Marathon County

Marathon County, Wisconsin
Marathon County Courthouse in Wausau
Location in the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location in the U.S.
Founded	1850
Seat	Wausau
Largest city	Wausau
Area
• Total	1,576 sq mi (4,082 km2)
• Land	1,545 sq mi (4,002 km2)
• Water	31 sq mi (80 km2), 2.0%
Population
• (2010)	134,063
• Density	87/sq mi (34/km²)
Congressional district	7th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.marathon.wi.us

Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 134,063. Its county seat is Wausau. It was founded in 1850, created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the county stretched to the northern border with the upper Michigan peninsula. It is named after the battlefield at Marathon, Greece.

Marathon County comprises the Wausau, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,576 square miles (4,080 km²), of which 1,545 square miles (4,000 km²) is land and 31 square miles (80 km²) (2.0%) is water. It is the largest county in Wisconsin by land area and fourth-largest by total area. It is also notable for containing the 45°N, 90°W point.

As of the census of 2000, there were 125,834 people, 47,702 households, and 33,868 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31/km²). There were 50,360 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.84% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 4.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.6% were of German and 13.6% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.9% spoke English, 3.4% Hmong, 1.1% German and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.