Village of Rudolph, Wood County, Wisconsin: Place Profile

No ranked list of major employers located in the Village of Rudolph was found in a source read this session.

No newspaper based in Rudolph was found; the Wisconsin Rapids City Times is the Wood County paper on Wausau Wire's source roster.

No public library outlet located in the Village of Rudolph appears in the IMLS library file or on the village site.

No hospital or clinic located in the village was found in a source read this session.

The municipality is the Village of Rudolph, an incorporated village in Wood County, Wisconsin (Census place GEOID 5570000).

The Village of Rudolph is distinct from the surrounding Town of Rudolph, a separate Wood County municipality with 1,027 residents in the 2020 Census.

The Village of Rudolph covers 1.204 square miles of land and no measured water area.

The village's Census internal point is near 44.497198, -89.801808.

The village describes itself as about seven miles north of Wisconsin Rapids, and the tractor club page places it on State Highway 34.

Village Hall's mailing address uses ZIP code 54475.

The 2020 Census counted 433 residents in the Village of Rudolph.

The Wisconsin DOA estimates the village's population at 427 as of January 1, 2025.

The Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 estimate for Rudolph village is 428 on July 1, 2024 (2020 estimates base 435).

The ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate of the village's population is 493 (+/-99).

The ACS 2019-2023 median age in the village is 47.3 years (+/-12.2).

The ACS 2019-2023 median household income in the village is $61,250 (+/-$22,150).

The ACS 2019-2023 median value of owner-occupied homes in the village is $165,500 (+/-$19,703).

The village is governed by a Village Board of a president and elected trustees; the official roster lists four trustees.

Kevin Whipple is Village President, with a term listed as ending April 2027.

Trustees are Darren Reid (term ends April 2027), Christy Steinle, Rich Larsen, and Erin Whipple (terms end April 2028).

The village clerk is Kristina Rebarchek (appointed), reachable at (715) 896-1057 and [email address]; Joanna Mack is treasurer.

Village Hall is at 1580 Main Street (telephone (715) 435-4444), with mail to P.O. Box 7, Rudolph, WI 54475-0007.

The next Regular Village Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at Rudolph Village Hall.

Board agendas and minutes are posted as monthly PDFs on the village website's Agendas/Minutes page, with older years on an archive page.

Village bodies include a Park Board, a CDBG Board, a Zoning Appeals Board, and a weed commissioner, with Luke Weiland listed as village attorney.

The Village Board says it is aware of an odor tied to Dairy State and is in communication with the company toward a solution.

The village lies inside the Wisconsin Rapids School District (NCES 5517070), which enrolled 4,578 students in 2024-2025.

THINK Academy-Together Helping INspire Kids, a Wisconsin Rapids district PK-5 school at 6950 Knowledge Ave, Rudolph, enrolled 202 students in 2024-2025.

Dairy State Cheese, at the corner of Main Street and Highway 34, is the village's best-known business; the village says it sells over 100 varieties of cheese.

Other businesses the village names include Pete's Market (butcher and meat processing), Bank-A-Count Corporation (finance-industry printing), the R-Store gas station, and a body shop and bowling bar.

Solarus provides phone, cable, and fiber-to-the-home internet service in the community.

WSAU-FM (99.9 MHz), licensed to WRIG, Inc., lists Rudolph as its community of license.

The Rudolph Fire Department, with three paid personnel and 65 volunteers across five stations, covers about 226 square miles including the Village and Town of Rudolph, the Village of Junction City, and the Towns of Sigel, Linwood, and Eau Pleine.

The Rudolph post office offers a special 'Home of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer' stamp that can be imprinted on outgoing mail.

Active organizations include American Legion Elmer Blonien Post #485 and its auxiliary, the Senior Citizens, Scouts, the Rudolph Firefighters Auxiliary, and 4-H; the senior citizens meet the second Thursday monthly at the Legion Hall on Main Street.

St. Philip's Catholic Church is part of the Rudolph community and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2003.

The Rudolph Grotto Gardens and Wonder Cave at St. Philip's is the village's signature attraction; the village cites 30,000 annual visitors.

Father Philip Wagner began the Grotto's first shrine in 1927, and the last construction project was completed in spring 1983; the Wonder Cave is a one-fifth-mile passage with 26 shrines.

Rudolph Community Park has three baseball diamonds used for Little League and an enclosed shelter house that can be rented.

Rudolph Country Christmas, held the second Saturday in December, began in 2002 and added a lighted Christmas parade in 2003; the 2026 Christmas Country Market is December 12.

The Rudolph Old Tractor Club, in existence since 2000, holds its tractor show on the second Saturday in August at Rudolph Community Park; the 2026 show was August 8.

Other recurring events on the 2026 village calendar include the St. Philip pancake breakfast (March), an Easter egg hunt in Rudolph Park, area garage sales (April), and the St. Philip Church Picnic (August 2).

Rudolph was named after Rudolph Hecox, whom the village describes as the first Caucasian male born in the area; the village calls Rudolph the second town established in Wood County.

The Village of Rudolph incorporated in 1960.

The Rudolph Progress Fund, held at Incourage Community Foundation, makes grants for community projects in the Rudolph area.