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US State economic profile
Wisconsin - Economic Profile
Statistics, economic information and rankings for the Badger State
In 2026, the state of Wisconsin has a population of 6,013,860, having grown an annualized 0.4% over the five years to 2026, which ranks it 33rd out of all 50 US states by growth rate. Wisconsin's gross state product (GSP) in 2026 reached $361.4b, with growth of 1.5% over the 5 years to 2026. Businesses in Wisconsin employed a total of 3,326,637 people in 2026, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 1.2%. The top three sectors by total employment are Manufacturing, Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, Healthcare & Social Assistance, while the unemployment rate across the state in 2026 was 3.6%.
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State economic profile
Wisconsin Economic Overview
$361.4b
Gross state product
6,013,860
Population
582,789
Businesses
What is Wisconsin's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
In 2026, Wisconsin's GDP reached $361.4b, representing an increase of 1.5% from 2025. Wisconsin's GDP has grown at an annualized rate of 1.3% over the five years to 2026. Moreover, Wisconsin's trailing five-year GDP growth ranks it 41st out of all 50 US states.
State GDP, or Gross State Product, is a measurement of a state's output, or the sum of value added from all industries in the state. It is a common indicator used to track the health of a state's economy.
You can track trends in Wisconsin's GDP, and compare them to the national average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Wisconsin Industry Trends
Learn about current trends affecting the most significant industries for Wisconsin's state economy, down to the county level. IBISWorld offers state industry research reports on over 30,000 industries across all 50 states in the US, including 638 industries in Wisconsin.
What are Wisconsin's Largest Industries by Revenue?
The largest industries by revenue in Wisconsin are Life Insurance & Annuities, Health & Medical Insurance and Property, Casualty and Direct Insurance, which generated $71.3b, $35.0b and $31.4b in 2026.
| Industry | 2026 revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Life Insurance & Annuities | $71.3b |
| 2. | Health & Medical Insurance | $35.0b |
| 3. | Property, Casualty and Direct Insurance | $31.4b |
| 4. | Hospitals | $29.3b |
| 5. | Dairy Product Production | $27.3b |
| 6. | New Car Dealers | $22.8b |
| 7. | Commercial Banking | $20.9b |
| 8. | Gas Stations with Convenience Stores | $15.0b |
| 9. | Warehouse Clubs & Supercenters | $14.8b |
| 10. | Supermarkets & Grocery Stores | $14.5b |
State economic profile
Top Companies in Wisconsin
Learn about current trends affecting the top companies in Wisconsin. IBISWorld offers benchmarking data and tools on over 5,000 companies in the US.
Top 10 Companies Headquartered in Wisconsin by Employment
The largest companies by employment in Wisconsin are University of Wisconsin, Walmart and Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin, which employed 35,440, 33,718 and 28,000 people in 2026.
| Company | 2026 employment | Share of employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | University of Wisconsin | 35,440 | 1.1% |
| 2. | Walmart | 33,718 | 1.0% |
| 3. | Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin | 28,000 | 0.8% |
| 4. | Kwik Trip, Inc. | 27,510 | 0.8% |
| 5. | University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority | 24,000 | 0.7% |
| 6. | Kroger | 12,725 | 0.4% |
| 7. | Amazon.Com | 12,000 | 0.4% |
| 8. | United States Postal Service | 10,240 | 0.3% |
| 9. | Target | 8,529 | 0.3% |
| 10. | Home Depot | 5,712 | 0.2% |
State economic profile
Wisconsin Sector Statistics
In Wisconsin, certain sectors drive a higher share of state GDP and employ more workers than others. However, simply looking at raw numbers doesn't always tell the whole story. Factoring in the current year growth percentage, in addition to the annualized growth percentage over the past five years, will give you a deeper understanding of the economic situation.
What is Wisconsin's GDP by Sector?
The Manufacturing, Real Estate & Rental & Leasing and Healthcare & Social Assistance sectors contributed the most to Wisconsin's GDP in 2026, representing a combined 40.0% of state GDP.
GDP trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are contributing the most value-add to the state economy, in addition to how the state economy is evolving over time.
| Sector | GDP | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 51,387,555,421 | -2.3% | -2.7% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 45,884,602,416 | 3.4% | 3.8% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 34,130,440,895 | 2.2% | 2.5% |
| Finance & Insurance | 26,333,079,884 | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 24,991,533,359 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| Retail Trade | 24,250,644,969 | 4.7% | 4.2% |
| Information | 22,028,585,490 | 8.4% | 8.7% |
| Wholesale Trade | 19,402,162,754 | -0.2% | -0.5% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 12,740,104,464 | 3.3% | 3.5% |
| Construction | 12,314,664,498 | -2.0% | -2.7% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 10,265,053,370 | 3.3% | 4.0% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 10,130,577,621 | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 9,908,588,333 | -0.7% | -1.4% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 6,447,561,381 | -2.4% | -2.0% |
| Utilities | 5,585,418,207 | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 4,692,774,837 | -1.0% | -1.2% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 3,903,129,698 | 8.4% | 9.4% |
| Educational Services | 3,818,711,245 | 1.6% | 2.0% |
| Mining | 549,471,537 | -0.2% | 3.6% |
What is Wisconsin's Employment by Sector?
The Manufacturing, Healthcare & Social Assistance and Retail Trade sectors contributed the most to employment in Wisconsin in 2026, representing a combined 41.3% of state employment.
