Wausau, WI Metro Area
The Wausau, WI metro area is one county in Wisconsin: Marathon County. About 139,432 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 1.0% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 139,432 1.0% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- County
- Marathon County
- Land area
- 1,545 sq mi (4,002 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- State
- Wisconsin
- Combined statistical area
- Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WI
- CBSA code
- 48140
The county in the Wausau, WI metro area
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Marathon County | Central | 139,432 |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. This area has no outlying counties: no neighboring county sends enough commuters to join it. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Wausau39,996 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WI combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 2 areas in this one, largest first:
- Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI Micro Area74,060 people
- Stevens Point-Plover, WI Micro Area71,943 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Stevens Point-Plover, WI Micro Area31 mi south
- Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI Micro Area40 mi south
- Shawano, WI Micro Area54 mi east
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.