BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

06/11/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/11/2026 09:12

County Employment and Wages in Wisconsin — Fourth Quarter 2025

News Release Information

26-808-CHI
Thursday, June 11, 2026

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County Employment and Wages in Wisconsin - Fourth Quarter 2025

Employment declined in 3 of the 7 largest counties in Wisconsin from December 2024 to December 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Racine County (-1.5 percent) had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Wisconsin, December 2025
County Percent change, December 2025

Racine

-1.5

Winnebago

-1.2

Milwaukee

-0.3

Brown

0.1

Dane

0.1

Waukesha

0.1

Outagamie

0.2

Milwaukee County (468,900) had the highest employment level in Wisconsin in December 2025. Together, the seven largest counties accounted for 51.6 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter 2025

Average weekly wage gains in 5 of 7 large counties in Wisconsin were above the national average of 4.2 percent. (See chart 2.) Outagamie and Winnebago had the largest gains (+7.1 percent each). Over-the-year wage gains among the other five large Wisconsin counties ranged from 5.6 percent to 3.4 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Wisconsin, fourth quarter 2025
County Percent change, fourth quarter 2025

Outagamie

7.1

Winnebago

7.1

Milwaukee

5.6

Dane

5.5

Racine

5.3

Brown

4.2

Waukesha

3.4

Dane ($1,571) had a weekly wage above the national average of $1,569. Average weekly wages among the other six large counties ranged from $1,467 in Waukesha to $1,353 in Outagamie.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 65 smaller counties in Wisconsin, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all smaller counties were below the national average. Ozaukee reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,325) among the smaller counties. Florence reported the lowest average weekly wage ($735) in the state.

Among all 72 Wisconsin counties, 24 reported average weekly wages less than $1,025, 14 had wages from $1,025 to $1,099, 16 had wages from $1,100 to $1,174, and 18 had average weekly wages of $1,175 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Wisconsin, fourth quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,569)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 28, 2026.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the seven largest counties in Wisconsin, fourth quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
December
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		Fourth quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
fourth quarter
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,428.4 156,700.2 0.2 -- 1,569 -- 4.2 --

Wisconsin

213.9 2,946.2 -0.1 -- 1,346 32 5.3 5

Brown

7.9 161.3 0.1 152 1,363 192 4.2 166

Dane

19.3 361.7 0.1 152 1,571 89 5.5 54

Milwaukee

30.7 468.9 -0.3 208 1,464 139 5.6 48

Outagamie

6.3 108.7 0.2 135 1,353 200 7.1 14

Racine

5.4 75.9 -1.5 347 1,393 176 5.3 68

Waukesha

15.4 249.9 0.1 152 1,467 137 3.4 251

Winnebago

4.7 93.5 -1.2 325 1,358 194 7.1 14

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Wisconsin, fourth quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment December 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,428,415 156,700,218 1,569

