Research from business advice company Venture Smarter has identified the highest-earning sectors across Wisconsin, with figures from the United States Census Bureau on employment numbers and total salary per sector as of March 2021 analyzed to reveal the average annual salary of each industry.
With the highest average annual salary of $113,191, those working in utilities are in the best position in Wisconsin. A total of 11,802 people work in this sector across electric power, natural gas, steam supply, water supply, and sewage removal. Wisconsin residents working in utilities were paid $1,335,886,000 over a year, equating to just 0.96% of the accumulated earnings of employees all over the state.
People in management roles at companies and enterprises were the second-highest earners in Wisconsin. Individuals working in this sector secured an average annual salary of $101,621. Approximately 73,754 workers are in these roles statewide, earning an accumulated $7,494,959,000 per year. The earnings of those in management roles at companies and enterprises comprised 5.4% of the total wages statewide.
The third highest-earning industry in Wisconsin is finance and insurance, with the average annual wage at $94,851. Approximately 138,390 people work in finance and insurance across the state, including positions like insurance brokers, financial advisors, and more. Employees in finance and insurance earn an accumulated annual salary of $13,126,447,000, which makes up 9.46% of the total state-wide earnings across every sector.
Despite being one of Wisconsin’s most populated industries with 209,932 employees, people in the accommodation and food services sector earn the lowest average annual salary at $19,727. Job roles within this industry include servers, housekeepers, and various other hospitality positions.
Residents in the retail trade are the state’s second-lowest paid, with an average wage of $31,798 annually.
