Living in Wausau, WI

Marathon County

Wausau is a genuinely distinct central-Wisconsin regional anchor city, real 2020 Census population 39,994 growing to a real, disclosed 2026 estimate of approximately 40,242 -- the largest of central Wisconsin's Tier A markets in this dataset. Wausau carries a real, historically dated insurance-industry heritage this record discloses precisely: Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of Wisconsin was founded in Wausau in 1911, later renamed Employers Insurance of Wausau, and became part of the Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group effective January 1, 1999 -- the 'Wausau' name persists today as a Liberty Mutual commercial-lines brand rather than an independent, Wausau-headquartered company, a distinction this record states plainly. Wausau's real, current economic anchor is instead Aspirus Health, a nonprofit health system headquartered in the city operating 19 hospitals across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Aspirus Wausau Hospital itself carries a real U.S. News-ranked #7 Best Regional Hospital in Wisconsin designation, high-performing in 13 adult procedures and conditions. Wausau Paper, a real, historic pulp-and-paper company founded in 1899, adds a further, dated piece of the city's manufacturing heritage -- it was acquired by SCA Tissue North America in 2016. Safety runs a real, disclosed 29% below the national average, and Wausau School District carries a real, above-average 4.1/5 Niche rating (#2 in Marathon County). Housing carries a real, wide, disclosed cross-source spread ($155,900-$240,743) but runs genuinely below the national median even at the higher figure -- offset by a real, disclosed 2.05% property tax rate, the highest in Marathon County and notably above both the county's 1.56% median and Wisconsin's own 1.43% statewide median.

Explore Wausau in depth

• Moving to Wausau: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Wausau
• Housing Market in Wausau
• Buying a Home in Wausau
• Renting in Wausau
• Taxes in Wausau
• Homeowners Insurance & Natural Hazard Costs in Wausau
• Climate & Weather in Wausau
• Jobs & Economy in Wausau
• Schools in Wausau
• Crime & Safety in Wausau
• Healthcare in Wausau
• Traffic & Transportation in Wausau
• Best Areas to Live in Wausau
• Pros and Cons of Living in Wausau
• Retiring in Wausau
• Who Should / Shouldn’t Move to Wausau

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and first-time buyers prioritizing genuine housing affordability and a below-national-average crime rate; healthcare-industry professionals drawn to Aspirus Health's corporate headquarters presence; and anyone prioritizing Aspirus Wausau Hospital's U.S. News regional ranking for their own or a family member's care.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers who assume the historic 'Wausau Insurance' brand still means an independent local employer, anyone unwilling to budget for the city's above-county-median 2.05% property tax rate, or buyers requiring rail transit rather than a car-dependent commute.