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Marathon County, Wisconsin

Coordinates: 44°54′N 89°46′W / 44.90°N 89.76°W / 44.90; -89.76
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Marathon County, Wisconsin
County
Marathon County Courthouse in Wausau
Marathon County Courthouse in Wausau
Map of Wisconsin highlighting Marathon County
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Map of the United States highlighting Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°54′N 89°46′W / 44.9°N 89.76°W / 44.9; -89.76
Country United States
State Wisconsin
Founded1850
Named afterMarathon, Greece
SeatWausau
Largest cityWausau
Area
 • Total
1,576 sq mi (4,080 km2)
 • Land1,545 sq mi (4,000 km2)
 • Water31 sq mi (80 km2)  2.0%
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total
138,013
 • Estimate 
(2024)
139,091 Increase
 • Density89.3/sq mi (34.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district7th
Websitewww.co.marathon.wi.us
Wisconsin 1866 US land Office
Marathon County Fairgrounds

Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,013.[1] Its county seat is Wausau.[2] It was founded in 1850,[2] created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the county stretched to the northern border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is named after the battlefield at Marathon, Greece.[3]

Marathon County comprises the Wausau, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Wausau–Stevens Point–Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,576 square miles (4,080 km2), of which 1,545 square miles (4,000 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (2.0%) is water.[4] It is the largest county in Wisconsin by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

Marker located at the 45×90 point near Rietbrock

The Marathon County Park Commission has posted a geographical marker[5] that identifies the spot (45°N, 90°W) of the exact center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere, meaning that it is a quarter of the way around the world from the Prime Meridian and halfway from the Equator to the North Pole.

Major highways

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Railroads

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Buses

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Airports

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Adjacent counties

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Natural wildlife refuges

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850508—
18602,892469.3%
18705,885103.5%
188017,121190.9%
189030,36977.4%
190043,25642.4%
191055,05427.3%
192065,25918.5%
193070,6298.2%
194075,9157.5%
195080,3375.8%
196088,87410.6%
197097,4579.7%
1980111,27014.2%
1990115,4003.7%
2000125,8349.0%
2010134,0636.5%
2020138,0132.9%
2024 (est.)139,091[6]0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9]
1990–2000[10] 2010 [11] 2020[1]

2020 census

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As of the census of 2020,[1] the population was 138,013. The population density was 89.3 people per square mile (34.5 people/km2). There were 59,828 housing units at an average density of 38.7 units per square mile (14.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% White, 6.2% Asian, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.3% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Marathon County

2000 census

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As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 125,834 people, 47,702 households, and 33,868 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31 people/km2). There were 50,360 housing units at an average density of 33 units per square mile (13 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.84% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 4.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.6% were of German and 13.6% Polish ancestry. 92.9% spoke English, 3.4% Hmong, 1.1% German and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 47,702 households, out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.90% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.

Libraries

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The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) has its headquarters in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin. Eight branch libraries have been established in the cities of Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon City, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, and Stratford.

Recreation

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County parks

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  • Amco County Park
  • Big Eau Pleine County Park
  • Big Rapids County Park
  • Bluegill Bay County Park
  • Cherokee County Park
  • Courthouse Square
  • D.C. Everest County Park
  • Dells of the Eau Claire County Park
  • Duane L. Corbin Shooting Range Park
  • Library Park
  • Marathon Park
  • Mission Lake County Park
  • Mountain-Bay State Park Trail
  • Reitbrock Geographical Marker
  • Rib Falls County Park
  • Sunny Vale County Park

Snowmobile trails

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There are over 884 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Marathon County maintained by 29 area snowmobile clubs. [13]

Communities

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County sign on Wisconsin Highway 13

