The local economy of Wisconsin and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.2%
+0.1 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Lafayette County 2.5%, highest Menominee County 5.8%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,353
+3.7%vs a year ago
2,902,580 jobs at 207,977 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
25,771
+3.5%this year vs last year
Most in Dane County 6,019, Waukesha County 1,558.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+2,360
+0.5 per 1,000residents
91,196 moved in and 88,836 moved out. Most newcomers came from Illinois.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Wisconsin gas price
$4.15
+$1.41vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Shawano County $3.96, highest Bayfield County $4.48. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Wisconsin, October 10, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
145K
+0.2%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.64M
+1.6%vs 2022
Largest sector: Manufacturing (18.2%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$161.5B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$61,090
Highest sector: Utilities $113,251.
Per employee per year
Share of Wisconsin's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 178,473 | $20,290 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 108,267 | $69,125 |
| Employment Services | 92,180 | $47,232 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 75,662 | $110,471 |
| Offices of Physicians | 63,790 | $103,974 |
| Insurance Carriers | 56,882 | $120,330 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 51,839 | $27,626 |
| Grocery Stores | 50,470 | $24,860 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 43,704 | $78,431 |
| General Freight Trucking | 40,127 | $65,519 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 39,744 | $80,689 |
| Individual and Family Services | 39,392 | $31,305 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $95,000 a year in 3,663 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Wisconsin, up 5.2% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$95,000
+5.2%vs 2024
Middle half: $76,500 to $127,839.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
3,663
-3.4%vs 2024
6,101 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$114,400
Software Developers, 841 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$37,440
+2.6%vs 2024
2,821 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in Wisconsin, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 841 | $114,400 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 340 | $83,949 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 171 | $85,000 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 170 | $95,000 |
| Industrial Engineers | 136 | $90,398 |
| Physicians, All Other | 123 | $248,909 |
| Data Scientists | 93 | $107,328 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 92 | $95,402 |
| Electrical Engineers | 80 | $102,688 |
| Computer Programmers | 73 | $81,723 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin System | 186 | 3 |
| Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. | 122 | 4 |
| LTIMINDTREE Limited LTIM.NS | 101 | 5 |
| Milwaukee Board of School Directors | 97 | 1 |
| Infosys Limited INFY | 89 | 6 |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 85 | 22 |
| American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. | 72 | 1 |
| Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company | 70 | 4 |
| Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation | 59 | 2 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited TCS.NS | 56 | 8 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 837 | $88,150 | $68,099 to $125,000 |
| Madison | 771 | $98,093 | $76,461 to $125,113 |
| Waukesha | 185 | $102,086 | $82,665 to $135,000 |
| Brookfield | 170 | $106,301 | $93,662 to $126,632 |
| Middleton | 87 | $91,624 | $76,690 to $110,000 |
| Franklin | 82 | $107,211 | $83,169 to $133,982 |
| Pleasant Prairie | 78 | $107,641 | $87,219 to $138,476 |
| Appleton | 68 | $93,044 | $83,802 to $123,150 |
| Green Bay | 62 | $100,224 | $81,480 to $134,760 |
| Wauwatosa | 55 | $90,000 | $77,043 to $120,130 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of Wisconsin added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
Wisconsin has had 57 declared disasters and emergencies since 1965, 27 of them since 2000, most often Flood. Flood insurance has paid $143.2 million on 9,522 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 2008 ($34.7 million).
Declared disasters
27
23 major disasters. Most often Flood (21 since 1965).
Since 2000, all types; 57 since 1965
Flood claims paid
$59.0M
1,970 claims. Biggest year 2008 ($34.7M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
10,997
Average premium $914 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
14
Vernon County, latest Jun 30, 2026.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for Wisconsin, 1965 to today
Claims paid in Wisconsin by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1965
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 69.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee County | 2,435 | $29.0M | 1,337 |
| 2 | Jefferson County | 503 | $11.0M | 261 |
| 3 | Waukesha County | 462 | $9.37M | 685 |
| 4 | Dane County | 333 | $8.68M | 841 |
| 5 | Fond du Lac County | 523 | $7.41M | 565 |
| 6 | Sauk County | 198 | $7.19M | 177 |
| 7 | Kenosha County | 334 | $5.23M | 243 |
| 8 | Crawford County | 235 | $4.78M | 123 |
| 9 | Rock County | 305 | $4.40M | 390 |
| 10 | Juneau County | 114 | $4.28M | 136 |
| 11 | Vernon County | 178 | $4.27M | 86 |
| 12 | Winnebago County | 215 | $4.04M | 645 |
| 13 | Ozaukee County | 352 | $3.90M | 448 |
| 14 | Pierce County | 126 | $2.84M | 91 |
| 15 | Racine County | 179 | $2.63M | 366 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in Wisconsin, from official public data.
