What North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission does

North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC) is a Wisconsin public regional planning agency established in 1973 under Wisconsin Statute s.66.0309, the ninth regional planning commission so created in the state. It delivers professional planning services to member local governments across a ten-county service area in north-central Wisconsin (Adams, Forest, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Vilas, and Wood), with primary customers being county governments and the cities, villages, and towns within them, plus tribal nations, school districts, and regional economic development organizations. The agency's offering is organized around five core service areas — Economic Development, Land Use/Comprehensive Planning, Transportation Planning, Geographic Information System (GIS), and Intergovernmental Cooperation — supplemented by specialized planning products including Safe Routes to School, Outdoor Recreation, Bicycle & Pedestrian, All Hazard Mitigation, Farmland Preservation, and Land and Water Resource Management planning. Its underlying technology platform is centered on ArcGIS Hub (used for the Regional Recovery Dashboard) and the EMSI/Lightcast labor market data engine, which together power regional mapping, spatial analysis, and economic impact/cluster analyses.

NCWRPC operates under a tripartite funding model: federal and state grants (including an EDA award of $543,560 for the Regional Recovery Plan and Dashboard), annual local membership fees from the ten counties scaled to equalized valuation, and fee-for-service project contracts with local governments for specific deliverables (comprehensive plans, hazard mitigation plans, transit plans, housing studies, feasibility studies). Governance rests with three commissioners appointed from each member county, who oversee the executive director and a staff of eight (including five AICP-certified planners, a GIS manager, and an administrative assistant). The agency is affiliated with five multi-jurisdictional partner organizations (AWRPC, NCWSC, NEWCOM, NRTC, WROC) that extend its reach across stormwater, public safety communications, rail transit, and orthoimagery domains. It holds no equity, has no parent company, and operates as a cost-recovery public entity rather than a profit-seeking business.

Name

North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

Legal name

North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

Website

https://ncwrpc.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCWRPC is a Wisconsin public regional planning agency, founded 1973 under Statute s.66.0309, delivering professional planning, GIS, economic development, transportation, and intergovernmental services to ten member counties and their municipalities in north-central Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wausau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Grants: Funding received through grants from federal and state programs, including an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to develop the Regional Recovery Plan and dashboard following the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Local Membership Fees: Annual local membership fees based on equalized valuation of member governments (10 member counties: Adams, Forest, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Vilas, and Wood).
3. Local Project Contracts: Fee-for-service contracts with local governments for specific planning projects such as comprehensive plans, hazard mitigation plans, outdoor recreation plans, bicycle and pedestrian plans, and transit coordination plans.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NCWRPC is a public regional planning agency delivering professional planning services to member local governments across 10 counties in north-central Wisconsin. Its core offering is organized around five planning service areas — Economic Development, Land Use/Comprehensive Planning, Transportation Planning, GIS, and Intergovernmental Cooperation — supplemented by specialized sub-products such as Safe Routes to School, Outdoor Recreation, Bicycle & Pedestrian, All Hazard Mitigation, Farmland Preservation, and Land & Water Resource Management Planning, along with regional deliverables like the CEDS, the Regional Recovery Dashboard, and EMSI/Lightcast economic reports.

