An Economic Snapshot of Wisconsin - 2004

Economic Snapshot of Wisconsin
December 2003

A snapshot of economic information for Wisconsin shows the pain working families are facing.

Jobs and Unemployment
Unemployment rate for Wisconsin: 5.4 percent
Change in number of jobs from January 2001 to October 2003: -53,100
Change in manufacturing jobs from January 2001 to October 2003: -67,500

Poverty
Wisconsin residents who are poor: 467,000 (8.6 percent)
Poor children: 163,000 (12.1 percent)

Health Coverage
Individuals who have no health care coverage: 538,000 (9.8 percent)
Uninsured children: 63,000 (4.6 percent)

Pension Coverage
Workers who have pensions provided by their employers: 57.8 percent

Schools
Wisconsin schools that require repairs to be in good overall condition: 79 percent.
Needed repairs and upgrades will cost an estimated $ 5,718,119,395.

Hunger
Wisconsin residents who either do not have enough food or are uncertain about how much food they will have every day: 8.1 percent

Bankruptcies
Number of personal bankruptcies in Wisconsin in 2002: 24,439 (a change of 42.4 percent in two years)

Affordable Housing
32.3 percent of rental households in Wisconsin spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

Roads and Bridges
Approximately 42.5 percent of Wisconsin's roads are in poor to only mediocre condition. And, 19 percent of the state's bridges that are 20 feet or longer have structural deficiencies or are functionally obsolete.

State Financial Situation
The budget crisis in Wisconsin resulted in cutbacks to key programs and undermined the state's ability to meet critical needs. At one point Wisconsin faced a projected FY 2004 budget gap of $ 1,999,000,000, which it had to close before the beginning of the FY 2004 fiscal year.

Sources: American Bankruptcy Institute; American Society of Civil Engineers; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Economic Policy Institute; U.S. General Accounting Office; National Conference of State Legislatures; National Education Association; The Road Information Program; Dale Rusakoff and Rene Sanchez, "N.J. and Calif. Lawmakers Down to Wire on Budgets; Both States Divided on How to Close Deficits," The Washington Post, 7/1/2003; Surface Transportation Policy Project; U.S. Census Bureau; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.