Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Wood County, WI: population growth, jobs and income

Wood County lost 195 residents between 2024 and 2025 (−0.3%).

Wood County had an estimated 74,060 residents in 2025, down 0.2% (120 fewer people) since 2020. That is slower than Wisconsin as a whole (+1.3%), and the 57th fastest growth of 72 counties in Wisconsin.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Wood County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Wood County, ranked against Wisconsin and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$856/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes7.2%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months1392025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Wisconsin? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 152 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 34,252 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −9.4% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 3.5% in 2025, 0.1 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 156 new homes in 2025, or 2.1 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $67,989 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +22.1% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 1,934th.

Part of the Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI micro area.

Get Wood County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Wood County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Wood County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Wood County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
202574,060−195
202474,255+23
202374,232+353
202273,879−143
202174,022−158
202074,180–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Wood County

Wood County lost 120 people since 2020 even though 382 more people moved in from other U.S. counties than left: deaths outnumbered births by 1,068, and net international migration added 565.

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−114−1,068
International migrationfrom and to other countries+72+565
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties−152+382
Census adjustmentbalancing residual−1+1
Total change−195−120

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn WisconsinAmong U.S. counties
Population growth57th of 721,934th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents64th of 722,230th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth68th of 722,783rd of 3,092
Median household income49th of 721,328th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate41st of 721,006th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents66th of 721,491st of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Wood County, WI as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Marathon County and Portage County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Wood County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Wood County's population change (−0.2%) was ahead of 2 of its 6 neighbouring counties and behind 4.

3 of its 6 neighbouring counties had a higher median household income than Wood County's $67,989 (2020–24).

Wood County, WI and its 6 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Wood County, WI This county74,060−0.2%−2.12.1$67,989
Marathon County, WI139,432+1.0%0.42.5$77,884
Juneau County, WI26,649−0.5%5.27.7$67,270
Portage County, WI71,943+2.2%3.43.4$76,070
Adams County, WI21,752+5.1%17.07.7$59,442
Clark County, WI35,052+1.2%−5.33.5$67,400
Jackson County, WI20,999−0.5%−0.33.0$68,110

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 72 Wisconsin counties · Every state

Questions

Is Wood County growing?

No. Its population fell 0.2% between 2020 and 2025, about 120 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates). Wisconsin as a whole changed +1.3% over the same years. That ranks 57th of 72 counties in Wisconsin for population growth.

How many people moved to Wood County?

On net, none in 2025: about 152 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Wood County?

It averaged 3.5% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Wood County?

About 74,060 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Wood County?

Private employers there had 34,252 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −9.4% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Wisconsin

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Wisconsin county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Wood County data alerts

Email me when Wood County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Wood County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.