Ottawa, Waukesha County, Wisconsin Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Ottawa, Wisconsin, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Ottawa, Wisconsin. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Ottawa, Wisconsin. The estimated population of Ottawa, Wisconsin is 3,662 people, with a median age of 48.8.

We can look at the total population in Ottawa over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
3,662
-6.44% -5.93%
2020
3,914
+0.26%
-
2019
3,904
-0.08% -
2018
3,907
+0.36%
-
2017
3,893
- -

Population of Ottawa, Wisconsin by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
96.5%
96.4%
+0.10%
Black/African American
0.4%
0.4%
0.00%
Native
0%
0.5%
-100.00%
Hispanic
1.1%
1.5%
-26.67%
Asian
1.9%
0.6%
+216.67%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
0.00%
Two Or More Races
0.1%
0.6%
-83.33%
Other
0%
0%
0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Ottawa, Wisconsin by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 48.8 -0.41% 48.5 -0.41% 49.2 -0.2%
2020 49 -4.11% 48.7 -4.13% 49.3 -4.27%
2019 51.1 +2.82% 50.8 +0.99% 51.5 +4.25%
2018 49.7 +2.26% 50.3 +0.6% 49.4 +8.81%
2017 48.6 - 50 - 45.4 -

The median age of Ottawa, Wisconsin gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 144 -14.74% 193 3.24% 117 180
10 to 19 242 -10.96% 283 -86.4% 214 103
20 to 29 202 +4.19% 226 -30.85% 210 153
30 to 39 150 +82.62% 145 +96.73% 287 261
40 to 49 221 -0.54% 249 +4.38% 207 253
50 to 59 401 +18.55% 405 -17.83% 462 335
60 to 69 384 -28.31% 319 -37.28% 270 203
70+ 180 +8.3% 149 +51.52% 187 220

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Ottawa, Wisconsin is $128,190.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Ottawa.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $177,717.00
  • 45 to 64
    $130,047.00
  • 65 and over
    $58,750.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Ottawa, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Ottawa, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Ottawa, Wisconsin is currently $137,435.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

13.96% of households in Ottawa are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Ottawa against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    4.06%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    10.04%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    9.64%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.83%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    25.33%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    22.14%
  • $200,000 or more
    13.96%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Ottawa is $58,028.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Ottawa by the total population of Ottawa.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Ottawa, Wisconsin, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Ottawa to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    15.64%
  • Bachelor's degree
    39.71%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    8.60%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    35.47%
  • Less than high school diploma
    0.57%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Ottawa that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Ottawa over the age of 16 is 3,210.

Of those people, a total of 69.60% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Ottawa is 66.30%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 162 75.30% 20.50%
20 to 24 years 291 72.20% 0.00%
25 to 29 years 72 100.00% 0.00%
30 to 34 years 190 100.00% 6.30%
35 to 44 years 498 90.60% 0.00%
45 to 54 years 606 85.60% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 511 70.10% 2.80%
60 to 64 years 257 66.90% 7.00%
65 to 74 years 450 27.10% 0.00%
75 years and over 173 11.00% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Ottawa. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 3,117 69.70% 2.80%
Black or African American 15 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 43 72.10% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 0 0.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 35 91.40% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 33 100.00% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,116 69.70% 2.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Ottawa as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Ottawa is 2,128, with median earnings of $62,941.00.

Women in Ottawa, Wisconsin earning approximately 76.60% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 2,128 $62,941.00
Male 1,180 $68,958.00
Female 948 $52,791.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 295 $145,515.00
Business and Financial 94 $57,500.00
Computer and Mathematical 79 $89,648.00
Architecture and Engineering 47 $98,281.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 13 $0.00
Legal 9 $0.00
Educational and Library 85 $54,732.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 297 $125,061.00
Healthcare Support 9 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 52 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 156 $20,405.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 79 $70,313.00
Personal Care and Service 38 $30,357.00
Sales 424 $54,012.00
Office and Administrative Support 159 $42,150.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 1 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 146 $59,375.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 24 $0.00
Production 62 $62,656.00
Transportation and Material Moving 46 $69,444.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 219 $181,125.00 76 $49,583.00
Business and Financial 31 $34,063.00 63 $98,173.00
Computer and Mathematical 79 $89,648.00 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 27 $103,906.00 20 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 0 $0.00 13 $0.00
Legal 0 $0.00 9 $0.00
Educational and Library 13 $0.00 72 $53,571.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 23 $0.00 274 $125,105.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 9 $0.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 52 $0.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 17 $0.00 139 $20,693.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 79 $70,313.00 0 $0.00
Personal Care and Service 0 $0.00 38 $30,357.00
Sales 321 $54,364.00 103 $33,424.00
Office and Administrative Support 45 $62,991.00 114 $41,600.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 1 $0.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 136 $63,182.00 10 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 24 $0.00 0 $0.00
Production 54 $63,281.00 8 $0.00
Transportation and Material Moving 46 $69,444.00 0 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 1,504 households in Ottawa, with an average household size of 2.41 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 1,083 families in Ottawa with an average family size of 2.71 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 1,018 20 45 421
Average Household Size 2.73 4.1 3.38 1.44
Total Families 1,018 20 45 0
Average Household Size 2.7 3.55 2.56 0

Poverty

Of the 1,083 families in Ottawa, 1.80% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Ottawa:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 1,680 housing units in Ottawa, Wisconsin.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 1,504 89.52%
Vacant 176 10.48%

0.00% of the total 1,680 housing units in Ottawa are rental units. This is approximately 0 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,504 are occupied by the owner - or 89.52% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Ottawa is $0.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Ottawa that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

Property Value

The median value of a property in Ottawa is $347,800.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Ottawa that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    38
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    8
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    8
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    57
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    344
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    783
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    248
  • $1,000,000 or more
    18

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Ottawa. The chart below shows the number of properties in Ottawa that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    266
  • 1940 to 1949
    100
  • 1950 to 1959
    106
  • 1960 to 1969
    97
  • 1970 to 1979
    322
  • 1980 to 1989
    190
  • 1990 to 1999
    451
  • 2000 to 2009
    112
  • 2010 to 2013
    36
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Ottawa that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    9
  • 1 vehicle available
    182
  • 2 vehicles available
    616
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    697

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Ottawa get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Ottawa that commute to work in a particular way.

29.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Ottawa.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    0
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    34
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    188
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    239
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    293
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    204
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    429
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    324
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    57
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    126
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    107
  • 90 or more minutes
    23

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Ottawa, Wisconsin in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.