%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 42.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.9
+3%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
40
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic97.2%(50,295)
Black0.2%(82)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(714)
Asian0.3%(137)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic92.4%(47,642)
Black0.5%(252)
Hispanic / Latino3.9%(2,006)
Asian0.3%(133)
Other3%(1,536)
Diversity Score
18
+99%since 2009
from 9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
10
−55%since 2020
from 22 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.2%(1,660)
Puerto Rican0.2%(125)
Cuban0.1%(74)
Colombian0.1%(45)
Spaniard0%(25)
+ 3 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Filipino0.1%(59)
Asian Indian0.1%(29)
Hmong0.1%(27)
Laotian0%(4)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German44.3%(22,830)
Irish9.6%(4,958)
Polish7.6%(3,936)
Norwegian7.3%(3,749)
English6.4%(3,307)
American3.5%(1,780)
French2.7%(1,376)
Dutch2.4%(1,241)
Danish1.6%(814)
Italian1.6%(813)
Swedish1.5%(780)
Scottish1%(515)
+ 34 more ancestry groups with data
Czech0.8%(392)
Finnish0.5%(252)
Hungarian0.5%(242)
Swiss0.5%(239)
Russian0.4%(191)
Belgian0.4%(184)
Welsh0.2%(117)
Greek0.2%(103)
Austrian0.2%(101)
Scotch-Irish0.1%(65)
British0.1%(54)
Slovak0.1%(54)
Croatian0.1%(50)
Canadian0.1%(48)
Lithuanian0.1%(39)
Israeli0.1%(36)
Slovene0.1%(31)
Arab0.1%(27)
Egyptian0%(22)
Armenian0%(15)
Ukrainian0%(15)
Serbian0%(13)
Haitian0%(12)
Latvian0%(11)
Romanian0%(10)
Syrian0%(5)
Turkish0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
20.5%
+5.7 ptssince 2000
from 14.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.5%
+9.8 ptssince 2000
from 82.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.6%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 4.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.9 min
+62%since 2000
from 15.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
81.2%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 79.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.7%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.6% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
7.9%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
2.8%
−5.0 ptssince 2011
from 7.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.5%
−3.6 ptssince 2011
from 65.1% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.1%
−1.8 ptssince 2020
from 80.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 11.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
29.9%
+6.0 ptssince 2009
from 23.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.0%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 50.0% in 2009
Female
49.0%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 50.0% in 2009
Foreign born
1.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.6%
−5.5 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2012
from 13.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2013
from 7.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.8%
+13.3 ptssince 2017
from 73.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.7%
+4.7 ptssince 2020
from 88.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.8%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 88.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
96.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 96.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 2.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.9%(6,795)
Married53.5%(11,773)
Widowed3.3%(723)
Divorced12.3%(2,711)
Women 15+
Never married20.4%(4,327)
Married57.5%(12,180)
Widowed8.3%(1,758)
Divorced13.8%(2,914)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2013
from 7.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
58.5%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 59.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.6%
−1.8 ptssince 2020
from 15.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 21.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
16.8%
+2.1 ptssince 2020
from 14.7% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 3.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.7%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 73.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.6%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 33.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)16.3%(511)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)12.5%(393)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era40.5%(1,271)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.2%(162)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(1)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 3,136 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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Waupaca County to nearby counties

WAUPACA COUNTY VS
Shawano County
Income$66,479−9%
Home value$194,000−8%
Population41,560−19%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUPACA COUNTY VS
Outagamie County
Income$85,069+17%
Home value$267,300+26%
Population195,894+281%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUPACA COUNTY VS
Portage County
Income$76,070+4%
Home value$243,100+15%
Population71,943+40%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAUPACA COUNTY VS
Waushara County
Income$67,107−8%
Home value$203,100−4%
Population25,223−51%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Waupaca County, Wisconsin?

Waupaca County, Wisconsin has about 51,569 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Waupaca County, Wisconsin?

The typical household in Waupaca County, Wisconsin earns about $72,830 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Waupaca County, Wisconsin expensive?

In Waupaca County, Wisconsin, the median home is worth about $211,400, and the typical rent is about $852 a month.

How educated are people in Waupaca County, Wisconsin?

About 20.5% of adults age 25 and over in Waupaca County, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Waupaca County, Wisconsin?

About 10.4% of people in Waupaca County, Wisconsin live below the federal poverty line.

Has Waupaca County, Wisconsin grown since 1990?

Yes, Waupaca County, Wisconsin has grown since 1990. The population has added about 5,465 residents, a change of about 12 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →