The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Marathon County is a county of Wisconsin with 138,403 residents. Its economy produced $11,882 million in 2024 (ranked #7 of 72 counties) and had 70,626 jobs with an average annual pay of $57,976 (#17 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.5% in 2026M09. It is part of the Wausau, WI metropolitan area (central county).
Marathon County produced about $11,882 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 2.6% of the combined output of the 72 counties of Wisconsin that BEA reports (about 2.3% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 7th of 72 on that measure. Per resident that is $85,851, 12% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $76,637. In current dollars output grew 5.3% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 70,626 jobs located in Marathon County on average in 2024, spread over 3,960 employer sites (about 18 jobs per site). That is 0.51 jobs for every resident, above the 0.39 of the typical county in Wisconsin, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $57,976, 7% below the average of all counties in the state ($57,976 against $62,128). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.9% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are manufacturing (30.7% of private jobs, $67,358 a year on average), health care and social assistance (16.0% of private jobs, $70,592 a year on average), retail trade (12.4% of private jobs, $34,526 a year on average). Together they hold 59.1% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is finance and insurance at $84,954 a year, followed by construction ($73,509). The county is specialised in several industries: manufacturing (3.1 times the US share, 18,252 jobs); management of companies (1.9 times the US share, 2,241 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($34,526), accommodation and food services ($20,000). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Marathon County was 2.5%, 12% below the average of the state's counties (2.5% against 2.9%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 74,367. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.4% (2025M09) to 3.7% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $77,884 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($77,884 against $77,485). The guide covers 2 cities with this as the main county: Wausau, Weston. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,010 in Wausau to $1,024 in Weston, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Marathon County in output are Outagamie County, Winnebago County, Racine County, Rock County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 72 counties of Wisconsin ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 138,403 | 10 of 72 |
| GDP 2024 | $11,882 million | 7 of 72 |
| GDP per resident | $85,851 | 5 of 72 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 70,626 | 9 of 72 |
| Average annual pay | $57,976 | 17 of 72 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.9% | 35 of 72 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.5% | 9 of 72 |
| Median household income | $77,884 | 19 of 72 |
Federal jobs in Wisconsin (285) →All cities of WisconsinState guide: Wisconsin
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Marathon County (and 1 more that extend into it).
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wausau | 39,996 | $64,389 | $1,010 | $167,900 | 30.9% |
| Weston | 15,749 | $78,207 | $1,024 | $229,300 | 25.7% |
| Marshfield | 18,700 | $58,407 | $842 | $177,800 | 25.6% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 18,252 | 30.7% | $67,358 | 3.15 |
