A Wisconsin Policy Forum report showed that over half of Wisconsin’s counties had fewer jobs in 2023 than in 2019, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. The report analyzed newly released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data that looked at fluctuations in jobs by industry and county in those four years.
Last year, Wisconsin saw a new record-high for total jobs, while the unemployment rate hovered near record lows; simultaneously, however, 42 of the 72 counties statewide were averaging fewer jobs than they had in 2019.
On the flip side, wages, on average, outpaced inflation from 2019–23, with average wages per employee increasing by 21.1% over that period, while inflation rose 19.2%.
Dane County added the most jobs between 2019–23, increasing its total by 8,819. Milwaukee County lost the most total jobs, dropping by 19,140 over the four-year period.
Construction; professional, scientific, and technical services; and transportation and warehousing were the three economic sectors that added the most jobs between 2019–23 — each over 11,000. Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector lost the most jobs, however, down by 8,759.
