† 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
GroupWatertownWisconsinUnited States
German46.9%35.8%12.5%
Irish10.7%10.4%9.4%
Polish6.6%7.6%2.2%
English5.8%6.7%9.5%
Norwegian5.5%6.1%—
American3.8%3.4%5.3%
Italian3.0%2.7%4.8%
French1.7%2.2%1.6%
Mexican7.0%5.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican1.0%1.1%1.8%
Cuban0.4%—0.7%
Nicaraguan0.4%——
Spaniard0.2%——
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
Watertown
Wisconsin
United States
Median age
40.6
40.5
39.1
Age 18–24
10.2%
9.3%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.6%
18.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Watertown
Wisconsin
United States
Median household income
$70,107
$77,485
$84,427
Poverty rate
9.9%
10.6%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
18.2%
33.5%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Watertown
Wisconsin
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
6.8%
9.1%
22.3%
Spanish
5.8%
5.0%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Watertown
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.
Watertown, Wisconsin
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−25.3%
2008
−10.6%
2012
−19.4%
2016
−26.9%
2020
−24.2%
2024
−26.2%
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
R
36.1%Harris4,500
62.3%Trump7,769
1.7%
R+26.2
R+2.0
R+24.7
12,476
R
36.8%Biden4,503
61.1%Trump7,465
2.1%
R+24.2
D+2.7
R+28.7
12,220
R
32.8%Clinton3,587
59.7%Trump6,533
7.5%
R+26.9
R+7.5
R+29.0
10,945
R
39.6%Obama4,627
59.1%Romney6,893
1.3%
R+19.4
R+8.8
R+23.3
11,670
R
44.0%Obama5,023
54.5%McCain6,231
1.5%
R+10.6
D+14.7
R+17.8
11,425
R
36.9%Kerry4,254
62.1%Bush7,172
1.0%
R+25.3
—
R+22.8
11,540
Watertown sits at the confluence of the Rock and Crawfish rivers in Jefferson County, with a working-class industrial base that has historically made it a competitive swing point between Wisconsin's urban and rural political patterns.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 26.9 points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 2.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 26.2 points.
A population of 22,774, a 85% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $70,107 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Hutchinson and Hartford.
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, Watertown, Wisconsin voted Republican by 26.2 points (R+26.2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 12,476 votes cast, 4,500 went Democratic and 7,769 went Republican.
How many people live in Watertown, Wisconsin?
Watertown, Wisconsin has a population of 22,774 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Watertown, Wisconsin?
Median household income in Watertown, Wisconsin is $70,107 — below the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Watertown, Wisconsin?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Watertown, Wisconsin from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
