Marathon County · Wisconsin · Midwest · 40k residents
Wausau, WI: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Wausau: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Wisconsin median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,165/wk. Wisconsin's corporate income tax rate is 7.9%. Commercial electricity averages 12.6¢/kWh.
Compare Wausau side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,165/wk
Corporate income tax
7.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher
30.9%
Commercial electricity
12.6¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Wausau's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
24/100
Cooling
Ranks Wausau's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $167,900 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $180 |
| Property tax rate | 1.61% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $748/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,055/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.17% |
| Sales tax | 5.7% |
| Corporate income tax | 7.9% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,165/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.9% |
| Commercial electricity | 12.6¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 29.6/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $98,650 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $89,190 |
| Wage: General manager | $107,550 |
| Wage: Customer service | $46,260 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $36,440 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $58,520 |
| Wage: Electrician | $78,680 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $34,160 |
| Cost of living index | 80 |
| Groceries index | 96 |
| Utilities | $155/mo |
| Transit pass | $58/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,150/mo |
| Median household income | $64,389 |
| Unemployment rate | 3% |
| Population | 40k |
| Crime index | 38/100 |
| School rating | 6.7/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 87/100 |
| Avg. commute | 22 min |
| Sunny days / year | 190 days |
| July high | 80°F |
| January low | 7°F |
| Annual snowfall | 64 in |
| Home price YoY | +8.6% |
| Home price MoM | +0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +6.5% |
| Rent MoM | +0.2% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -1.2% |
| Building permits YoY | -14.9% |
| Ocean coast | 853 mi |
| Big lake | 86 mi |
| Mountains | 514 mi |
| Major airport | 127 mi |
| Ski resort | 3 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Weston, WI · 16k
- Stevens Point, WI · 26k
- Marshfield, WI · 19k
- Wisconsin Rapids, WI · 19k
- Fox Crossing, WI · 19k
Similar size
- New Berlin, WI · 40k
- Menomonee Falls, WI · 40k
- Brookfield, WI · 41k
- Sun Prairie, WI · 38k
- Greenfield, WI · 37k
Real listings in Wausau
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Wausau a good place to run a business?
- Wisconsin's corporate income tax rate is 7.9%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,165/wk; commercial electricity averages 12.6¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Wausau, WI?
- Wausau indexes at 80 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,055/mo and a acs median home value of $167,900.
- How much does a house cost in Wausau?
- The acs median home value in Wausau is $167,900 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Wausau?
- A two-bedroom in Wausau rents for about $1,055/mo.