Spencer is a village in
Marathon County, Wisconsin. It is part of the
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau ( ) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,818 at the
2020 census.
The village, which lies between two marshes (Spencer Marsh to the northwest and McMillan Marsh to the southeast) was founded in 1874 at a branch on the
Wisconsin Central Railway. Today it sits at the crossroads of
Wisconsin Highway 13 (WIS 13) and
WIS 98 and serves as the terminus of several Marathon County Trunk Highways. Spencer lies about northwest of
Marshfield, along WIS 13.
History
Spencer was known by the name Waltham. Then the name was changed to Irene, after the wife of James L. Robinson, a settler who had built a sawmill there. Later the town was named Spencer, after
Spencer, Massachusetts.
[Caryn Hannan, Jennifer L. Herman, and Oscar B. Chamberlain. ''Wisconsin Encyclopedia''. Hamburg, MI: State History Publications, 2008, p. 491.]
Geography
Spencer is located at (44.756406, -90.298178).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the village has a total area of , all of it land.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 1,925 people, 816 households, and 540 families living in the village. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 875 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.4%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.1% from
other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.
There were 816 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.8% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.86.
The median age in the village was 38.1 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 1,932 people, 800 households, and 530 families living in the village. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was 971.6 people per square mile (374.8/km
2). There were 852 housing units at an average density of 428.5 per square mile (165.3/km
2). The racial makeup of the village was 99.17%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.05%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.26%
Native American, 0.05%
Asian, 0.26% from
other races, and 0.21% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race, or gender.
There were 800 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $40,665, and the median income for a family was $45,268. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $25,000 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $17,665. About 1.9% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Spencer Branch Library
In 1875, a library was formed in Spencer. In 1973, the library became a branch of the newly formed
Marathon County Public Library.
Notable people
*
Albert B. Barney, Wisconsin State Representative and lawyer
*
Tyler Dennett, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
*
Dave Dudley, country singer
*
Ted Fritsch
Theodore Leo Fritsch (October 31, 1920 – October 4, 1979) was an American baseball, basketball, and American football, football player who played running back for the National Football League (NFL)'s Green Bay Packers from 1942 to 1950. He als ...
, fullback for the NFL
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
and pro basketball player
*
Carol Kolb, comedy writer
the Onion
*
Gilbert Vandercook, Wisconsin State Representative, lawyer, and editor
*
Hunter Luepke, fullback for the NFL
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
Images
File:Spencer Wisconsin Downtown WIS13 WIS98.jpg, Intersection of WIS13 and WIS98
File:Spencer Wisconsin Downtown WIS13.jpg, Downtown Spencer on WIS13
File:Spencer Wisconsin Sign WIS13.jpg, Sign on WIS13
File:Northcentral Technical College Spencer Wisconsin Campus.jpg, Spencer campus for Northcentral Technical College
References
External links
Village of Spencer official website
{{authority control
Villages in Marathon County, Wisconsin
Villages in Wisconsin