Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,547, settled in 1864.
The best of Marathon City’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living, incomes, and civic life. Fricke-Menzner House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Marathon City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Marathon City beats most towns.
Where Marathon City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Marathon City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 3 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marathon City, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Marathon City.
In Marathon City, 3.9% of residents live below the poverty line, below both the Wisconsin town median (6.4%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). For most workers, Marathon City is a place to come home to: only 15% work in town. The average commute for Marathon City comes to 17 minutes. Since 2013, Marathon City has added 389 jobs, to 2,397 in 2023.
| Marathon City | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list. The public schools here belong to the Marathon City School District. The 3 public schools in Marathon City teach 770 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 323 | A− |
| Marathon HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 274 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
Marathon City’s peak summer temperature comes in at 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). In Marathon City, 25% of residents are under 18. This Wisconsin town is shrinking: down 2.2% since 2020, to 1,547 residents (2025 estimate). For Marathon City, the midpoint age is 43.8 years.
| Marathon City | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 42.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Wisconsin, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Marathon City | WI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.6% | 11.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.1% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.2% | 13.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.9% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.1% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.4% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.9% | 29.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.4% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 11.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.9% | 22% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 11.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Marathon City. In Marathon City, 28% of adults feel lonely, where Wisconsin’s towns sit at 30% and U.S. towns at 33%.
| Marathon City | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Marathon City | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 1980, Marathon City has seen 3 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage locally than in just over three fifths of U.S. communities. 55% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 30%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Marathon City's reported crime rate is close to Wisconsin's. In Marathon City, the violent offense rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Marathon City | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.1 per 1,000 residents | 6.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Parks and preserves in Marathon City: 2, covering 8 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Water Tower Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The share of households in Marathon City who live in a home they own: 80%. In Marathon City, the median rent is $853 a month.
| Marathon City | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $853 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 74% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marathon City. Close and well known come first.
12 mi MuseumLeigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
11 mi TheatreGrand Theater38 mi City parkLyon ParkLeigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum: User:Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Grand Theater: Billertl, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Marathon City
About 3 of every 100 Marathon City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
Town in Wisconsin, United States
Marathon is a town in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 995 at the 2020 census. The village of Marathon City was incorporated from a part of the town's original area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Marathon City.
| Town | WI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon City | — | — | A− | — | B− | B |
| Marathon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cassel | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rib Falls | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stettin | #299 | C+ | C− | — | C+ | B |
Marathon City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Marathon City and Stettin report no FBI crime data of their own. Marathon, Cassel and Rib Falls aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Marathon City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $198,000, 41% below the Wisconsin typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
