Wisconsin ranks 8th among the states in a new national report that assesses the state of all 50 states. The rankings
are based on 31 measures of each state’s economy, environment, and labor force, as well as the education, health,
safety, and wellbeing of its residents.
These findings come from a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report, made possible through a partnership with the
State of the Nation project. Housed at Tulane University in New Orleans, State of the Nation brings together a
diverse group of thought leaders from across the political spectrum.
State of the Nation selected these metrics and assembled data for all 50 states, drawing from federal sources
including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Education Statistics, Bureau
of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and more. This enabled the Forum to assess how Wisconsin is
doing according to these measures relative to other states.
Wisconsin’s strongest suits in these rankings are in the areas of its work and labor force, such as our long-term
unemployment rate — metrics in which the Upper Midwest region is a national leader. Other strengths include
measures of income inequality, social isolation, trust in other people, and voter participation.
However, relative to the nation, our state is trending downward on more metrics than it's ascending. This is
potentially putting our top-10 standing at future risk. These “solid but slipping” measures include labor force
participation, fatal shootings, and the prevalence of newborns born with low birth weight.
Areas in which Wisconsin compares less favorably to other states include measures such as child mortality, net
greenhouse gas emissions, the life satisfaction of residents, civil liberties, and trust in the federal government.
At a national level, as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the report also paints a worrying picture
about our personal and social wellbeing. It found that rising incomes in the US are not necessarily translating into
improved well-being.
For Wisconsin however, there are clear positives to be found in this report’s findings. Many Wisconsinites may
reasonably conclude that the findings paint our state in a favorable light. Yet the findings contain an additional
important dimension. Relative to the nation, Wisconsin is worsening on 13 of the report’s 31 measures, while it is
improving on eight of them. For the remaining 10, its trend relative to the nation is mixed, stable, or unclear.
Notably, Wisconsin is worsening relative to the nation on three of four measures in the “children and families”
category, both measures in the “violence” category, and two of four measures in one of its traditional areas of
strength: the “work and labor force” category. For a state that has long prided itself on being family friendly and
boasting a high quality of life, these trends are worthy of attention.
This information is a service of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state
and local government research and civic education. Learn more at wispolicyforum.org.