Wisconsin Rapids, WI

What Wisconsin Rapids is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 2,116 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.

2,116 businesses on file · 130 trades · 33 sectors · census population 18,756 · registry population 18,877 · built from geonet.wausau on 2026-10-07

Businesses2,116
6% carry coordinates
Specialised in12
trades above the national pattern
Best suited toSeniors
on the census signals below
Franchise brands45
already operating here

Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Wisconsin Rapids → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.

1

The local economy

What the business base is made of, what it is specialised in against the national pattern, and what that mix implies. This is the part a development office would read first.

Composition, not health. geonet records what trades exist and where; it does not record formation, closure, employment or revenue, so none of those appear here. What makes this economics rather than a directory is the NAICS coding: it lets the local mix be read against the BLS survival curves and against the 323 industry groups this research has screened.

The two biggest markets here

Every industry group on this page links through to its NAICS page, and to the screened market report where this research has one — that is what the trait-to-NAICS coding buys.

Business density112.8
businesses per 1,000 residents, against the 2021 census count of 18,756
Breadth of the base281
broad — 91 industry groups, top three 17.7%
Survival the mix implies56.7%
at five years, against 51.4% for all private establishments
Coded to NAICS58.8%
of which 70.1% unambiguous

What this city is specialised in

Location quotient is this city's share of a trade divided by the same share across 10 US metro tables. Above 1.25 is the conventional threshold for a local specialisation.

The base against the entry screen

Businesses by the entry signal of the industry group they sit in, from the /markets screen. A large "structure decides" share means most local trades are ones where being better than the incumbent does not by itself win. A trade is matched to the screened record at whatever level the research wrote it — the same code, a broader one, or a narrower one. Where a group holds several screened sub-markets the count is shown, because no single one of them speaks for the whole group.

Enter
23.1%
287 businesses
Caution
50.7%
631 businesses
Structure decides
26.2%
326 businesses
Not screened
0%
0 businesses

How to read the survival figure

Each sector's five-year establishment survival rate, weighted by how many of this city's businesses sit in that sector. It is a property of the MIX, not of these businesses — it says what survival this composition would imply at US private-sector rates, because no Canadian equivalent series exists.

Weighted over 94.8% of the coded base — public administration carries no curve. Source: Business Employment Dynamics — Table 7, Survival of private sector establishments by opening year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And what it does not measure

A "mixed" trait is one that genuinely spans codes — "computers" covers systems design, repair and supply. The clear share is how much of this reading rests on unambiguous coding. Business density also reflects how completely the directory covers a place, not only how many businesses are in it — so it compares poorly between a city the register knows well and one it does not.

2

Who lives here, and who the city is for

The census: the only figures on this page that count people rather than businesses, and the three cohort readings they make possible.

The register says what trades exist. The census says who lives here — and it is the only thing on this page that counts people. Figures are American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates for Wisconsin Rapids city, Wisconsin, the incorporated place, which is the city proper, and every comparison is against the United States as a whole, from the same ACS tables.

Detailed language is not published for American places. B16001, the table with individual languages, has no place-level rows; C16001 is what exists, and it names six languages and groups the rest into families. A Canadian city on this site names about forty.

Population18,756
census 2021
Median age38.3
against 38.7 nationally
Immigrants2.4%
against 13.9% nationally
Median rent$872
against $1,348 nationally

Who the city is for

Three readings, each built from real numbers against real benchmarks. This is not an index. Every signal is shown with its own value, its benchmark and which way it points, and the band simply counts how many point the same way — so a reader who disagrees with one signal can drop it and still use the rest.

Seniors

strong

Is this a place to grow old, and is the care here?

Residents 65 and over 19.3% ▲16.8%
Residents 85 and overthe group that needs care rather than the group that is merely retired 4.3% ▲1.9%
Median age 38.3 years –38.7 years
Poverty ratethe US poverty threshold — a different definition from the Canadian pages, and not comparable to them 14.4% ▼12.4%
Medical clinics per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.48 –
Pharmacies per 1,000 residentsfrom the business register 0.43 –
Median rent 872 $/mo ▲1348 $/mo

A high share of over-65s says other people made this choice; it does not say the care exists. The register has no category for a hospital at all, so distance to an emergency department is still missing.

Students and young adults

moderate

Is there a reason to be here between 19 and 25, and can they afford it?