Wisconsin

213,887 2,946,163 1,346

Adams

507 4,197 986

Ashland

634 7,729 1,104

Barron

1,639 21,245 1,021

Bayfield

602 4,166 967

Brown

7,918 161,298 1,363

Buffalo

422 3,372 960

Burnett

488 5,121 953

Calumet

1,071 16,014 1,086

Chippewa

2,098 26,638 1,142

Clark

980 11,452 1,133

Columbia

1,845 21,640 1,135

Crawford

512 6,547 928

Dane

19,314 361,708 1,571

Dodge

2,084 36,646 1,309

Door

1,480 13,397 1,007

Douglas

1,292 15,460 1,070

Dunn

1,226 18,425 1,112

Eau Claire

3,472 58,750 1,176

Florence

141 948 735

Fond du Lac

2,610 44,623 1,244

Forest

308 3,109 969

Grant

1,587 17,400 994

Green

1,195 16,172 1,075

Green Lake

551 5,777 1,071

Iowa

767 10,797 1,137

Iron

230 1,593 984

Jackson

503 7,298 1,113

Jefferson

2,425 32,954 1,136

Juneau

766 9,100 1,079

Kenosha

4,645 78,013 1,294

Kewaunee

603 6,811 1,129

La Crosse

3,714 70,305 1,247

Lafayette

524 4,983 1,067

Langlade

667 7,082 922

Lincoln

841 9,850 1,112

Manitowoc

2,050 32,840 1,111

Marathon

4,171 70,326 1,231

Marinette

1,288 17,495 1,089

Marquette

411 3,886 1,023

Menominee

105 2,036 895

Milwaukee

30,670 468,928 1,464

Monroe

1,391 20,721 1,122

Oconto

947 9,032 1,011

Oneida

1,543 16,966 1,125

Outagamie

6,333 108,676 1,353

Ozaukee

3,332 40,847 1,325

Pepin

275 2,333 1,030

Pierce

1,050 10,236 1,051

Polk

1,373 15,640 1,009

Portage

2,007 33,436 1,125

Price

444 4,741 1,041

Racine

5,423 75,932 1,393

Richland

542 6,034 974

Rock

4,154 69,626 1,219

Rusk

420 4,414 943

St. Croix

3,059 37,513 1,159

Sauk

2,329 35,805 1,051

Sawyer

732 7,165 1,069

Shawano

1,119 12,293 945

Sheboygan

3,164 60,593 1,312

Taylor

554 7,688 1,025

Trempealeau

843 12,194 1,097

Vernon

858 8,639 975

Vilas

1,069 7,887 998

Walworth

3,623 45,470 1,104

Washburn

633 5,311 955

Washington

4,112 58,037 1,250

Waukesha

15,374 249,881 1,467

Waupaca

1,459 18,435 1,020

Waushara

597 5,779 926

Winnebago

4,654 93,523 1,358

Wood

2,192 34,978 1,221

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2025
State Establishments,
fourth quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
December 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
December
2024-25 		Fourth quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
fourth quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,428.4 156,700.2 0.2 1,569 -- 4.2 --

Alabama

167.4 2,135.3 0.5 1,301 36 3.7 37

Alaska

25.3 317.3 -0.3 1,497 16 4.7 14

Arizona

227.4 3,278.3 0.0 1,446 20 3.0 47

Arkansas

113.0 1,318.2 0.4 1,213 49 5.0 8

California

2,013.7 18,351.7 0.6 1,954 4 4.6 16

Colorado

258.5 2,896.4 -0.6 1,683 8 5.6 3

Connecticut

149.8 1,706.5 0.1 1,801 6 5.0 8

Delaware

47.3 481.0 0.1 1,502 15 4.7 14

District of Columbia

51.0 726.1 -4.5 2,587 1 4.1 24

Florida

886.2 10,013.2 0.3 1,471 17 4.8 12

Georgia

398.7 4,925.4 0.1 1,440 21 3.5 40

Hawaii

63.0 650.0 -0.2 1,411 25 5.0 8

Idaho

104.3 875.7 1.8 1,303 35 5.8 2

Illinois

387.7 6,089.5 -0.1 1,588 11 3.3 42

Indiana

195.6 3,211.2 0.1 1,276 40 4.5 17

Iowa

110.6 1,560.0 -0.2 1,282 39 3.7 37

Kansas

101.8 1,443.2 -0.1 1,268 44 4.1 24

Kentucky

161.3 2,008.7 -0.1 1,235 46 3.8 34

Louisiana

159.2 1,927.3 -0.5 1,267 45 3.2 44

Maine

67.6 644.7 -0.1 1,332 33 4.2 21

Maryland

199.5 2,754.6 -1.1 1,616 10 3.0 47

Massachusetts

298.5 3,625.5 -0.9 1,980 2 4.9 11

Michigan

316.9 4,412.7 0.0 1,427 23 4.2 21

Minnesota

215.2 2,948.0 0.0 1,505 14 3.7 37

Mississippi

92.2 1,180.9 0.3 1,075 51 5.1 7

Missouri

259.9 2,920.8 -0.1 1,324 34 4.4 18

Montana

62.3 512.3 -0.1 1,296 38 3.3 42

Nebraska

78.5 1,024.0 -0.2 1,275 42 4.0 31

Nevada

111.0 1,592.1 1.7 1,395 27 3.2 44

New Hampshire

67.9 688.8 -0.6 1,652 9 4.8 12

New Jersey

343.1 4,343.1 0.2 1,691 7 3.9 33

New Mexico

69.7 875.3 -0.3 1,275 42 4.1 24

New York

719.1 9,907.5 0.4 1,975 3 5.4 4

North Carolina

392.1 4,991.1 0.9 1,409 26 3.8 34

North Dakota

37.0 430.4 -0.2 1,350 31 2.7 49

Ohio

348.5 5,554.4 0.0 1,358 30 4.1 24

Oklahoma

129.3 1,717.1 0.1 1,217 48 4.1 24

Oregon

177.9 1,975.8 -1.0 1,468 19 3.2 44

Pennsylvania

398.1 6,094.8 0.2 1,470 18 4.0 31

Rhode Island

49.1 500.3 -0.1 1,429 22 6.0 1

South Carolina

192.4 2,344.7 1.5 1,276 40 4.3 20

South Dakota

41.2 458.9 -0.2 1,230 47 4.1 24

Tennessee

225.2 3,281.6 -0.3 1,424 24 3.8 34

Texas

860.8 14,255.2 0.8 1,549 13 4.2 21

Utah

144.6 1,761.6 1.4 1,389 28 4.1 24

Vermont

34.5 309.3 -0.9 1,378 29 5.3 5

Virginia

324.0 4,166.9 0.5 1,585 12 2.6 50

Washington

242.1 3,590.3 -0.3 1,948 5 2.4 51

West Virginia

62.8 698.3 -0.6 1,203 50 3.5 40

Wisconsin

213.9 2,946.2 -0.1 1,346 32 5.3 5

Wyoming

31.7 278.4 -0.8 1,297 37 4.4 18

Puerto Rico

53.5 974.7 -0.2 735 (3) 2.8 (3)

Virgin Islands

3.0 34.7 0.3 1,068 (3) 2.7 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on June 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 11, 2026 at 15:12 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]