Wausau, WI
Across all occupations in the Wausau, WI metropolitan area, the median wage is $48,790 a year ($23.46 an hour) and the mean $60,120, May 2025. That median is −4% against the US median of $50,980 and −3% against Wisconsin's $50,270. BLS counts 69,530 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators.
All occupations: Wausau, WI vs Wisconsin and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Wausau, WI | Hourly | $14.40 | $18.10 | $23.46 | $33.59 | $46.45 | $28.91 | 69,530 |
| Annual | $29,950 | $37,640 | $48,790 | $69,860 | $96,610 | $60,120 | ||
| Wisconsin | Hourly | $14.41 | $18.12 | $24.17 | $36.71 | $50.47 | $30.90 | 2,941,540 |
| Annual | $29,980 | $37,700 | $50,270 | $76,350 | $104,990 | $64,270 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
268 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Wisconsin. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Wausau, WI
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $364,260 | $175.12 | 170 |
| 2 | Nurse Anesthetists | $269,790 | $129.71 | 70 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $202,460 | $97.34 | 120 |
| 4 | Dentists, General | $202,250 | $97.24 | 70 |
| 5 | Pharmacists | $148,740 | $71.51 | 130 |
| 6 | Optometrists | $142,690 | $68.60 | 30 |
| 7 | Marketing Managers | $141,150 | $67.86 | 50 |
| 8 | Financial Managers in Wisconsin | $131,320 | $63.13 | 300 |
| 9 | Human Resources Managers | $131,240 | $63.10 | 70 |
| 10 | Physician Assistants | $129,980 | $62.49 | 90 |
| 11 | Nurse Practitioners | $129,720 | $62.36 | 220 |
| 12 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Wisconsin | $129,620 | $62.32 | 120 |
| 13 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $126,530 | $60.83 | 100 |
| 14 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $125,550 | $60.36 | 180 |
| 15 | Sales Managers in Wisconsin | $123,230 | $59.25 | 190 |
| 16 | Purchasing Managers | $121,610 | $58.46 | 40 |
| 17 | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $114,400 | $55.00 | 40 |
| 18 | General and Operations Managers in Wisconsin | $107,550 | $51.71 | 810 |
| 19 | Construction Managers | $106,480 | $51.19 | 90 |
| 20 | Lawyers in Wisconsin | $106,290 | $51.10 | 150 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Wausau, WI
Most concentrated occupations in Wausau, WI
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food Batchmakers | 13.94 | 1,090 | 15.65 | $48,560 |
| 2 | Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 9.98 | 430 | 6.17 | $61,070 |
| 3 | Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing | 8.97 | 250 | 3.54 | $43,640 |
| 4 | Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 6.26 | 110 | 1.64 | $45,200 |
| 5 | Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 5.47 | 160 | 2.36 | $40,580 |
| 6 | Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters | 5.41 | 190 | 2.69 | $45,100 |
| 7 | Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 5.09 | 360 | 5.20 | $47,370 |
| 8 | Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 5.00 | 930 | 13.38 | $55,780 |
| 9 | Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4.74 | 100 | 1.37 | $45,100 |
| 10 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 4.56 | 350 | 5.02 | $46,470 |
Occupation groups in Wausau, WI
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $107,190 | $123,550 | 3,380 | 48.67 | 0.68 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $83,000 | $110,620 | 4,890 | 70.30 | 1.11 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $79,580 | $85,140 | 1,130 | 16.24 | 0.97 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $76,630 | $82,900 | 1,110 | 16.02 | 0.47 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $74,960 | $81,790 | 420 | 6.00 | 0.63 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $74,790 | $81,380 | 3,370 | 48.45 | 0.71 |
| Legal | $65,360 | $97,660 | 320 | 4.59 | 0.55 |
| Construction and Extraction | $61,840 | $66,240 | 2,850 | 41.05 | 0.99 |
| Community and Social Service | $59,910 | $59,780 | 1,000 | 14.32 | 0.83 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $59,790 | $62,010 | 3,320 | 47.80 | 1.22 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $50,850 | $56,140 | 3,010 | 43.32 | 0.74 |
| Protective Service | $49,940 | $54,700 | 1,140 | 16.33 | 0.67 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $48,640 | $54,940 | 530 | 7.63 | 0.58 |
| Production | $48,330 | $51,930 | 11,040 | 158.81 | 2.88 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $46,920 | $49,130 | 7,770 | 111.79 | 0.98 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $44,670 | $46,400 | 6,820 | 98.12 | 1.12 |
| Healthcare Support | $39,430 | $41,430 | 3,210 | 46.24 | 0.91 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $37,190 | $39,250 | 1,900 | 27.38 | 0.94 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $37,040 | $39,420 | 150 | 2.13 | 0.76 |
| Sales and Related | $36,660 | $48,480 | 6,030 | 86.75 | 1.00 |
| Personal Care and Service | $35,440 | $39,590 | 950 | 13.62 | 0.65 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,100 | $31,540 | 5,170 | 74.43 | 0.85 |
Every occupation in Wisconsin, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 268 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Wausau, WI estimates (area 48140).
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Wausau, WI area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.