| Health care and social assistance | 9,518 | 16.0% | $70,592 | 0.94 |
| Retail trade | 7,398 | 12.4% | $34,526 | 1.05 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,953 | 8.3% | $20,000 | 0.77 |
| Finance and insurance | 3,409 | 5.7% | $84,954 | 1.19 |
| Wholesale trade | 3,294 | 5.5% | $72,316 | 1.18 |
| Construction | 2,970 | 5.0% | $73,509 | 0.80 |
| Management of companies | 2,241 | 3.8% | $72,166 | 1.88 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,875 | 3.1% | $37,970 | 0.45 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,608 | 2.7% | $77,647 | 0.33 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,464 | 2.5% | $47,514 | 0.69 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,319 | 2.2% | $17,766 | 1.11 |
| Real estate and rental | 599 | 1.0% | $47,490 | 0.55 |
| Information | 412 | 0.7% | $62,957 | 0.31 |
| Educational services | 215 | 0.4% | $24,835 | 0.15 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 74,367 |
| Employed residents | 72,483 |
| Unemployed residents | 1,884 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 70,626 |
| Employer sites | 3,960 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County | 926,331 | $78,804 million | $85,071 | 469,055 | $69,142 | 3.7% |
| Dane County | 572,674 | $62,806 million | $109,671 | 359,249 | $74,481 | 2.5% |
| Waukesha County | 411,762 | $42,030 million | $102,073 | 247,891 | $69,989 | 2.7% |
| Brown County | 270,892 | $25,709 million | $94,904 | 157,834 | $63,349 | 2.6% |
| Racine County | 197,532 | $11,724 million | $59,355 | 76,342 | $61,150 | 3.4% |
| Outagamie County | 192,826 | $17,224 million | $89,323 | 108,592 | $61,834 | 2.6% |
| Winnebago County | 171,769 | $13,881 million | $80,813 | 93,556 | $64,380 | 2.7% |
| Kenosha County | 168,438 | $10,428 million | $61,907 | 74,313 | $58,409 | 3.0% |
| Rock County | 164,350 | $10,849 million | $66,012 | 69,595 | $59,381 | 3.0% |
| Marathon County | 138,403 | $11,882 million | $85,851 | 70,626 | $57,976 | 2.5% |
| Washington County | 137,879 | $9,202 million | $66,741 | 58,417 | $58,316 | 2.6% |
| La Crosse County | 120,488 | $9,934 million | $82,450 | 69,521 | $58,448 | 2.6% |
| Sheboygan County | 117,991 | $9,431 million | $79,930 | 61,178 | $63,379 | 2.6% |
| Eau Claire County | 107,116 | $8,430 million | $78,702 | 58,758 | $58,079 | 2.6% |
| Walworth County | 105,657 | $6,423 million | $60,788 | 45,268 | $50,949 | 2.6% |
| Fond du Lac County | 104,137 | $6,749 million | $64,812 | 45,047 | $58,238 | 2.6% |
| Saint Croix County | 96,033 | $6,015 million | $62,631 | 36,959 | $55,261 | 2.8% |
| Ozaukee County | 92,966 | $7,073 million | $76,087 | 41,266 | $58,909 | 2.7% |
| Dodge County | 88,742 | $5,048 million | $56,881 | 36,662 | $59,552 | 2.3% |
| Jefferson County | 86,003 | $4,923 million | $57,242 | 33,615 | $54,167 | 2.5% |
| Manitowoc County | 81,406 | $5,402 million | $66,362 | 33,444 | $53,550 | 2.6% |
| Wood County | 74,004 | $5,263 million | $71,123 | 36,183 | $56,502 | 2.9% |
| Portage County | 70,832 | $5,836 million | $82,397 | 33,088 | $56,889 | 2.8% |
| Chippewa County | 66,799 | $3,854 million | $57,699 | 26,613 | $53,189 | 2.7% |
| Sauk County | 66,009 | $5,577 million | $84,492 | 36,498 | $50,177 | 2.5% |
| Columbia County | 58,272 | $4,274 million | $73,347 | 21,963 | $52,667 | 2.6% |
| Calumet County | 52,942 | $2,315 million | $43,720 | 16,250 | $51,037 | 2.4% |
| Grant County | 51,770 | $2,999 million | $57,929 | 17,200 | $47,501 | 2.8% |
| Waupaca County | 51,569 | $2,507 million | $48,610 | 18,649 | $48,246 | 2.6% |