Cities

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Villages

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns/neighborhoods

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Government and politics

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United States presidential election results for Marathon County, Wisconsin[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
1892 1,959 33.04% 3,791 63.94% 179 3.02%
1896 3,958 49.62% 3,829 48.00% 190 2.38%
1900 4,717 54.32% 3,768 43.40% 198 2.28%
1904 6,144 63.24% 3,225 33.19% 347 3.57%
1908 5,258 50.62% 4,722 45.46% 408 3.93%
1912 3,033 33.20% 4,043 44.26% 2,059 22.54%
1916 5,838 57.03% 3,677 35.92% 722 7.05%
1920 11,356 65.53% 2,133 12.31% 3,840 22.16%
1924 5,577 29.22% 1,109 5.81% 12,402 64.97%
1928 10,127 48.02% 10,675 50.61% 289 1.37%
1932 6,210 25.24% 17,744 72.13% 647 2.63%
1936 7,328 27.06% 17,898 66.10% 1,850 6.83%
1940 15,264 51.80% 13,724 46.57% 481 1.63%
1944 15,782 53.54% 13,192 44.75% 503 1.71%
1948 11,494 40.93% 15,898 56.62% 687 2.45%
1952 20,702 58.52% 14,541 41.11% 130 0.37%
1956 22,586 59.36% 15,301 40.21% 164 0.43%
1960 21,880 54.67% 18,145 45.33% 0 0.00%
1964 12,766 34.11% 24,603 65.74% 57 0.15%
1968 16,907 44.40% 18,063 47.43% 3,111 8.17%
1972 21,454 51.28% 18,500 44.22% 1,885 4.51%
1976 21,898 45.62% 24,934 51.94% 1,169 2.44%
1980 25,868 48.34% 23,281 43.50% 4,365 8.16%
1984 27,080 55.64% 20,128 41.36% 1,462 3.00%
1988 24,482 49.44% 24,658 49.79% 381 0.77%
1992 20,948 36.51% 21,482 37.44% 14,948 26.05%
1996 19,874 38.63% 24,012 46.67% 7,563 14.70%
2000 28,883 49.48% 26,546 45.48% 2,945 5.05%
2004 36,394 53.47% 30,899 45.40% 766 1.13%
2008 30,345 44.66% 36,367 53.53% 1,228 1.81%
2012 36,617 52.41% 32,363 46.32% 882 1.26%
2016 39,014 56.12% 26,481 38.09% 4,023 5.79%
2020 44,624 58.14% 30,808 40.14% 1,319 1.72%
2024 46,213 58.63% 31,529 40.00% 1,084 1.38%

Government

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In the United States Senate, Marathon County is represented by Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Tammy Baldwin. In the United States House of Representatives, the county lies within Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, represented by Republican Tom Tiffany. At the state level, Marathon County lies within the Wisconsin Senate's 23rd and 29th districts (mostly the latter), represented by Republicans Jesse James and Cory Tomczyk, respectively, and the Wisconsin State Assembly's 69th, 85th, 86th, and 87th districts (mostly the latter three), represented by Republicans Karen Hurd, Patrick Snyder, John Spiros, and Brent Jacobson, respectively. Judicially, the county lies within the Wisconsin Court of Appeals's third district and the ninth Wisconsin circuit court (of which it is the seat). At the local level, Marathon County has several elected officials and is governed by a 38-member county board, elected by district.

Politics

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At founding, Marathon was reliably Democratic, attributed to its large population of German Catholic immigrants, who had many grievances against the Republican Party.[15] In 1896, the Democratic Party's adoption of the populist movement infuriated the local anti-free silver Germans, and Marathon broke for the Republican Party for the first time since formation.[16] Deeply progressive, the county saw the Democratic Party's perceived abandonment of progressive values as an offense, and like the state became a Republican stronghold for the next four election cycles.[17] Marathon's semi-urban but largely rural and heavily German Catholic population, which reflected the demographics of the state, led to it eventually becoming one of the most reliable bellwether counties in the state, voting for the candidate that won the state in every election between 1892 and 1996 (with two exceptions: 1928, when the losing candidate was a Catholic, and 1940, when many German Americans turned sharply away from Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was seen as Anglophilic). Starting in 2000, Marathon County began following the trend of many other rural counties, breaking for George W. Bush even as Wisconsin remained a safely blue state and continuing to shift rightward (with the exception of Barack Obama's 2008 landslide). Since 2008, Republicans have gained ground in the county in every election cycle even as the state has flip-flopped between Republicans and Democrats. Marathon County's Republican swing has continued locally as well - it has not voted for a Democrat at the state level since 2006, and Republicans won the mayoralty of Wausau in 2024.[18]

Education

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School districts include:[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "2020 Decennial Census: Marathon County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Here's How Iron Got Its Name". The Rhinelander Daily News. June 16, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved August 24, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  9. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  11. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  13. ^ "Marathon County Parks, Recreation, Forestry Department". Marathon County, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 381-382, 414 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
  16. ^ Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 384
  17. ^ Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 ISBN 0815719094
  18. ^ Mentzer, Rob (April 3, 2024). "Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg loses reelection bid". WPR. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  19. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Marathon County, WI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 3, 2024. - Text list
[edit]
Wikisource has the text of an 1879 American Cyclopædia article about Marathon County, Wisconsin.

44°54′N 89°46′W / 44.90°N 89.76°W / 44.90; -89.76

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