Waupaca, WI housing market
Home prices around Waupaca have risen about 68% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 54 new homes in 2025.
Home values, sales, trends and how Waupaca compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
Home prices up 68% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Waupaca rose 68% over the past 5 years, faster than across Wisconsin (57%). Last year prices rose 11%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Waupaca home at roughly $329,000 today.
Show as a table
| Year | Change that year | Since 2000 | Wisconsin since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +11% | +165% | +143% |
| 2024 | +9.8% | +139% | +131% |
| 2023 | +7.2% | +117% | +116% |
| 2022 | +14% | +103% | +95% |
| 2021 | +14% | +79% | +70% |
| 2020 | +4.9% | +57% | +54% |
| 2019 | +6.3% | +50% | +50% |
| 2018 | +4.1% | +41% | +43% |
| 2017 | +3% | +36% | +36% |
| 2016 | +6.7% | +32% | +29% |
| 2015 | +3.2% | +24% | +24% |
| 2014 | −3.8% | +20% | +21% |
| 2013 | −0.3% | +24% | +19% |
| 2012 | +0.1% | +25% | +19% |
| 2011 | −3.1% | +25% | +21% |
| 2010 | −3.3% | +29% | +25% |
| 2009 | −3.4% | +33% | +31% |
| 2008 | −1.3% | +38% | +36% |
| 2007 | +1.7% | +39% | +38% |
| 2006 | +3.9% | +37% | +36% |
| 2005 | +7.4% | +32% | +32% |
| 2004 | +7.7% | +23% | +21% |
| 2003 | +2% | +14% | +13% |
| 2002 | +2% | +12% | +9.3% |
| 2001 | +9.7% | +9.7% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | — | — | — |
How Waupaca ranks on rising home prices →
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual, developmental) for ZIP code 54981, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales and appraisals of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost. The estimated value scales the Census (ACS 2020-2024) median home value by that change.
54 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 54 new homes in Waupaca in 2025: 11 single-family houses and 43 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $10.1 million to build. That's 8.6 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Wisconsin (4.3). Over the past 10 years, Waupaca has permitted 340 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Waupaca gained 213 residents while 126 new homes were permitted: about 1.7 new residents per new home. Building and growth moved roughly in step. Across Wisconsin: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 11 | 11 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2025 | 54 | 11 | 43 | $10.1 million |
| 2024 | 84 | 9 | 75 | $13.3 million |
| 2023 | 9 | 7 | 2 | $3.3 million |
| 2022 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $5.3 million |
| 2021 | 26 | 26 | 0 | $6.2 million |
| 2020 | 77 | 21 | 56 | $9.2 million |
| 2019 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $1.4 million |
| 2018 | 54 | 4 | 50 | $3.6 million |
| 2017 | 7 | 5 | 2 | $1.3 million |
| 2016 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $1 million |
| 2015 | 5 | 3 | 2 | $905,000 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2012 | 6 | 2 | 4 | $595,000 |
| 2011 | 28 | 2 | 26 | $3.2 million |
| 2010 | 5 | 3 | 2 | $645,000 |
| 2009 | 34 | 2 | 32 | $1.4 million |
| 2008 | 67 | 3 | 64 | $1.6 million |
| 2007 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2006 | 83 | 31 | 52 | $4.8 million |
| 2005 | 33 | 33 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2004 | 94 | 27 | 67 | $7.8 million |
| 2003 | 43 | 21 | 22 | $7 million |
| 2002 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2001 | 127 | 21 | 106 | $8.5 million |
| 2000 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $1.5 million |
How Waupaca ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
Waupaca and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waupaca | — | +10.9%† | $970 | 54 | $52,727 |
| Waupaca | $330K | +6.2% | $990 | — | $82,188 |
| Farmington | — | +10.9%† | $980 | — | $83,244 |
| Lind | — | +10%† | $1,010 | — | $78,636 |
† FHFA price index change, where Zillow has no home value for the town.
3.3 years of income
The typical Waupaca home costs about 3.3 years of the town's median household income, less than across Wisconsin (4.4 years).
How Waupaca ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Waupaca is $970 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Waupaca pay a median of $783, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put. A two-bedroom takes about 22% of the town's median household income.
Studio $760 · 4 bedrooms $1,290
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (54981; Portage County, WI), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.