Residents 20 to 24 7.9% ▲6.5%
Residents 15 to 19the cohort arriving next 6.3% –6.5%
Renter householdsa rental market is what makes a place possible to move to 43.6% ▲35%
Median rent 872 $/mo ▲1348 $/mo
Unemployment rate 7.2% ▼5.2%
Degree holders in the adult population 16.9% ▼35%
Drinking places and recreationfrom the register 18 –

Post-secondary institutions in the city are listed further down this page; where there are none, a high 20-to-24 share usually means work rather than study.

Newcomers and other-language speakers

thin

Is there already a community here, and has anyone built anything for it?

Foreign-born residents 2.4% ▼13.9%
Arrived 2010 or laterthe band the ACS publishes; the Canadian pages use 2016 to 2021, so the two are not comparable 24.4% ▼29.4%
Speak a language other than English at home 3.9% –
Language groups above the reporting floor 2 –
Median household income 54116 $ ▼78538 $

The American census does not publish individual languages for a city — only the eleven groups below, six of which are single languages. A Canadian city on this site names about forty, so the two sections are not the same depth and should not be read as if they were.

What is spoken at home, and whether anyone built for it

The register-versus-census cross-check on the Canadian pages is not possible here: the ACS publishes language in groups, so "Other Indo-European languages" cannot be matched against an institution that names a community.

Spoken most often at homeSpeakers ShareCommunity in the register Institutions
Other Asian and Pacific Island languages 500 2.7% not mapped to a marker 0
Spanish 235 1.3% not mapped to a marker 0

The rest of the profile

CharacteristicHereCanada
Residents 65 and over 19.3% 16.8%
Residents 85 and over 4.3% 1.9%
Residents 20 to 24 7.9% 6.5%
Arrived 2016 to 2021 24.4% 29.4%
Non-permanent residents — —
Speak a non-official language at home 3.9% —
Renter households 43.6% 35%
Spending 30% or more on shelter — —
Participation rate 63.4% 63.5%
Unemployment rate 7.2% 5.2%
Median household income, 2020 54116 $ —
Median after-tax household income, 2020 — —
Prevalence of low income (LIM-AT) 14.4% —
Bachelor degree or higher 16.9% —

The one thing to keep in mind

Five-year estimates pooled over 2019–2023, so a figure is an average of the period rather than a single year, and every value carries a margin of error this extract does not keep. Unlike the Canadian census, which counts everyone, the ACS is a sample — a small place's figures are correspondingly uncertain. ACS five-year estimate for the incorporated place, which is the city proper. It will differ from the figure in wander.regions, which is sometimes a metropolitan population.

Source: American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates — Table-based summary file, 2023, United States Census Bureau, under the US federal government work, public domain. National comparison: The United States row of the same ACS tables, not an average of places — roughly a third of Americans live outside any incorporated place, so summing places would understate the country.

3

The communities the register shows

A community appears in the business register before it appears in prose — a national church, a society, a credit union, a newspaper. Those are counted as institutions, and they are what suggests residents. A restaurant serving a cuisine is counted separately as trade, because every city has those and they say nothing about who lives nearby. The ranking is by institutions.

CommunityInstitutions WorshipTrade Where it shows
Chinese — — 2
Japanese — — 1
Spanish-speaking — — 1
Irish — — 1
5

What the city is made of

Every business on file, grouped by the sector it trades in. This is the economic-development view: where the 2,116 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.

SectorBusinesses ShareWhat is in it
Construction 166 7.8% painting (34) · home builder (32) · general contractor (20) · concrete (15) · heating and cooling (14) · plumbing (13) · siding (7) · roofing (6)
Living 138 6.5% place of worship (49) · daycare (18) · furniture (17) · apartment (17) · cleaning (11) · veterinary (10) · appliances (6) · janitor (4)
Business 135 6.4% government (64) · association (19) · accounting (18) · consulting (17) · cemetary (5) · vending (2) · auction (1) · foundation (1)
Dining 104 4.9% restaurant (74) · pubs (7) · pizza (7) · burgers (7) · diner (6) · steakhouse (1) · fast food (1) · bistro (1)
Automotive 104 4.9% autos (41) · auto repair (27) · auto parts (5) · detailing (3) · tires (2) · motorcycle (1) · scooter (1)
Finance 84 4% insurance (51) · bank (18) · loans (5) · credit union (5) · real estate (2)
Logistics 74 3.5% truck transportation (42) · storage (15) · railroad (6) · landscaping (1) · packaging (1)
Beauty 68 3.2% hair stylist (53) · dentist (10) · barber (5)
Agribusiness 60 2.8% landscaping (29) · dairy (15) · forestry (6) · fresh produce (5) · livestock (5)
Retail 59 2.8% gifts (14) · photography (10) · jeweler (8) · convenience (7) · fuel (5) · antiques (4) · toys (3) · flowers (3)
Health 58 2.7% medical clinic (9) · chiro (5) · physician (5) · home healthcare (4) · optical (4) · pharmacy (4) · medical supplier (1) · fitness club (1)
Manufacturing 40 1.9% industrial supplier (18) · fabrication (6) · machinery (3) · chemical (2) · salvage (2) · pallets (1)
Realty 38 1.8% real estate (38)
Education 34 1.6% school (29) · library (3) · garden (2)
Travel 30 1.4% motel (14) · travel agent (3) · hotel (2) · truck rental (2) · bnb (1)
Living & Home 29 1.4% garden (2) · greenhouse (1)
Entertainment 27 1.3% amusement (13) · video producer (4) · music instruments (2) · games (2) · video (2) · aquarium (1) · nightclub (1) · museum (1)
Media 24 1.1% signs (12) · advertising (6) · printing (5) · books (1)
Construction & Realty 23 1.1%
Retail Goods 23 1.1%
6

