HarrisDemocratic49.7%21,503TrumpRepublican48.5%20,987KennedyNonpartisan0.6%244
D+1.2- Lead
- 516
- Total
- 43,258
- vs nation
- D+2.7
- Turnout
- 76.5%
Akashiccounty
Portage County, WI
Office (updates table and map)
President margin by year
Place winner margin
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
The precinct map shows the 2024 presidential vote; the timeline scrubs the county’s overall result across 1892–2024.
President results by year
2024 turnout 76.5% of 56,724 citizens 18+
BidenDemocratic50.3%20,428TrumpRepublican47.5%19,299JorgensenLibertarian1.6%640
D+2.8- Lead
- 1,129
- Total
- 40,603
- vs nation
- R+1.7
- Turnout
- 73.0%
ClintonDemocratic48.0%18,529TrumpRepublican44.8%17,305JohnsonLibertarian3.9%1,493
D+3.2- Lead
- 1,224
- Total
- 38,589
- vs nation
- D+1.1
- Turnout
- 69.7%
ObamaDemocratic56.1%22,075RomneyRepublican42.2%16,615GrayIndependent0.8%309
D+13.9- Lead
- 5,460
- Total
- 39,337
- vs nation
- D+10.0
- Turnout
- —
ObamaDemocratic63.0%24,817McCainRepublican35.0%13,810OtherAll other candidates2.0%795
D+27.9- Lead
- 11,007
- Total
- 39,422
- vs nation
- D+20.6
- Turnout
- —
KerryDemocratic56.1%21,861BushRepublican42.5%16,546OtherAll other candidates1.4%554
D+13.6- Lead
- 5,315
- Total
- 38,961
- vs nation
- D+16.1
- Turnout
- —
GoreDemocratic53.1%17,942BushRepublican39.1%13,214NaderGreen6.3%2,143
D+14.0- Lead
- 4,728
- Total
- 33,760
- vs nation
- D+13.5
- Turnout
- —
ClintonDemocratic53.1%15,901DoleRepublican32.2%9,631PerotReform11.4%3,410
D+21.0- Lead
- 6,270
- Total
- 29,928
- vs nation
- D+12.4
- Turnout
- —
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+1.2MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 70,8322024 5-year
- Population density
- 88 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 801 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $76,0702024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 89.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+44.9 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+34.0 in 1920MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Winona County, MN · twin score 93.0
Midterm durability
Total general-election participants divided by same-year citizen voting-age population. These are total ballots or participating voters—not presidential candidate votes.
- 2024 total turnout
- 76.5%43,415 participants ÷ 56,724 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +12.4 ptsVolatile
- Drop-off versus state
- -3.2 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026 scenario
- 64.2%–67.3%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
| Election | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 · Presidential | 38,768 | 55,610 | 69.7% | B/A |
| 2018 · Midterm | 35,161 | 55,280 | 63.6% | B/A |
| 2020 · Presidential | 40,789 | 55,897 | 73.0% | B/A |
| 2022 · Midterm | 33,887 | 55,921 | 60.6% | B/A |
| 2024 · Presidential | 43,415 | 56,724 | 76.5% | B/A |
Sources and methods
- 2016: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 292/111.
- 2018: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 296/138.
- 2020: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 300/2.
- 2022: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 305/183.
- 2024: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 310/228.
presidential history
Party record book
Portage County, WI · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
72.1%
11,887 votes · D+44.3
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 · 71.7%
Republican
Warren G. Harding1920
65.4%
5,527 votes · R+34.0
Runner-up · Theodore Roosevelt, 1904 · 61.1%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Barack Obama2008
24,817votes
63.0% of the vote · D+27.9
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2012 · 22,075 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
20,987votes
48.5% of the vote · D+1.2
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 19,299 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
George McGovern1972
+41.2pts D vs U.S.
Place D+18.1 · U.S. R+23.2
Runner-up · Al Smith, 1928 · +30.8 pts
Republican
William H. Taft1912
+12.6pts R vs U.S.
Place D+6.9 · U.S. D+19.5
Runner-up · Warren G. Harding, 1920 · +7.8 pts
U.S. House elections · 3 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row shows U.S. House votes counted inside this Place. “Vote lead” is the local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
+244 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net −112 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $58,296 in average income, against $82,400 for residents who stayed — 29% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+10.4 on average — 12 points more Republican-leaning than Portage County, WI itself (D+1.2).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Wood County, WI269R+19.9
- Marathon County, WI194R+18.6
- Waupaca County, WI103R+33.4
- Dane County, WI85D+51.5
- Waushara County, WI62R+35.2
- Outagamie County, WI48R+10.2
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Wood County, WI271
- Marathon County, WI166
- Dane County, WI105
- Waupaca County, WI85
- Milwaukee County, WI59
- Outagamie County, WI57
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | −176 |
| 2012 | +49 |
| 2013 | −96 |
| 2014 | −299 |
| 2015 | −314 |
| 2016 | −350 |
| 2017 | −97 |
| 2018 | +43 |
| 2019 | −283 |
| 2021 | −898 |
| 2022 | +1,142 |
| 2023 | +523 |
| 2024 | +400 |
| 2025 | +244 |
Home to the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, Portage County sits at a demographic crossroads where a college-town core moderates the surrounding rural conservative lean, producing margins that have flipped repeatedly over the past two decades.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 44.9 points in 1932 and a Republican high of 34.0 points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 1.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 1.2 points.
A population of 70,832, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $76,070 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Winona County and Winnebago County.
Political twins — counties
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Winona County
Minnesota
93.0twin score
2004–2020 trajectory≠ Swedish ancestry
Winnebago County
Wisconsin
92.0twin score
2008–2024 trajectoryelasticity≠ Polish ancestry
La Crosse County
Wisconsin
91.4twin score
2004–2016 trajectory≠ Polish ancestry
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.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Portage County, Wisconsin. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/55097/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Frequently asked questions
How did Portage County, Wisconsin vote in 2024?
In 2024, Portage County, Wisconsin voted Democratic by 1.2 points (D+1.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 43,258 votes cast, 21,503 went Democratic and 20,987 went Republican.
When did Portage County, Wisconsin last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Portage County, Wisconsin voted Republican was 1956.
How many people live in Portage County, Wisconsin?
Portage County, Wisconsin has a population of 70,832 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Portage County, Wisconsin?
Median household income in Portage County, Wisconsin is $76,070 — below the national median of $80,734. The Wisconsin state median is $77,485.
What is the political history of Portage County, Wisconsin?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Portage County, Wisconsin from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 26 went Democratic and 7 went Republican.