Portage County, Wisconsin: County Profile, Stevens Point and UW-Stevens Point

The name of the sitting Portage County Sheriff could not be confirmed from the county pages fetched this session.

Broadcast stations licensed to Stevens Point include WSPT (FM 97.9), WPCN (AM 1010) and UW-licensed WWSP (FM 89.9).

Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County.

The Portage County Courthouse is at 1516 Church Street, Stevens Point, which is also the County Clerk's office address.

Portage County has 17 towns, 9 villages and 1 city, 27 municipalities in all.

Portage County's 17 towns are Alban, Almond, Amherst, Belmont, Buena Vista, Carson, Dewey, Eau Pleine, Grant, Hull, Lanark, Linwood, New Hope, Pine Grove, Plover, Sharon and Stockton.

Portage County's villages with residents in the county are Almond, Amherst, Amherst Junction, Junction City, Nelsonville, Park Ridge, Plover, Rosholt and Whiting; part of the Village of Milladore also lies in Portage County.

Portage County has 800.874 square miles of land area.

Portage County has 21.944 square miles of water area.

Portage County borders Marathon (north), Shawano (northeast), Waupaca (east), Waushara (southeast), Adams (southwest) and Wood (west) counties.

Portage County makes up the Stevens Point, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids Combined Statistical Area.

Portage County was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1844. It is named for the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, which boundary changes later left outside the county.

Stevens Point is named for George Stevens, who ran a supply business on the Wisconsin River during the logging era; the city was incorporated in 1858.

The Stevens Point area is historically part of the Menominee homelands; a three-mile strip along the Wisconsin River was ceded to the United States in an 1836 treaty.

Portage County had a population of 70,377 at the April 1, 2020 Census.

Portage County had a final official population estimate of 72,569 as of January 1, 2025.

Portage County had a population of 70,019 at the 2010 Census.

Portage County had a population of 67,182 at the 2000 Census.

Portage County had a population of 47,541 at the 1970 Census.

The Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 estimate for Portage County is 72,040, from a 2020 estimates base of 70,375.

The City of Stevens Point had a 2020 Census population of 25,666 and a January 1, 2025 official estimate of 26,820.

The Village of Plover had a 2020 Census population of 13,519 and a January 1, 2025 official estimate of 14,389. It is the county's largest village.

The Town of Hull had a 2020 Census population of 5,287 and a January 1, 2025 official estimate of 5,259. It is the county's most populous town.

The Village of Whiting had a 2020 Census population of 1,601 and a January 1, 2025 official estimate of 1,633.

The Village of Amherst had a 2020 Census population of 1,117 and a January 1, 2025 official estimate of 1,133.

Portage County's median age is 38.1 years (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate, margin of error +/-0.4).

Portage County's median household income is $73,284 (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate, margin of error +/-$2,229).

The median value of owner-occupied housing in Portage County is $230,400 (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate, margin of error +/-$4,684).

The Portage County Board of Supervisors has 25 supervisors, one per district.

Dax Burroughs (District 8) is chair of the Portage County Board.

Suzanne Oehlke (District 17) is first vice-chair and Nancy Eggleston (District 15) is second vice-chair of the Portage County Board.

The Portage County Board's 2026 regular meetings fall on the third Tuesday of each month from January through October, with an extra meeting on May 5 and October 6; the annual meeting with the budget public hearing and adoption is scheduled for November 2, 2026.

Eric Olson is the Portage County Executive. The Executive's office appoints department heads and board and commission members and prepares the annual county budget for the Board.

Maria Davis is the Portage County Clerk, a constitutional officer elected every four years who serves as the county's chief election official.

The Portage County Clerk's office began accepting passport applications on July 1, 2025.

Cynthia A. Wisinski is the Portage County Register of Deeds.

Nathaniel Check is the Portage County Highway Commissioner; the Highway Department is at 800 Plover Road, Plover.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and Juvenile Detention Center, operates the countywide 911 center and dispatch for all law enforcement, fire and EMS agencies, and oversees emergency management and the county EMS system.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office is at 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point.

Portage County invited the public to a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new Jail and Law Enforcement Center building in Plover.

Portage County has commissioned third-party studies of its justice facilities since 1999; proposals have ranged from a $70 million justice center in 2008 to options estimated at $165 million to $175 million in 2023.

The Portage County Treasurer collects first-installment real estate taxes for 22 of the county's 27 municipalities and second installments for 26; the City of Stevens Point collects its own.