Product overview

NCWRPC is a Wisconsin public regional planning agency (the ninth regional planning commission created under Wisconsin Statute s.66.0309, established in 1973) that delivers professional planning services to member local governments across ten counties (Adams, Forest, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Vilas, and Wood). Its offering is organized as a service-area platform built around five core planning service areas — Economic Development, Land Use Planning/Comprehensive Planning, Transportation Planning, Geographic Information System (GIS), and Intergovernmental Cooperation — together with a set of specialized planning sub-products including Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Planning, Outdoor Recreation Planning, Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning, All Hazard Mitigation Planning, Farmland Preservation Planning, and Land and Water Resource Management Planning. On top of these services, NCWRPC publishes regional deliverables such as the Regional Comprehensive Plan 2025-2045, the Regional Recovery Plan, and the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), and operates interactive tools including the North Central Wisconsin Regional Recovery Dashboard (built on ArcGIS Hub) and EMSI/Lightcast-driven Economic Reports. The organization is funded through federal and state grants, local membership fees based on equalized valuation, and local project contracts, and is governed by three commissioners from each member county.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Economic Development Core planning service area providing regional and local economic development assistance to member governments, including the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), economic profiles, business park mapping, and EMSI/Lightcast economic analysis.
• Land Use Planning / Comprehensive Planning Core service producing state-required comprehensive plans (under §66.1001 Wis. Stats.) for towns, villages, cities, and counties, providing 20-year guidance on land use, housing, transportation, natural/cultural resources, utilities, economic development, and intergovernmental cooperation.
• Transportation Planning Core service area providing transportation planning assistance to local governments, including coordinated public transit-human services transportation plans (Section 5310), traffic count reports, road surface management plans, and Safe Routes to School planning.
• Geographic Information System (GIS) Core service providing GIS capabilities to member local governments, including mapping, spatial analysis, and data services. NCWRPC is affiliated with the Wisconsin Regional Orthoimagery Consortium (WROC) and the Northcentral Wisconsin Stormwater Coalition (NCWSC).
• Intergovernmental Cooperation Core service area facilitating communication, cooperation, and coordination among federal, state, regional, and local interests, including administration of affiliated organizations such as the Northwoods Rail Transit Commission (NRTC), NEWCOM, and others.
• Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Planning Specialized planning service that helps K-8 schools in the region develop Safe Routes to School plans to make walking and bicycling to school safer and to encourage active commuting.
• Outdoor Recreation Planning Five-year Outdoor Recreation Plans (ORPs) for counties, cities, villages, and towns that, upon submission to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, establish eligibility for federal and state recreation aids.
• Bicycle & Pedestrian Planning Specialized planning service developing bicycle and pedestrian plans for local governments, including inventories of bicycling conditions, crash analysis, recommended bicycle routes, and education/encouragement/enforcement strategies. Adoption makes local governments eligible for up to 80% state-funded road improvement grants.
• All Hazard Mitigation Planning Specialized planning service producing FEMA-compliant All Hazards Mitigation Plans (AHMP) for counties, cities, villages, and tribes in the region on a five-year cycle, as required by the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000.
• Farmland Preservation Planning Planning service focused on farmland preservation planning for county and local governments in the NCWRPC region.
• Land and Water Resource Management Planning Planning service that develops land and water resource management plans for county governments in the region.
• North Central Wisconsin Regional Recovery Dashboard Interactive dashboard built on ArcGIS Hub tracking the region's progress on issues identified in the Regional Recovery Plan as crucial to the prosperity of North Central Wisconsin.
• EMSI / Lightcast Economic Reports Customized economic analysis reports produced using EMSI/Lightcast labor market data, covering impact studies, targeted industry/cluster analyses, workforce/labor market analyses, economic gap analyses, and asset mapping for the ten-county region and Centergy and Grow North regions.
• Regional Comprehensive Plan 2025-2045 Regional comprehensive plan covering the 2025-2045 planning horizon for the North Central Wisconsin region.
• Regional Recovery Plan

