Browne Law Office, 1854
Waupaca’s story
177 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,392 in 1880, 6,282 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 3 maps from 1969 on.
- 1849Waupaca is settled
WaupacaWI
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Wernerradio · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,145
2025 Census estimate · −1.2% since 2020
Median home value
$247K
Census ACS
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
53.2
years
Jobs based here
121
A commuter town
Is Waupaca a good place to live?
Waupaca’s best subject grades are a B+ for civic life and history; its weakest is a D for walkability. 11% of residents are under 18 in Waupaca, against 21% in Wisconsin’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. The typical home is worth about $247K, 3.4 years of the county’s $73K median household income. Only 29 of Wisconsin’s 879 towns score lower on the outdoors. Waupaca has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Waupaca stand out
Where Waupaca beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Waupaca5.7
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WI town3.8
Civic lifeB+
48% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Wisconsin town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1849
A long history
A history going back 177 years.
Small town
1,145 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
WaupacaSt. LawrenceRoyaltonLindFarmingtonWaupaca
How Waupaca grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Waupaca is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 12% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.8 of 20; 4.4% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnCOpen →SchoolsBeat 64% of Wisconsin districts on tests and graduationBOpen →Jobs & income$82K median household incomeBOpen →HealthThedacare Medical Center-Waupaca 3.3 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailDOpen →History9 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life5.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Waupaca: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waupaca, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Public Service17.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWaupaca Waterworks1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Waupaca’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTown of Waupaca ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP codes54981, 54983, 5496254981 75% · 54983 15% · 54962 10%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Waupaca.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
The biggest natural risk in Waupaca is inland flooding, at a very low overall level
FEMA puts 39% of Waupaca’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 30% to cold waves. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 88% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Waupaca after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
12risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Most of Waupaca’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.2 jobs for each of them
The average commute for Waupaca comes to 22 minutes. Most people who work leave Waupaca to do it: just 2% work in town. The town had 121 jobs in 2023, down 125 from 2013. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line in the town.
2%work in town
| Waupaca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Waupaca2%
Waupaca23%
Weyauwega6%
Oshkosh5%
Farmington4%
26 mi
median commute distance
121
jobs based in Waupaca
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
49″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–28°
Spring33–55°
Summer57–79°
Fall37–58°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
Waupaca is healthier than 51% of U.S. towns
The share of adults in Waupaca who have high blood pressure: 37%. In Waupaca, 13% of adults have diabetes, and 19% binge drink.
51%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Waupaca | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
0 better27 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Waupaca | WI |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| More adults with arthritis | 31.2% | 26.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.6% |
Thedacare Medical Center-Waupaca
3.3 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 18,762 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kiwanis Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Waupaca
19pages on Waupaca
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Waupaca; the nearest are
University of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity or college · Public · Stevens Point28.5 mi$9,488 in-state tuitionFox Valley Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Appleton29.1 mi$5,040 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Waupaca residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Waupaca for work
Where Waupaca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
121jobs based in Waupaca
2%of working residents work in town
26 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Waupaca
9 notable people were born in Waupaca.
E
Everett C. OlsonU.S. paleontologist, zoologist, and geologist · 1910–1993
C
Chester NelsenCyclist · 1902–1987A
Annie BurgstedeAmerican actress · born 1983G
Greg JohnsonAmerican male curler · born 1975B
Brock JensenAmerican football player · born 1990About Waupaca
City in Wisconsin, United States
Waupaca ( wə-PAK-ə) is a city in and the county seat of Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the Town of Waupaca, and it is politically independent of the town. A portion extends west into the adjacent Town of Farmington, and there is also a noncontiguous area of the city in the Town of Lind to the south. The city is divided into natural areas, city areas, and industrial areas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1849
- Area
- 8.2 sq mi
- ZIP code
- 54981
Questions about Waupaca
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Waupaca, WI expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
What is Waupaca, WI known for?
9 notable people were born here, including Everett C. Olson and Edward E. Browne.