Report: Wisconsin’s Job Growth Ranked 37th In Nation

The latest “gold standard” job numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Wisconsin ranked 37th in the nation in private-sector job growth from June 2014 to June 2015.

Wisconsin also ranked eighth out of 10 Midwest states. Among states that share a border with Wisconsin, only Iowa added jobs at a slower rate.

Overall, Wisconsin added 30,759 private-sector jobs, a growth rate of nearly 1.3 percent. By comparison, the national economy added jobs at a rate of 2.3 percent.

The numbers come from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, which economists regard as the most accurate way to measure employment. As the name suggests, it gets its data from nearly all employers, which is why it takes so long to report.

By other job metrics, Wisconsin’s economy is performing well. The state’s 4.2 percent unemployment rate — based on monthly estimates — is below the national average and as low as it has been in more than a decade.

But in terms of job growth, Wisconsin continues to lag behind most of its Midwest neighbors and the rest of the nation.

This June-to-June period was one of the slowest for Wisconsin since the Great Recession ended.