Official public data lists 4,626 facilities in Wisconsin with records since 2010, 4,550 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at The Manitowoc Company, INC. in Manitowoc ($42,600,000). 182 large facilities reported 39.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 0.1% from 2022.
Facilities with records
4,626
4,550 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$42.6M
The Manitowoc Company, INC., Manitowoc.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
39.5M t
-0.1%vs 2022
182 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
5.88M t
Elm Road Generating Station, Oak Creek.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| The Manitowoc Company, INC. Manitowoc | $42,600,000 | 0 |
| Clcm Oak Creek Oak Creek | $1,743,843 | 8 |
| Clcm St Francis Saint Francis | $1,600,000 | 11 |
| Didion Milling INC Cambria | $1,110,000 | 16 |
| Crystal Finishing Systems INC Schofield | $350,000 | 16 |
| Water Quality Center Wisconsin Rapids | $271,377 | 3 |
| Green Bay Metro Sewerage Dist Green Bay | $260,000 | 7 |
| Clcm St Francis Saint Francis | $215,765 | 6 |
| Rathgibson Janesville LLC Janesville | $150,356 | 5 |
| Chemdesign Products, INC. Marinette | $150,000 | 10 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Elm Road Generating Station Oak Creek | 5,879,315 |
| Columbia Pardeeville | 4,621,127 |
| Oak Creek Power Plant Oak Creek | 3,951,885 |
| Port Washington Generating Station Port Washington | 3,154,314 |
| Weston Kronenwetter | 3,030,740 |
| Alliant Energy Company Beloit | 2,867,896 |
| Wisconsin Power and Light Sheboygan | 2,086,756 |
| Fox Energy CO LLC Kaukauna | 1,625,577 |
| Dairyland Power Co-Op J P Madgett Alma | 1,546,538 |
| Graymont (Wi) LLC Superior | 521,551 |
Large facilities in Wisconsin, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in Wisconsin, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GFL Environmental Inc. GFL | 6 | $0 | 188K |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Wisconsin, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Wisconsin is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Wisconsin, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Wisconsin was 3.2% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.1% a year earlier. 3,046,167 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,148,250. Among its counties, Lafayette County had the lowest rate (2.5%) and Menominee County the highest (5.8%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Wisconsin was $1,353 in Q1 2026, up 3.7% from a year earlier, across 2,902,580 jobs at 207,977 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 2,438 new homes in Wisconsin in August 2026 (1,340 single-family and 964 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 16,819, up 3.5% from the same months last year, and 25,771 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Dane County (6,019), Waukesha County (1,558), Brown County (1,551) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 91,196 people moved to Wisconsin and 88,836 moved away, a net gain of 2,360 (+0.5 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Illinois, Minnesota, Florida, and most people who left went to Minnesota, Illinois, Florida.
Regular gasoline in Wisconsin averaged $4.15 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.41 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.21. Among its counties, Shawano County had the lowest regular price ($3.96) and Bayfield County the highest ($4.48).
Manufacturing (479,846 employees), Health Care and Social Assistance (410,656 employees), Retail Trade (312,489 employees) were the largest sectors in Wisconsin in 2023. In all, 144,774 business locations employed 2,642,958 people at an average pay of $61,090 a year.
$95,000 a year was the median pay offered in 3,663 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Wisconsin in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 5.2% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $76,500 to $127,839. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
University of Wisconsin System (186), Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. (122), LTIMINDTREE Limited (101), Milwaukee Board of School Directors (97), Infosys Limited (89) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in Wisconsin in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (841 filings, median $114,400), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (340 filings, median $83,949), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (171 filings, median $85,000) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in Wisconsin in fiscal year 2025.
$107,641 was the median offered pay in Pleasant Prairie, the highest among the Wisconsin cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (78 filings).
$37,440 a year was the median pay offered in 2,821 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in Wisconsin in fiscal year 2025.
57 disasters and emergencies have been declared for Wisconsin since 1965, 27 of them since 2000 (23 major disasters). The most common type is Flood (21 declarations).
Vernon County, with 14 declarations since 2000, followed by Milwaukee County (13) and Crawford County (12). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$143.2 million on 9,522 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 2008, with $34.7 million paid on 1,548 claims. Milwaukee County received the most ($29.0 million).
$914 a year in 2025, across 10,997 flood insurance policies in Wisconsin. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.