Portage, WI

Census Place

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2024 Population
10,236
US Senator
Ron Johnson
Republican Party
US Senator
Tammy Baldwin
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
37.8
2.72% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
13.5%
2.39% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$64,722
3.09% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$204,900
9.4% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
4,927
2.84% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Portage, WI reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.7% of the residents in Portage, WI are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Portage, WI was $204,900, and the homeownership rate was 58.6%.

Most people in Portage, WI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Portage, WI was 2 cars per household.

United StatesWisconsinColumbia County, WIMadison, WISauk & Columbia Counties PUMA, WI

Population & Diversity

Portage, WI is home to a population of 10.2k people, from which 98.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.99% of Portage, WI residents were born outside of the country (408 people).

In 2024, there were 14.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.58k people) in Portage, WI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 602 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 296 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%
2024 Citizenship
98.8%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of Portage, WI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Portage, WI was 98.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Portage, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Portage, WI
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    8.58k ± 313
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    602 ± 202
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    296 ± 168
6.44%
Hispanic Population
659 people

In 2024, there were 14.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.58k people) in Portage, WI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 602 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 296 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

6.44% of the people in Portage, WI are hispanic (659 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Portage, WI as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Wisconsin.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    89,915 ± 7,306 people
  2. India
    21,992 ± 3,634 people
  3. China
    14,287 ± 2,931 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Wisconsin was Mexico, the natal country of 89,915 Wisconsin residents, followed by India with 21,992 and China with 14,287.

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Foreign-Born Population

3.99%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
408 people
4.14%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
430 people

As of 2024, 3.99% of Portage, WI residents (408 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Portage, WI was 4.14%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Portage, WI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    222 ± 118
  2. Vietnam
    150 ± 75
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    106 ± 54

Portage, WI has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.48 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Portage, WI.

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Economy

The economy of Portage, WI employs 4.93k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Portage, WI were Manufacturing (1,188 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (793 people), and Retail Trade (603 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($88,347), Finance & Insurance ($88,347), and Construction ($74,500).

Employment

Occupations

4.93k
2024 Value
± 485
−2.84%
1 Year decline
± 14.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Portage, WI declined at a rate of −2.84%, from 5.07k employees to 4.93k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Portage, WI, are Production Occupations (633 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (459 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (327 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Portage, WI.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Wisconsin (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

4.93k
2024 Value
± 485
−2.84%
1 Year decline
± 14.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Portage, WI declined at a rate of −2.84%, from 5.07k employees to 4.93k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Portage, WI, are Manufacturing (1,188 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (793 people), and Retail Trade (603 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Portage, WI, though some of these residents may live in Portage, WI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$54,633
Median earning men ± $5,723
$35,847
Median earning women ± $2,763

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($86,023), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($61,063), and Public Administration ($59,375).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($88,468), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,875), and Public Administration ($66,304).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.
Y-Axis
1.6%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.95M people employed in Wisconsin. This represents a 1.6% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Wisconsin.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Wisconsin went to Donald J. Trump with 49.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.518%).

Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin are the senators currently representing the state of Wisconsin. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Wisconsin is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Portage, WI. Showing the available data for Wisconsin.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (49.6%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (48.7%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (0.518%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Wisconsin went to Donald J. Trump with 49.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.518%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Wisconsin for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Wisconsin

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Wisconsin.
Ron Johnson
Senator from Wisconsin3
Assumed office on January 3, 2011
Tammy Baldwin
Senator from Wisconsin1
Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin are the senators currently representing Wisconsin.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Wisconsin over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Portage, WI was $204,900 in 2024, which is 0.616 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $187,300 to $204,900, a 9.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Portage, WI is 58.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Portage, WI have an average commute time of 22.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Portage, WI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$204,900
Median Property Value 2024
±$15,406
$2,420
Median Property Taxes
±$308

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Portage, WI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Portage, WI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

58.6%
Homeownership
2024
65.5%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 58.6% of the housing units in Portage, WI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 57.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Portage, WI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$64,722
Median Household Income
± $6,855
4.13k
Number of Households
± 422

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.13k households in Portage, WI grew to $64,722 from the previous year's value of $62,785.

The following chart displays the households in Portage, WI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Portage, WI is from Wisconsin.
0.441
2023 Wage GINI in Wisconsin
0.443
2022 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

In 2023, the income inequality in Wisconsin was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.492% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Wisconsin was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Wisconsin in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Wisconsin across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (79.6%)
  2. Carpooled (8.69%)
  3. Worked At Home (6.43%)

In 2024, 79.6% of workers in Portage, WI drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.69%) and those who worked at home (6.43%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

22.1 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Portage, WI have a shorter commute time (22.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.85% of the workforce in Portage, WI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Portage, WI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Portage, WI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Portage, WI have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Portage, WI (1.23k out of 9.07k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males < 5 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Portage, WI is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

94.4% of the population of Portage, WI has health coverage, with 47.3% on employee plans, 21.5% on Medicaid, 11.5% on Medicare, 12.8% on non-group plans, and 1.13% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Wisconsin see 1,251 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,251 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1363 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 375 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23% under 18 years, 23.1% between 18 and 34 years, 38.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

5.63%
Uninsured
47.3%
Employer Coverage
21.5%
Medicaid
11.5%
Medicare
12.8%
Non-Group
1.13%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Portage, WI grew by 3.39% from 5.45% to 5.63%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Portage, WI changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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