Portage County, Wisconsin: commercial real estate data.
Portage County, Wisconsin has a population of 70,832 across 801 square miles, up 2.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $5.84 bn in 2024, 1,715 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 49 7(a) approvals worth $28.6 m.
121 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Portage County
How many people live in Portage County
- Population70,832
- Households29,679
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$76,070
- Median age38.0
- Median gross rent$940 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$243,100
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher34.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over46,544
- Population under 1813,294
- Share under 1818.8 percent
- Population 65 and over12,990
- Share 65 and over18.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6444,548
- Civilian labor force39,192
- Unemployment rate3.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.1 percent
- Rank by population among Wisconsin counties23rd of 72
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents782nd
Portage County is the 23rd largest of 72 Wisconsin counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 18.8 percent against 18.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Portage County
Is Portage County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.37 percent
- Census 2020 base population70,375
- Births, 2024539
- Deaths, 2024588
- Natural change, 2024-49
- Net domestic migration, 2024396
- Net international migration, 2024228
- Total net migration, 2024624
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,163
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1048th
The county has grown 2.37 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Portage County
Where people moving to Portage County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,864
- People arriving, from those returns3,033
- Adjusted gross income arriving$103.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$55,565
- Largest single originPortage County Non-migrants (28,392 households)
- Largest single destination (28,392 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portage County Non-migrants | 28,392 | 55,184 | $2.42 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 516 | 896 | $31.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 328 | 500 | $18.2 m |
| Wood County | 301 | 506 | $13.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 210 | 323 | $12.1 m |
| Marathon County | 179 | 263 | $8.3 m |
| Other flows - South | 165 | 322 | $9.0 m |
| Other flows - West | 116 | 208 | $8.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Portage County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Portage County
What the Portage County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$5.84 bn
- County GDP, 2023$5.52 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.7 percent
- GDP change over five years35.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Wisconsin counties19th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents658th
- GDP per resident$82,397
Output grew 5.7 percent in the latest year and 35.0 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Portage County
Who employs people in Portage County
- Covered employment, annual average33,088
- Establishments reporting1,939
- Average annual pay$56,889
- Average weekly wage$1,094
- Sector 31-33, employment4,798
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$59,044
- Sector 52, employment4,122
- Sector 52, average annual pay$98,872
- Sector 44-45, employment4,039
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,859
- Sector 62, employment3,238
- Sector 62, average annual pay$60,062
- Sector 72, employment3,134
- Sector 48-49, employment1,849
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 4,798 | 83 | $59,044 |
| Sector 52 | 4,122 | 124 | $98,872 |
| Sector 44-45 | 4,039 | 214 | $31,859 |
| Sector 62 | 3,238 | 312 | $60,062 |
| Sector 72 | 3,134 | 209 | $18,821 |
| Sector 48-49 | 1,849 | 84 | $57,530 |
| Sector 54 | 1,338 | 121 | $86,498 |
| Sector 23 | 1,251 | 166 | $67,160 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 4,798 jobs, 14.5 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Portage County
What businesses operate in Portage County
- Establishments, all industries1,715
- Employment at those establishments29,656
- Annual payroll$1.62 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents24.2
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Portage County
What is being built in Portage County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024279
- Declared construction value permitted$66.3 m
- Single family units authorised114
- Multifamily units authorised165
- Multifamily share of units59.1 percent
- Average declared value per unit$237,643
- Units authorised per 1,000 households9.4
Multifamily is 59.1 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Portage County
How much SBA lending happens in Portage County
- 7(a) approvals recorded49
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$28.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$582,739
- Median 7(a) approval$274,000
- 10th percentile approval$24,100
- 90th percentile approval$2,020,000
- Largest single approval$3,562,800
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)708
- Jobs per approval14.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active29
- Distinct industries receiving approvals30
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer18.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms9
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter39
- Franchise loans14
- Franchise share of approvals28.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countCarpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services (5)
- Most active lenderPrevail Bank (7)
- 504 approvals recorded27
- 504 gross approval dollars$29.1 m
- Average 504 approval$1,076,074
- Median 504 approval$610,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval13.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.0
- Most active CDCWBD, Inc. (26)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals64.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$57.6 m
The average approval of $582,739 sits well above the median of $274,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 18.4 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Portage County
Do SBA loans in Portage County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded11
- Paid in full11
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Exempt from disclosure27
- Status: Cancelled10
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Portage County
Which parts of Portage County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- Stevens Point, approvals28
- Plover, approvals16
- Junction City, approvals2
- AMHERST JUNCTION, approvals2
- CUSTER, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Stevens Point | 28 | $20,397,400 |
| Plover | 16 | $6,984,000 |
| Junction City | 2 | $72,700 |
| AMHERST JUNCTION | 2 | $1,050,100 |
| CUSTER | 1 | $50,000 |
Stevens Point accounts for 28 approvals against 16 in Plover. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Portage County
How big is Portage County
- Land area801 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Wisconsin counties29th of 72
- Width, east to west30.7 mi
- Height, north to south30.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land88
- Establishments per square mile2.14
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Portage County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Portage County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population70,832
- Households29,679
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$76,070
- Median age38.0
Common questions
Portage County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Portage County, Wisconsin?
70,832, in 29,679 households, ranking 23rd of 72 Wisconsin counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Portage County growing?
The population has grown 2.37 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 539 births against 588 deaths, with net migration of 624. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Portage County?
$76,070. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $243,100, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $940 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Portage County?
1,715 establishments, employing 29,656 people with an annual payroll of $1.62 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Portage County?
Average annual pay is $56,889, or $1,094 a week, across 33,088 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Portage County?
49 7(a) approvals totalling $28.6 m since FY2020, across 29 lenders, with a median approval of $274,000, plus 27 504 approvals worth $29.1 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Portage County get paid back?
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Portage County?
279 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $66.3 m. Multifamily was 59.1 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Portage County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Portage County come from?
The largest single origin is Portage County Non-migrants, with 28,392 households. Arriving households report an average income of $55,565 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Portage County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Portage County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.