Quantifiable outcome

• Created and maintains Regional Recovery Dashboard tracking progress on regional economic recovery indicators
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Association of Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissions (AWRPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC is affiliated with AWRPC, the state-level association of Wisconsin's regional planning commissions. AWRPC represents the collective interests of Wisconsin's regional planning commissions, of which NCWRPC was the ninth created under Wisconsin Statute s.66.0309.
• Northcentral Wisconsin Stormwater Coalition (NCWSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC is affiliated with NCWSC, supporting regional stormwater management and planning coordination across the north-central Wisconsin region.
• North East Wisconsin Public Safety Communications (NEWCOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC is affiliated with NEWCOM, a regional public safety communications organization serving northeast Wisconsin, providing communications and coordination support.
• Northwoods Rail Transit Commission (NRTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC is affiliated with NRTC, a commission supporting rail transit in the Northwoods region of Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Regional Orthoimagery Consortium (WROC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC is affiliated with WROC, a consortium providing regional orthoimagery (aerial photography) for GIS and planning purposes across Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWisDOT encourages local-level bicycle planning and provides guidelines for accommodating bicycle travel in roadway reconstruction. WisDOT co-funds Safe Routes to School planning grants (e.g., the 2022 WisDOT SRTS planning grant awarded to NCWRPC and the School District of Rhinelander). WisDOT's bicycle and pedestrian safety education resources are linked from NCWRPC's SRTS pages.
• U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDA awarded NCWRPC a grant in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to develop the Regional Recovery Plan and Regional Recovery Dashboard. The EDA's role is to assist with the economic recovery of the North Central Wisconsin Region.
• EMSI / LightcastcoreTechnology or IntegrationNCWRPC partners with EMSI/Lightcast to deliver timely, accurate, and effective economic reports to regional planners. EMSI's comprehensive labor market data is combined with NCWRPC consultants' economic analysis to produce impact studies, targeted industry/cluster analyses, workforce/labor market analyses, economic gap analyses, and asset mapping. Reports have been produced annually for all ten counties plus the Centergy and Grow North regions since at least 2013.
• Centergy, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2025, Centergy, Inc. worked with NCWRPC to produce the Centergy Regional Housing Study in response to growing concerns over housing affordability. The Centergy Region includes Adams, Lincoln, Marathon, Portage, and Wood Counties.
• Oneida County Economic Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOneida County Economic Development Corporation partnered with NCWRPC to conduct the Oneida County Housing Study 2025, examining housing prices, configurations, and styles most needed along with strategies to maintain and expand housing stock countywide.
• City of RhinelandercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce commissioned NCWRPC to complete a Conference Center Study in 2026. The City of Rhinelander and the School District of Rhinelander also began Safe Routes to School Planning with NCWRPC's assistance in 2023. NCWRPC is currently producing the City of Rhinelander Comprehensive Plan 2026.
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC collaborates with WDNR on multiple planning initiatives including Community Wildfire Protection Plans, Outdoor Recreation Plans (which establish eligibility for state and federal recreation aid), and hazard mitigation plans.
• Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa IndianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC has collaborated with the Lac du Flambeau Tribe on joint hazard mitigation plans and the Northwoods NiiJii Enterprise Community Comprehensive Strategic Plan (2014). The Tribe is one of three tribes affiliated with the NiiJii Enterprise Community.
• Sokaogon Chippewa Community (Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC has produced comprehensive plans and hazard mitigation plans for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, including the 2011 and 2024 Sokaogon Chippewa Community Comprehensive Plans. The Tribe is one of three tribes affiliated with the NiiJii Enterprise Community.
• Menominee Indian Tribe of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is one of three tribes affiliated with the Northwoods NiiJii Enterprise Community. NCWRPC produced the NiiJii Enterprise Community Comprehensive Strategic Plan in 2014.
• Forest County Potawatomi CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCWRPC produced the Forest County Potawatomi Community Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan and the Forest County Potawatomi Comprehensive Plan 2011 in collaboration with the tribe.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MSA Professional Services: Large private engineering and planning consulting firm serving Wisconsin municipalities with comprehensive planning, GIS, transportation, and economic development services. Represents a key private-sector competitor for higher-budget municipal contracts that NCWRPC also competes for.
• Ruekert & Mielke: Wisconsin-based civil engineering and municipal planning consulting firm providing comprehensive planning, GIS, and economic development services to municipalities statewide. A private-sector alternative for the same client base NCWRPC serves.

Others

• Association of Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissions (AWRPC): State-level association representing all Wisconsin regional planning commissions, of which NCWRPC is a member. Comparable as an ecosystem/industry body rather than a direct service provider, but provides industry context and shared advocacy.

Direct peers

• Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission: Wisconsin regional planning commission serving counties along the Mississippi River region, providing the same core service areas (economic development, GIS, land use, transportation) under the same s.66.0309 authority.
• Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission: Sister regional planning commission in Wisconsin under s.66.0309, serving a different multi-county region with the same five core planning service areas (economic development, GIS, intergovernmental cooperation, land use, transportation).
• Dane County Regional Planning Commission: Single-county regional planning commission serving Dane County (Madison area) under the Wisconsin regional planning framework. Provides comparable land use, transportation, and GIS planning services at a more urban scale.
• Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC): The largest and most established of Wisconsin's regional planning commissions, serving the seven-county southeastern region including Milwaukee. Directly comparable in mission, statutory authority, and service offering, though at significantly larger scale.
• West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: Wisconsin regional planning commission operating under identical statutory authority, providing the same five core service areas to its member counties in west-central Wisconsin.
• Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: Wisconsin regional planning commission operating under the same statutory framework, providing comprehensive planning, economic development, and GIS services to its member counties in southwestern Wisconsin.
• East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission: Another regional planning commission in Wisconsin created under the same Statute s.66.0309, providing identical services (economic development, GIS, land use, transportation planning) to its own set of member counties. Directly comparable peer operating under the same statutory framework and service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission