Portage, WI

Census Place

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

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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Portage, WI

White (Non-Hispanic)
8.58k ± 313
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
602 ± 202
Other (Hispanic)
296 ± 168

6.44%

Hispanic Population

659 people

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.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Wisconsin.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
90,085 ± 7,313 people
India
22,216 ± 3,653 people
China
14,090 ± 2,911 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Wisconsin was Mexico, the natal country of 90,085 Wisconsin residents, followed by India with 22,216 and China with 14,090.

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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
222 ± 118
Vietnam
150 ± 75
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.

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 ($88,347), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Portage, WI is from Wisconsin.

0.439

2024 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Wisconsin

In 2024, the income inequality in Wisconsin was 0.439 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.364% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Wisconsin was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.6%)
Carpooled (8.69%)
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.

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.

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.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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