| Barron County | 46,797 | $2,994 million | $63,973 | 21,519 | $47,983 | 2.8% |
| Monroe County | 46,208 | $3,006 million | $65,057 | 21,455 | $53,839 | 2.6% |
| Polk County | 45,555 | $2,185 million | $47,965 | 16,162 | $47,798 | 3.0% |
| Dunn County | 45,527 | $2,581 million | $56,691 | 18,047 | $52,935 | 2.7% |
| Douglas County | 44,229 | $2,402 million | $54,306 | 16,039 | $52,809 | 3.5% |
| Pierce County | 42,584 | $1,545 million | $36,273 | 10,512 | $47,483 | 3.0% |
| Marinette County | 42,046 | $2,381 million | $56,622 | 17,599 | $52,321 | 3.3% |
| Shawano County | 41,039 | $1,744 million | $42,484 | 12,343 | $45,528 | 2.8% |
| Oconto County | 39,589 | $1,351 million | $34,138 | 9,125 | $46,685 | 2.8% |
| Oneida County | 38,167 | $2,432 million | $63,710 | 16,637 | $53,857 | 2.6% |
| Green County | 37,017 | $2,497 million | $67,463 | 15,543 | $51,430 | 2.3% |
| Clark County | 34,739 | $1,919 million | $55,249 | 11,379 | $50,135 | 2.3% |
| Vernon County | 31,049 | $1,540 million | $49,612 | 8,718 | $47,085 | 2.5% |
| Trempealeau County | 30,839 | $1,889 million | $61,242 | 12,492 | $51,189 | 2.8% |
| Door County | 30,445 | $2,000 million | $65,684 | 14,223 | $45,594 | 2.5% |
| Lincoln County | 28,426 | $1,744 million | $61,369 | 9,997 | $51,054 | 2.9% |
| Juneau County | 26,689 | $1,233 million | $46,197 | 9,256 | $51,884 | 3.0% |
| Waushara County | 24,868 | $919 million | $36,972 | 5,903 | $43,716 | 2.8% |
| Iowa County | 23,867 | $1,660 million | $69,563 | 10,688 | $55,369 | 2.4% |
| Vilas County | 23,647 | $1,342 million | $56,770 | 8,275 | $45,114 | 3.0% |
| Adams County | 21,123 | $761 million | $36,023 | 4,412 | $46,533 | 3.7% |
| Jackson County | 20,981 | $1,372 million | $65,399 | 7,758 | $50,504 | 3.1% |
| Kewaunee County | 20,664 | $1,082 million | $52,357 | 6,742 | $49,194 | 2.3% |
| Taylor County | 20,024 | $1,109 million | $55,387 | 7,832 | $47,788 | 2.5% |
| Langlade County | 19,490 | $1,012 million | $51,934 | 7,352 | $44,327 | 3.0% |
| Green Lake County | 19,263 | $904 million | $46,942 | 5,899 | $49,517 | 2.8% |
| Sawyer County | 18,476 | $966 million | $52,311 | 7,250 | $48,406 | 3.2% |
| Richland County | 17,205 | $1,004 million | $58,338 | 5,963 | $46,821 | 2.6% |
| Lafayette County | 16,942 | $932 million | $55,005 | 5,068 | $50,347 | 2.2% |
| Burnett County | 16,916 | $751 million | $44,389 | 5,070 | $44,320 | 3.3% |
| Washburn County | 16,854 | $800 million | $47,439 | 5,523 | $44,282 | 3.2% |
| Bayfield County | 16,575 | $587 million | $35,402 | 4,194 | $42,107 | 3.0% |
| Ashland County | 16,080 | $929 million | $57,782 | 7,940 | $50,101 | 2.9% |
| Crawford County | 16,042 | $902 million | $56,252 | 6,672 | $44,881 | 3.2% |
| Marquette County | 15,746 | $588 million | $37,319 | 3,942 | $46,451 | 3.0% |
| Rusk County | 14,179 | $727 million | $51,255 | 4,597 | $46,068 | 3.5% |
| Price County | 14,092 | $743 million | $52,717 | 4,876 | $48,882 | 3.3% |
| Buffalo County | 13,393 | $731 million | $54,577 | 3,616 | $46,517 | 3.0% |
| Forest County | 9,369 | $430 million | $45,931 | 3,244 | $45,541 | 2.9% |
| Pepin County | 7,431 | $385 million | $51,755 | 2,463 | $49,655 | 2.4% |
| Iron County | 6,210 | $235 million | $37,897 | 1,686 | $40,528 | 4.0% |
| Florence County | 4,646 | $172 million | $37,023 | 972 | $36,280 | 3.4% |
| Menominee County | 4,252 | $219 million | $51,556 | 2,002 | $45,304 | 4.2% |
138,403 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$11,882 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.5% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
70,626 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $57,976 (BLS QCEW).