Average Salaries in Wausau, WI
Explore salaries across 268 occupations in Wausau, WI. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $63.8K, -3.0% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 268 occupations and 63,730 total jobs in Wausau, WI.
How the metro compares
Wages in Wausau, WI track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Wausau, WI is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Physicians, All Other. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Wausau, WI
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Wausau, WI
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $364.3K | 170 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $269.8K | 70 |
| Chief Executives | $202.5K | 120 |
| Dentists, General | $202.3K | 70 |
| Pharmacists | $148.7K | 130 |
| Optometrists | $142.7K | 30 |
| Marketing Managers | $141.2K | 50 |
| Financial Managers | $131.3K | 300 |
| Human Resources Managers | $131.2K | 70 |
| Physician Assistants | $130K | 90 |
Largest occupations in Wausau, WI
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers And Fabricators | 2,110 | $45.7K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 1,840 | $43.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 1,830 | $89.2K |
| Cashiers | 1,660 | $30.5K |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,660 | $34.2K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,460 | $58.5K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 1,440 | $27.8K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 1,330 | $35.9K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,170 | $44.7K |
| Food Batchmakers | 1,090 | $48.6K |
What Wausau, WI specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Wausau, WI than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Wausau, WI
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Food Batchmakers | 13.94 | $48.6K |
| Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 9.98 | $61.1K |
| Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Except Sawing | 8.97 | $43.6K |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Wood | 6.26 | $45.2K |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, And Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 5.47 | $40.6K |
| Cabinetmakers And Bench Carpenters | 5.41 | $45.1K |
| Coating, Painting, And Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 5.09 | $47.4K |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, And Brazers | 5.00 | $55.8K |
| Cutting And Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 4.74 | $45.1K |
| Cutting, Punching, And Press Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.56 | $46.5K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Wausau, WI
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.