Portage County Parks runs with 10 full-time staff and up to 30 seasonal employees; Ryan Rose is Park Director.

County recreation sites include Standing Rocks County Park (skiing, biking, disc golf), the 30-plus-acre Speckmann Dog Park, and the Tomorrow River State Trail, which starts in Plover.

Mike Wiza is mayor of Stevens Point, a full-time chief executive who presides over the Common Council; mayoral terms are four years with no term limit.

Stevens Point City Hall is at 1515 Strongs Avenue.

The City of Stevens Point operates radio station WSNP-LP, 105.9 FM.

Portage County had 1,715 business establishments with 29,656 paid employees in 2023.

Manufacturing had 74 establishments and 5,002 paid employees in Portage County in 2023.

Finance and insurance had 126 establishments and 4,761 paid employees in Portage County in 2023.

Retail trade had 212 establishments and 3,884 paid employees in Portage County in 2023.

Health care and social assistance had 216 establishments and 3,314 paid employees in Portage County in 2023.

Accommodation and food services had 224 establishments and 2,686 paid employees in Portage County in 2023.

Transportation and warehousing had 84 establishments and 2,426 paid employees in Portage County in 2023.

In 2023 County Business Patterns, manufacturing (5,002) and finance and insurance (4,761) were Portage County's two largest private sectors by paid employment.

Sentry Insurance, a mutual insurer founded in 1904 as Hardware Dealers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Wisconsin, is headquartered at 1800 North Point Drive, Stevens Point, and reports over 2,000 associates in Stevens Point.

The Portage County Business Council names Del Monte, Intevation Foods, Golden County Foods and McCain's among the county's major food processors.

The Portage County Business Park in Stevens Point covers 420 acres with direct access to Interstate 39, and the adjacent East Park Commerce Center covers 760 acres.

Other business parks described by the Business Council are Pines Corporate Centre in Plover and the Amherst Business Park off Highway 10.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point was established in 1894 and is one of 11 comprehensive universities in its public higher education system.

Stevens Point Normal School opened on September 17, 1894, with 201 students, after Stevens Point won the site over Wausau in an 1893 Board of Regents vote.

UW-Stevens Point enrolls approximately 8,300 undergraduate and graduate students across campuses in Stevens Point, Marshfield and Wausau.

The Stevens Point campus covers 406 acres, including the 280-acre Schmeeckle Reserve, with 15 academic buildings, 13 residence halls and three student centers.

Robert Brinkmann is the 16th chancellor of UW-Stevens Point; his appointment began July 1, 2026.

UW-Stevens Point athletics compete in NCAA Division III with 26 teams and about 800 student-athletes.

UWSP's Central Wisconsin Environmental Station, a 200-acre teaching center on Sunset Lake near Amherst Junction, has operated since 1975.

UWSP's Wausau campus, 35 miles north of Stevens Point and adjacent to Marathon Park, has served Wausau since 1933.

Mid-State Technical College has a campus in Stevens Point.

Stevens Point Area Public School District schools in the NCES 2023-24 file include Stevens Point Area Senior High, Benjamin Franklin and P J Jacobs junior highs, and elementary schools in Stevens Point, Plover and Junction City.

Besides the Stevens Point Area Public School District, the NCES 2023-24 geocode file places schools of five other LEAs in Portage County: Almond-Bancroft, Amherst (including the Tomorrow River charter schools), Rosholt, Wisconsin Rapids (Grant Elementary, Town of Grant), and the LEA of Central Sands Community High School in Amherst.

Portage County Public Library is headquartered in Stevens Point with branches in Almond, Plover and Rosholt; Amherst has the Lettie W. Jensen Public Library.

HRSA-supported health center sites in Portage County include Noble Community Clinics - Stevens Point (2501 Main St) and a Bridge Community Health Clinic site at Rosholt schools.

Stevens Point State Normal School in Stevens Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 1976-12-12.

Nelson Hall in Stevens Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 2005-06-29.

Mathias Mitchell Public Square-Main Street Historic District in Stevens Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 1986-08-13.

Clark Street-Main Street Historic District in Stevens Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 2021-06-07.

Fox Theater in Stevens Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 1982-07-26.

Hotel Whiting in Stevens Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 1990-09-13.

Hardware Mutual Insurance Companies Building in Stevens Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 1994-12-01.

Rising Star Flouring Mill in Nelsonville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 2018-05-11.