The franchises already here

Brands from a register of 2,024 franchise systems, matched into this city by name. A high count is a signal in both directions: the territory works, and it may be taken.

19 of these brands are a single common word — Metro, Avenue, Budget — so their counts include businesses that merely share the word. They are marked rather than dropped.

BrandCategory HereWorldwide
Kwik Trip convenience 4 350
U-Haul car 4 13,700
Burger King fastfood 3 11,000
Taco Bell tacos 2 5,845
Wal-Mart retail 2 6,500
ACE Hardware hardware 1 4,700
Advance Auto Parts auto 1 3,000
American Family Insurance insurance 1 4,000
Best Western businesshotel 1 4,200
Dairy Queen fastfood 1 5,900
Dollar General convenience 1 8,205
Econo Lodge budgethotel 1 —
Enterprise Rent A Car car 1 5,400
Fantastic Sams hair 1 1,350
Finish Line retail 1 700
Home Instead Senior Care senior 1 700
Lions Club club 1 —
Miracle-Ear specialty 1 1,500
Movie Gallery video 1 4,700
NAPA Auto Parts auto 1 18,000
Pizza Hut pizza 1 10,000
Rotary Club club 1 —
St. John retail 1 —
Super 8 economyhotel 1 —
Super Wash auto 1 288
Tropical Smoothie Cafe dessert 1 204
CARQUEST name only auto 2 3,400
Hallmark name only greetingcards 2 5,600
Manor name only retail 2 —
Renaissance name only upscalehotel 2 —
YMCA name only fitness 2 —
AllState name only insurance 1 —
AmericInn name only accommodation 1 230
AutoZone name only auto 1 3,800
Champion name only supermarket 1 1,000
Coach name only luggage 1 —
Jeep name only suv 1 —
Limited name only retail 1 —
Midas name only auto 1 1,800
Sears name only inc 1 2,300
ShopKo name only retail 1 135
Stitches name only retail 1 —
UniFirst name only specialty 1 —
Walgreens name only pharmacy 1 4,000
Ziebart name only auto 1 500
7

Real estate as a local trade

Four unrelated jobs share the name: selling existing homes, owning and letting them, managing them for someone else, and building new ones. For anyone weighing a move or a licence these are the counts — and the ownership question goes to /property, which answers it building by building.

Real estate is a local job market in its own right, and four unrelated trades get the same name. Counts are businesses filed under each trade in the register, which lists a brokerage once however many agents work there — so this measures firms, not licensees.

Selling homes

5312
41 firms · LQ 0.41

Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.

Named in the register
  • Andrew Selenske Selenske Rea — 5020 Mill Ave
  • Brian Erickson Erickson Vent — 1430 22nd Ave S #30
  • Coldwell Bnkers Swert Realtors — 325 8th St S
  • Complete Home Inspection Service — 3730 Alpine Way
  • First Weber Group — 821 Pepper Ave
  • First Wisconsin Mortgage — 1289 Deming Way
  • Harry E Schmidt Appraisal — 3311 18th St S
  • Heather Holden Success Realt — 1210 Pepper Ave
  • Inspect and Report Home Inspctns — 1017 Kings Way
  • R and R Appraisal — 660 E Grand Ave
  • River Ridge Development
  • Schlinsog Appraisal Ca R — 1720 Airport Ave
  • Skibba Properties — 2210 Kingston Rd
  • Terry Wolfe Terry Wolfe Real — 3610 8th St S

Owning and letting

5311
17 firms · LQ 1.18

Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.

