County outline
Where Portage County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.3% of Portage County’s measured area and water for 2.7%. Its combined area converts to 2,131.1 square kilometers or approximately 526,604 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 800.874 | 2,074.254 | 512,559.4 |
| Water | 21.944 | 56.835 | 14,044.2 |
| Total | 822.818 | 2,131.089 | 526,603.5 |
How Portage County compares
By original Census land area, Portage County ranks #29 of 72 in Wisconsin and #1063 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.064 times the Wisconsin county-equivalent median of 753 square miles. It accounts for 1.5% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Wisconsin ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Portage County
The Census Bureau estimates that 71,943 people lived in Portage County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #782 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #23 of 72 in Wisconsin. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 70,380, the population has grown by 1,563 (+2.2%), compared with +1.3% for Wisconsin as a whole.
With 800.9 square miles of land, that is 90 people per square mile (35 per km²), placing Portage County #1,078 nationally for density and #24 in Wisconsin. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Wisconsin median is 51. Put another way, there are about 7.1 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 70,423 | 69,465 | 70,764 | 71,361 | 71,758 | 71,943 |
| Change | — | −958 | +1,299 | +597 | +397 | +185 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Portage County
Portage County is divided into 28 cities and towns. In Wisconsin, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents; a few are unorganized areas without their own government.
The most populous is Stevens Point city, with 26,377 residents (36.7% of the county). The largest by land is Grant town, at 70.8 mi², or 8.8% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Plover village grew fastest since then (+5.6%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevens Point cityCounty seat | 26,377 | +2.8% | 17.5 | 2.2% |
| Plover village | 14,274 | +5.6% | 10.8 | 1.4% |
| Hull town | 5,239 | −0.7% | 26.7 | 3.3% |
| Stockton town | 3,019 | +0.1% | 57.1 | 7.1% |
| Sharon town | 2,124 | −0% | 63.9 | 8% |
| Grant town | 1,849 | +0.1% | 70.8 | 8.8% |
| Whiting village | 1,649 | +2.6% | 1.81 | 0.2% |
| Plover town | 1,565 | +0.1% | 38.8 | 4.8% |
| Lanark town | 1,546 | +0.6% | 35.8 | 4.5% |
| Amherst town | 1,404 | +1% | 37.6 | 4.7% |
| Carson town | 1,403 | +0.8% | 53.3 | 6.7% |
| Buena Vista town | 1,145 | +0.4% | 61.2 | 7.6% |
| Amherst village | 1,119 | +0.5% | 1.344 | 0.2% |
| Linwood town | 1,082 | +1% | 31.2 | 3.9% |
| Eau Pleine town | 1,078 | +1% | 54.5 | 6.8% |
Show the other 13 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey town | 965 | +0.1% | 44.8 |
| Pine Grove town | 874 | −0.5% | 37.5 |
| Alban town | 865 | +0.6% | 35.4 |
| New Hope town | 721 | +1.3% | 35.6 |
| Almond town | 620 | −1% | 43 |
| Belmont town | 607 | −2.4% | 36.1 |
| Park Ridge village | 545 | +3.2% | 0.227 |
| Rosholt village | 465 | −2.7% | 1.05 |
| Junction City village | 449 | +7.4% | 1.511 |
| Almond village | 414 | −2.8% | 1.048 |
| Amherst Junction village | 376 | −2.3% | 1.236 |
| Nelsonville village | 169 | +0.6% | 1.029 |
| Milladore village | 0 | — | 0.002 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Portage County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Portage County is a central county of the Stevens Point-Plover, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Portage County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 800.9 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #262 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #100 by population. It belongs to the Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Portage County; 11 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
544065440754423544435445454455544585446754473544755448154482544945449954909549215494554966549775498154984
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Portage County
Portage County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Marathon County (1,545.2 mi²) and the smallest is Waushara County (626.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Portage County forms a block of 5,158.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 15.5%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Portage | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon County | 1,545.2 | 1.9× larger | Compare |
| Wood County | 793 | about the same | Compare |
| Waupaca County | 747.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Adams County | 645.6 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Waushara County | 626.2 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Portage County compared with U.S. states?
Portage County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.3 times as much. Wisconsin’s county land could hold about 68 areas the size of Portage County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 28.3 miles (45.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Portage County?
Portage County has more land than 2,159 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Portage County at #1,128 nationally by total area, 65 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 2.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.5 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Portage County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1062 | Macon County, Missouri | 801.2 | Compare |
| #1063 | Portage County, Wisconsin | 800.9 | This county |
| #1064 | Saginaw County, Michigan | 800.8 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 44.476246, -89.498070. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,074,252,970 m²; AWATER: 56,835,076 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Portage County?
Portage County, Wisconsin has 800.9 square miles (2,074.3 km²) of land and 21.9 square miles of water, for a total area of 822.8 square miles. It ranks #1063 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Portage County the largest county in Wisconsin?
No. Portage County ranks #29 of 72 in Wisconsin by land area. The largest is Marathon County, with 1,545.2 square miles of land.
What counties border Portage County?
Portage County shares a land border with Wood County, Marathon County, Waupaca County, Waushara County, and Adams County.
What is the population of Portage County?
The Census Bureau estimates Portage County had 71,943 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #782 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 90 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Portage County?
The county seat of Portage County is Stevens Point.
What cities and towns are in Portage County?
Portage County has 28 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Stevens Point city, Plover village, Hull town, Stockton town, and Sharon town.
Is Portage County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Stevens Point-Plover, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Portage County?
21 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Portage County, and 11 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Portage County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.3 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Portage County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 512,559 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 526,604 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.