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Wisconsin

Population 5,914,872
6 Sources Updated September 10, 2026
5.9M
Population
334,922,499 U.S.
$77,485
Median Income
$80,734 national
$453.3B
GDP (current $), change real
3%
Unemployment
4.0% national
Community Data / United States / Wisconsin

County Map

Click a county to view its economic profile

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$77,485
Per Capita
$43,373
Mean Household
$101,466
Poverty Rate
10.6%

Age & Race / Ethnicity

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 18.5% (1,096,043 residents) 55-64: 13.8% (815,921 residents) 35-54: 24.4% (1,445,370 residents) 18-34: 21.9% (1,292,992 residents) Under 18: 21.4% (1,264,546 residents) 40 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.4%
18-34 · 21.9%
35-54 · 24.4%
55-64 · 13.8%
65+ · 18.5%
Race & Ethnicity
White80.1%
Two or More Races7.6%
Black or African American6.1%
Asian3%
Some Other Race2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native0.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander0%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)8%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.6%
High School+
National: 89.6%
+4.0 pts
33.4%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
2.3 pts
11.4%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
2.7 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
5,914,872
Population
3,132,770
Labor Force
Employed
3,031,042
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual
3%
2025 is not shown for Wisconsin: a state annual average needs all 12 months and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published 11. County pages draw on the separate annual series and may show 2025.
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
13.1%
Labor Force and Employed are ACS 5-Year survey estimates; the Unemployment Rate above comes from BLS LAUS, a separate monthly survey with its own methodology. The two won't reconcile by subtracting one from the other.
Wisconsin's median household income sits 4% below the national median. At 10.6%, its poverty rate runs 1.9 pts below the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 33.4% trails the national average of 35.7%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.
Key Takeaways
  • Income near the national median: Median household income tracks the national median, indicating a broad-based consumer market.
  • Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, education, and age.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$453.3B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP2 Regional GDP
94.095
Cost of Living - Below Avg

Top Private-Sector Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual · Private sector only, with government shown below
IndustryEmployment% of Top SectorsAvg Wage
1Manufacturing		 458,245 22.2%
$75,120
2Health Care and Social Assistance		 429,914 20.9%
$64,482
3Retail Trade		 294,103 14.3%
$36,790
4Accommodation and Food Services		 241,663 11.7%
$22,727
5Administrative and Support and Waste Management		 133,920 6.5%
$48,185
6Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services		 131,613 6.4%
$103,039
7Wholesale Trade		 130,892 6.4%
$93,283
8Finance and Insurance		 126,953 6.2%
$109,869
9Management of Companies and Enterprises		 63,896 3.1%
$130,629
10Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation		 48,937 2.4%
$42,036
Government employment · context only
385,544

Public-sector jobs are not in the table above and are not part of any share or location quotient on this page. Both are measured on the private economy only, 2,560,272 private jobs in 2025: every location quotient divides by that total, and the % of Top Sectors column divides by the sectors listed above. Private employment is the standard basis for measuring industry concentration because government employment mostly serves the resident population rather than an outside market. Nothing on this card is expected to add up with the government figure.

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Key Takeaways
  • Largest private-sector industry: Manufacturing employs 458,245 workers (22.2% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $75,120. Every industry figure on this page is private sector; government employs a further 385,544 and is counted separately.
  • Economic scale: State GDP of $453.3B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $130,629 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $22,727, a 5.7x spread in the same economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP (CAGDP2).

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Chart source: BLS QCEW · broad NAICS supersector · private sector · Location Quotient vs. national private-sector employment share. The same supersector axes appear on every profile, so the shape can be compared across geographies.
Concentrated Industries
List source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · private sector · Location Quotient vs. national private-sector employment share.
Same source and same private-sector basis as the Top Industries table above. These sit at a finer level than the chart's supersector axes, so the two sets of values are not directly comparable. The sub-sector view surfaces specialization the supersector view masks, such as Paper Manufacturing here.
Paper Manufacturing
3.95x
26,686
Animal Production and Aquaculture
3.42x
17,812
Printing and Related Support Activities
3.31x
21,922
Machinery Manufacturing
3.04x
63,538
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
2.69x
22,398
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.61x
71,664
Food Manufacturing
2.40x
81,993
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
2.40x
32,316
Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing
2.18x
992
Wood Product Manufacturing
2.07x
15,977
+ 3 more sub-sectors at LQ ≥ 1.5, holding a further 57,964 jobs. See the spider chart for the broader picture.

Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries

LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, screened against industrial power cost. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector
0.16x
Air Transportation
1,747 employed
0.21x
Pipeline Transportation
232 employed
0.24x
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
497 employed
0.38x
Apparel Manufacturing
572 employed
0.43x
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries
2,994 employed
0.45x
Support Activities for Transportation
7,080 employed
Screened on industrial power cost only. Industrial electricity in Wisconsin costs 8.92¢/kWh against 8.62¢/kWh nationally (2025). Land area and freight access are not assessed at state level. Source: EIA.
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Paper Manufacturing concentrates at 3.95x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy.
  • Cluster depth: 13 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
  • Attraction whitespace: 6 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Industry Employment Composition
Wisconsin's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top private supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$266,500
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,087
Rent/Mo
67.8%
Owner-Occ
10.8%
Vacancy
3.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents (Statewide)

Renter-household-weighted average across 72 Fair Market Rent areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026 · Affordability threshold and renter cost burden from Census ACS B25119, B25070
Studio
$957/mo$671 to $1,268
1 Bedroom
$1,055/mo$742 to $1,482
2 Bedroom
$1,287/mo$973 to $1,709
3 Bedroom
$1,651/mo$1,167 to $2,262
4 Bedroom
$1,819/mo$1,288 to $2,531
30% of monthly median renter household income (~$1,209/mo, from a renter median of $48,374) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Measured: 41.1% of renter households already pay 30% or more of income on rent, and 19.7% pay 50% or more.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.4x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • Elevated vacancy: 10.8% vacancy rate; potential redevelopment opportunity.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 2 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom sizes sit below what a household on the median renter income of $48,374 can pay without cost burden (~$1,209/mo), and 41.1% of renter households are measured as cost-burdened.
Source: Census ACS housing tables.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
3,554,283
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Labor force participation rate: 67.4% of population aged 18+ 67% Participation (18+)
vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
13.1%

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
33.4%
HS Diploma+
93.6%
6 Largest Institutions by Credentials Awarded
Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).
University of Wisconsin-Madison 17,447/yr
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 5,987/yr
Marquette University 3,757/yr
Fox Valley Technical College 3,648/yr
Madison Area Technical College 3,280/yr
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 3,231/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
23%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Same cohort is 13.8% of total population, the basis used in the Demographics cohort chart.
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
40.2%
Service
15.1%
Sales & Office
18.8%
Construction / Maint.
8.6%
Production / Transport
17.3%
Bars are drawn on a 0% to 60% axis, so bar length is proportional to actual share. Labels give each group's share of 3,031,042 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 23% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
  • Healthy participation: 67.4% of the population aged 18+ is in the labor force, reflecting a steady, available workforce statewide.
Source: ACS workforce data.

County Profiles

72 counties in Wisconsin

Adams County FIPS 55001 Ashland County FIPS 55003 Barron County FIPS 55005 Bayfield County FIPS 55007 Brown County FIPS 55009 Buffalo County FIPS 55011 Burnett County FIPS 55013 Calumet County FIPS 55015 Chippewa County FIPS 55017 Clark County FIPS 55019 Columbia County FIPS 55021 Crawford County FIPS 55023 Dane County FIPS 55025 Dodge County FIPS 55027 Door County FIPS 55029 Douglas County FIPS 55031 Dunn County FIPS 55033 Eau Claire County FIPS 55035 Florence County FIPS 55037 Fond du Lac County FIPS 55039 Forest County FIPS 55041 Grant County FIPS 55043 Green County FIPS 55045 Green Lake County FIPS 55047 Iowa County FIPS 55049 Iron County FIPS 55051 Jackson County FIPS 55053 Jefferson County FIPS 55055 Juneau County FIPS 55057 Kenosha County FIPS 55059 Kewaunee County FIPS 55061 La Crosse County FIPS 55063 Lafayette County FIPS 55065 Langlade County FIPS 55067 Lincoln County FIPS 55069 Manitowoc County FIPS 55071 Marathon County FIPS 55073 Marinette County FIPS 55075 Marquette County FIPS 55077 Menominee County FIPS 55078 Milwaukee County FIPS 55079 Monroe County FIPS 55081 Oconto County FIPS 55083 Oneida County FIPS 55085 Outagamie County FIPS 55087 Ozaukee County FIPS 55089 Pepin County FIPS 55091 Pierce County FIPS 55093 Polk County FIPS 55095 Portage County FIPS 55097 Price County FIPS 55099 Racine County FIPS 55101 Richland County FIPS 55103 Rock County FIPS 55105 Rusk County FIPS 55107 Sauk County FIPS 55111 Sawyer County FIPS 55113 Shawano County FIPS 55115 Sheboygan County FIPS 55117 St. Croix County FIPS 55109 Taylor County FIPS 55119 Trempealeau County FIPS 55121 Vernon County FIPS 55123 Vilas County FIPS 55125 Walworth County FIPS 55127 Washburn County FIPS 55129 Washington County FIPS 55131 Waukesha County FIPS 55133 Waupaca County FIPS 55135 Waushara County FIPS 55137 Winnebago County FIPS 55139 Wood County FIPS 55141

AI Insights

Sample output. Pulse AI analysis draws on 6 federal data sources.

Sample AI Insight

Wisconsin shows meaningful potential for paper manufacturing attraction, with a 3.95x concentration and 26,686 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 23% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

Cluster depth across paper manufacturing, animal production and aquaculture, and printing and related support activities creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
USAspending.govFY2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Wisconsin, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Wisconsin?

5,914,872 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Wisconsin?

$77,485 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Wisconsin?

3% (2024 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Wisconsin?

$453.3B (BEA CAGDP2 (Regional)).