Named in the register
  • Acorn Apartments — 2721 10th St S
  • Briarwood Cottages — 3231 Washington St
  • Chula Vista Manor — 1200 Huntington Ave
  • Dahl Properties — 1311 27th St N
  • Gruetzmacher Rentals — 2121 Sherri Ln
  • J and B Rentals — 3931 Downing St
  • McCrossen Properties — 350 20th Ave S
  • Niebler Properties — 1025 28th St N
  • Pine Creek Apartments — 2610 12th St S
  • River Grove Senior Village Apt — 3411 Washington St
  • Sisco Apartment Management — 2540 Sampson St
  • Sylvan Glen Apartments — 1155 19th Ave S
  • Tenth Avenue Apartments — 220 10th Ave N
  • Timber Trails Apartments — 3211 Franklin St # 102

Building new homes

2361
55 firms · LQ 1.55

Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.

Named in the register
  • AandB Construction — 256 State Highway 13 S
  • Adlee Construction — 8841 State Highway 13 S
  • Custom Carpentry — 1140 Bellview Dr
  • Denny G Builders — 4531 Deer Rd
  • Duane Weinfurter Construction — 4730 110th St S
  • Hansens Equity Homes — 1951 Ranger Rd
  • Jim Milkey Construction — 3715 Heritage Ridge Dr
  • La Porte Builders — 2472 Tamarack Trl
  • Log Homes By Design — 7630 State Highway 13 S
  • Maple Street USA — 9720 State Highway 13 S
  • Potter Construction — 5620 Church Ave
  • R P Construction — 6011 W Valley Ct
  • Ramsden and Ramsden Construction — 6640 State Highway 13 S # 7
  • Residential Renovations

Financing it

5222
5 firms · LQ 0.7

Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.

Named in the register
  • Budgetline Cash Advance — 4231 8th St S
  • Pay Day Loan Store Wisc — 2450 8th St S
  • Quickcash Loans — 3211 8th St S
  • Security Finance — 1341 8th St S
  • Speedy Loan — 4551 8th St S

On "how many doors"

How many doors a landlord holds is not in any of this. The register files an apartment building under the building, not its owner, and carries no unit count; there is no open dataset of Canadian landlords by portfolio. Where this research has established ownership it is in the /property record for the city, building by building, which is a different and much slower exercise.

8

Work where you go to them

The Ultimate 411 half of local: everything where the customer does not have to come to you.

A shop needs the customer to walk in. These 157 services do the opposite — the mobile mechanic, the mobile groomer, the bookkeeper, the junk haul — and they are the ones a person can start without a lease. 0 of them already match a trait filed in this city's register.

The 157 Service=1 rows in search.local: work where the provider travels to the customer. "present" counts businesses already filed under that exact trait name; a blank is a coverage gap, not proof of absence, because the two vocabularies were built separately.

home services

Short-Term Rental TurnoverAppliance InstallationBabyproofing & Safety InstallsCarpet & Upholstery CleaningDeep CleaningDrywall RepairErrand RunningExterior PaintingFence & Deck StainingFurniture AssemblyGarden Weeding & MaintenanceGrocery Pickup & DeliveryGutter CleaningHandyman (General Repairs)Hedge & Shrub TrimmingHouse CleaningHouse SittingInterior PaintingJunk Removal & Dump RunsLandscape Design & PlantingLawn MowingFall Leaf CleanupMove-In / Move-Out CleaningMoving Help (Labour Only)Moving with TruckOffice CleaningPersonal ShopperPressure WashingMove Things Around the HouseSnow Shovelling & RemovalPacking & UnpackingTV & Picture MountingWardrobe StylingWindow Cleaning

events

BartenderDesignated Driver (Your Car)CateringTents, Tables & ChairsFloristFuneral & Celebration of Life ArrangementsGame-Day Bus or VanBook a Pub for Your GroupKaraoke Machine RentalParty Bus & Group ShuttlePub Crawl HostTaxi to the PubSports & Game PhotographyStag & Doe / Jack & Jill PlanningTailgate Party SetupTrivia Night HostVenue SourcingBig-Game Watch Party SetupWedding OfficiantWedding Planner / Coordinator

pets

Aquarium & Terrarium CleaningCatio (Cat Patio) BuildChicken Coop BuildDog House BuildDog TrainingDog WalkingHome Pet BoardingLost Pet SearchMobile Dog GroomingOvernight Pet SittingBuild & Install a Pet DoorPet Cages & EnclosuresPet Fencing & Dog RunsPet PhotographyPet-Proofing Your HomePet Sitting & Dog WalkingPet TaxiYard Poop Scooping

luxury

Chauffeur & Luxury CarDJ & Sound Gear RentalDJEvent PhotographerEvent PlannerLive MusiciansHair & Makeup ArtistMatchmakerPersonal ConciergePortrait & Headshot PhotographerPrivate ChefVideographerVIP / Social Club MembershipWedding PhotographerYacht & Boat Charter

healthcare

Wheelchair-Accessible TransportGrab Bars, Ramps & Home AccessibilityLight Housekeeping for SeniorsCooking & Meal Prep for SeniorsMedical Appointment EscortMedication & Appointment RemindersMobility Equipment RentalRespite Care for Family CaregiversSenior CompanionshipTech Help for SeniorsWalking Companion

sporting goods

Bike Tune-UpBorrow a Bike or E-BikeBorrow Camping GearBorrow Golf ClubsBorrow Hockey GearBorrow Ice SkatesBorrow a Kayak, Canoe or PaddleboardBorrow Skis, Poles & Ski BootsBorrow a Snowboard & Snow BootsSkate SharpeningSki & Snowboard Tuning

sports

Backyard Rink BuildLocal Fishing GuideGolf CaddieFind Players for a Pickup GamePrivate Sports LessonJoin or Build a Rec League TeamBook Ice, Courts & FieldsWorkout & Sports BuddyRoommates Who Also Like Sports

business

BookkeepingStart a Local BusinessCareer Coaching & RésumésFind a Local ManufacturerFind Local Work / Contract GigsLocal Advertising PlacementPrototype & Small-Batch ProductionTranslation & InterpretationWebsite & Online Presence

outdoors

Brush & Land ClearingChainsaw Rental (from a local owner)Firewood (Cut, Split & Delivered)Log Bucking & Cutting (Chainsaw)Portable SawmillingSmall-Lot Logging & Land ClearingStump GrindingTree FellingWood Splitting

construction

CarpenterElectricianHeating & Cooling (HVAC)Mobile MechanicPlumberRoof RepairSmall Engine RepairWelder / Metal Fabrication

travel

Airport Transfer & Car ServiceCorporate & Business TravelCruise BookingFamily Travel for a WeddingBereavement / Funeral TravelLeisure Travel PlanningLocal Tour Guide

tools

Camera & Lens RentalGenerator RentalLog Splitter RentalParty Equipment RentalPower Tool RentalTrailer & Truck Rental
9

Schools and colleges

wander.schools is a post-secondary table — universities and colleges. K-12 public and private schools are not in it, and only 7 of its 1,686 rows carry coordinates, so these are listed and not mapped.

In the business register

Where schooling shows up as a business rather than an institution — which is where K-12, tutoring and childcare appear.

school 29daycare 18
10

Health and care

What a person moving a parent here would ask first. The register files clinics and pharmacies; it has no category for a hospital at all, so hospitals are matched by name and the limit is stated rather than hidden.

Medical clinics9
Pharmacies4
Dental practices10

Matched on the name "hospital"

  • Kindness Hospital For Animals — 8451 State Highway 13 S
  • All Care Animal Hospital — 321 12th Ave S
  • Riverview Hospital Association Health — 410 Dewey St
  • Riverview Hospital Urgent Care — 410 Dewey St
  • Riverview Hospital — 410 Dewey St

geonet carries no 'hospital' trait, so these are matched on the business name. A distance-to-hospital figure needs a source that states hospital locations.

12

What this record cannot tell you

Named in full, because the gaps are the part most likely to be misread as an answer.

  • Census figures are 2021, taken on 11 May 2021: income is for 2020 and the labour figures were measured mid-pandemic, so the unemployment rate on this page is a 2021 reading rather than a current one.
  • wander.schools is now readable, but it holds universities and colleges only and 1,679 of its 1,686 rows have no coordinates. K-12 public and private schools need a separate source — in Ontario the Ministry of Education school finder, in British Columbia the provincial school list. wander.citytowns, hotels and territories remain denied to the ru user.
  • No 'hospital' trait exists in geonet; distance to a hospital needs an external source such as StatCan's Open Database of Healthcare Facilities.
  • 94.3% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 100%.

Built from

  • geonet.wausau — the local business register
  • wander.regions — city name, population, metro
  • search.local — trait vocabulary and the come-to-you services
  • search.cozfranchises — 2,024 franchise brands