† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupPortageWisconsinUnited States
German37.7%35.8%12.5%
Irish11.7%10.4%9.4%
Norwegian9.6%6.1%—
English8.8%6.7%9.5%
Polish4.7%7.6%2.2%
American3.6%3.4%5.3%
Italian2.7%2.7%4.8%
Dutch2.6%——
Mexican3.7%5.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.6%1.1%1.8%
Colombian0.3%—0.4%
Spanish0.3%——
African American†4.2%5.3%9.9%
African1.1%0.2%0.5%
Nigerian0.8%—0.2%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Portage
Wisconsin
United States
Median age
37.8
40.5
39.1
Age 18–24
9.5%
9.3%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.9%
18.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Portage
Wisconsin
United States
Median household income
$64,722
$77,485
$84,427
Poverty rate
13.5%
10.6%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
19.9%
33.5%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Portage
Wisconsin
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
5.3%
9.1%
22.3%
Spanish
4.2%
5.0%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Portage
Wisconsin
United States
Catholic
—
21.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
14.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
52.0%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Portage, Wisconsin
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+7.8%
2008
+25.0%
2012
+27.6%
2016
+8.0%
2020
+14.4%
2024
+11.9%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
55.2%Harris2,576
43.3%Trump2,020
1.4%
D+11.9
R+2.4
D+13.4
4,663
D
56.2%Biden2,570
41.9%Trump1,913
1.9%
D+14.4
D+6.4
D+9.9
4,571
D
50.2%Clinton2,032
42.2%Trump1,709
7.6%
D+8.0
R+19.6
D+5.9
4,050
D
63.2%Obama2,710
35.6%Romney1,527
1.1%
D+27.6
D+2.6
D+23.8
4,285
D
61.6%Obama2,655
36.7%McCain1,579
1.7%
D+25.0
D+17.2
D+17.7
4,308
D
53.1%Kerry2,278
45.3%Bush1,943
1.6%
D+7.8
—
D+10.3
4,288
Portage sits at the historic land bridge between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, a geography that once made it a fur-trade hub and still anchors its identity as a small, blue-collar county seat in a perennial swing corridor.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 27.6 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 2.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 11.9 points.
A population of 10,236, a 86% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $64,722 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Baraboo and Monroe.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Portage, Wisconsin voted Democratic by 11.9 points (D+11.9), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 4,663 votes cast, 2,576 went Democratic and 2,020 went Republican.
How many people live in Portage, Wisconsin?
Portage, Wisconsin has a population of 10,236 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Portage, Wisconsin?
Median household income in Portage, Wisconsin is $64,722 — below the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Portage, Wisconsin?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Portage, Wisconsin from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