Employment trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are growing or contracting most rapidly relative to the state economy as a whole.
| Sector | Employment | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 472,313 | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 469,058 | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| Retail Trade | 432,978 | 1.3% | 2.0% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 263,852 | 4.0% | 3.8% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 243,926 | -0.1% | 3.2% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 218,996 | 2.8% | 2.7% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 180,007 | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| Construction | 177,638 | 1.3% | 2.2% |
| Educational Services | 175,816 | -1.5% | 0.6% |
| Finance & Insurance | 168,945 | 0.6% | 1.0% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 134,619 | 0.5% | 1.5% |
| Wholesale Trade | 131,248 | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| Information | 98,650 | 3.9% | 6.4% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 65,693 | -0.0% | -0.0% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 63,654 | 1.3% | 4.9% |
| Utilities | 14,007 | 0.9% | 1.5% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 11,737 | 0.5% | 1.4% |
| Mining | 3,500 | 1.7% | 2.9% |
State economic profile
Wisconsin Employment Trends
3.3m
Employment
3.6%
Unemployment
What Employment Trends are Impacting Wisconsin?
The state of Wisconsin employs 3,326,637 people in 2026, which ranks it 21st out of all 50 US states. Employment in Wisconsin has grown at an annualized rate of 2.1% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the national average of 1.7%. Major sectors by employment in Wisconsin include Manufacturing, Healthcare & Social Assistance and Retail Trade, which employed 472,313, 469,058 and 432,978 people in 2026, respectively. Wisconsin's unemployment rate is 3.6% in 2026, which ranks it 10th out of all 50 US states. Wisconsin's unemployment rate has trended downwards at a rate of -1.2% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the US economy as a whole.
Employment trends indicate the degree of tightness or slack in labor markets, in addition to the overall strength of an economy. Faster employment growth typically indicates a strong and growing economy, while lower unemployment tends to imply tightness in labor markets.
You can track unemployment trends in Wisconsin, and compare them to the US economy, using the chart below.
$123.6k
Per capita disposable income
What is Wisconsin's Per Capita Disposable Income?
Per capita disposable income, also known as disposable personal income (DPI), is the amount of money that the average person in an economy has available for spending and saving after accounting for income taxes. Wisconsin's DPI in 2026 was $123.6k, compared to the US average of $156.5k, which places it 40th out of all 50 US states.
Disposable income is regarded as a key economic indicator as trends in disposable income are indicative of the level of aggregate demand, the state of labor markets and the financial strength of households.
You can track trends in Wisconsin's per capita disposable income, and compare it to the US average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Wisconsin Construction & Building Trends
$8,543.8tn
Nonresidential construction
$9.5tn
Residential construction
26,591
Building permits
What can construction trends tell you about a state’s economy?
In Wisconsin, non-residential construction was $8,543.8tn in 2026, which ranks it 18th out of all 50 US states. Residential construction was $9.5tn in 2026, which places Wisconsin 49th out of all 50 US states. The number of building permits issued in Wisconsin in 2026 was 26,591, representing a 0.8% annualized growth rate between 2021 and 2026.
Trends in the construction sector are important because it creates jobs, income and tax revenue for a state. In addition, construction sector activity impacts other sectors in its supply chain, including manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing, transportation, and real estate, rental and leasing services. Therefore, construction trends are important indicators of the health of an economy.
You can track trends in the number of building permits issued in Wisconsin, and compare it to trends in the number issued in the United States as a whole, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Wisconsin Population Statistics
Which Counties in Wisconsin have the Largest Populations?
The counties with the highest populations in Wisconsin are Milwaukee County, Dane County and Waukesha County, which had populations of 902,964, 593,297 and 418,212 people in 2026.
| Region | 2026 population | Annual growth 2021-26 | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 903.0k | -0.5% | 15.0% |
| Dane | 593.3k | 1.0% | 9.9% |
| Waukesha | 418.2k | 0.4% | 7.0% |
| Brown | 274.7k | 0.4% | 4.6% |
| Racine | 196.8k | N/A | 3.3% |
| Outagamie | 195.9k | 0.5% | 3.3% |
| Winnebago | 173.0k | 0.2% | 2.9% |
| Kenosha | 166.5k | -0.2% | 2.8% |
| Rock | 164.9k | 0.1% | 2.7% |
| Marathon | 139.7k | 0.3% | 2.3% |
| Washington | 139.5k | 0.3% | 2.3% |
| La Crosse | 121.1k | 0.2% | 2.0% |
| Sheboygan | 117.8k | N/A | 2.0% |
| Eau Claire | 110.5k | 0.8% | 1.8% |
| Walworth | 106.2k | 0.1% | 1.8% |
| Fond Du Lac | 104.0k | N/A | 1.7% |
| St. Croix | 99.6k | 1.0% | 1.7% |
| Ozaukee | 95.0k | 0.5% | 1.6% |
| Dodge | 87.5k | -0.3% | 1.5% |
| Jefferson | 85.8k | N/A | 1.4% |
| Manitowoc | 81.4k | N/A | 1.4% |
| Wood | 73.9k | N/A | 1.2% |
| Portage | 72.2k | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Chippewa | 67.6k | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| Sauk | 66.2k | 0.2% | 1.1% |
State economic profile
Wisconsin Demographics
In Wisconsin, 36.1% of the population has a Bachelors or higher. The largest ethnic group in Wisconsin is White, accounting for 78.1% of the state's population.
Education level in Wisconsin
| Education level | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Bachelors or higher | 36.1 |
| Other | 63.9 |
Race in Wisconsin
| Race | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| White | 78.1 |
| Hispanic | 8.9 |
| Black | 6.3 |
| Asian | 3.7 |
| Other | 3.0 |
Wisconsin State industry reports
IBISWorld State Industry Reports help you quickly understand how an industry performs at the state level compared with the national level, with accurate and unbiased industry information with a local focus. Use this collection to:
- Discover key local industry trends
- Identify threats and opportunities at the subnational level
- Inform your business strategies and planning
See our list of 638 Wisconsin industry reports.
Other states to explore
Compare Wisconsin’s economy with other states in the United States.
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