How many jobs were added in Wisconsin last month?
Refreshed monthly
Wisconsin gained 1,200 jobs in July 2026, ranking it 17th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 2,300 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+1.2K
month to month change in number of jobs (July 2026)
17th
rank among states in monthly job growth (July 2026)
July 2026's gain of 1,200 jobs was the 4th consecutive month of positive job growth in Wisconsin. Monthly job growth was down from the 3,100 gain in June 2026.
During the latest five year period (August 2021 to July 2026), Wisconsin gained jobs in 38 out of 60 months. July 2026 had the 25th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2022 (+18,900) while job growth was weakest in February 2026 (-10,000).
There were 1,200 more jobs in July 2026 in Wisconsin than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, August 2021–July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Wisconsin sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in July 2026?
The supersector with the highest job growth in July 2026 was local government. Local government added 2,600 jobs, more than the entire economy. The remaining supersectors either posted job loss or no job change during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were health care and social assistance, retail trade, and arts, entertainment, and recreation. Health care and social assistance lost 2,300 jobs in July 2026, while retail trade lost 1,900 jobs and arts, entertainment, and recreation lost 1,600 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 2,300 jobs during July 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Wisconsin (July 2026)
How has Wisconsin's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Wisconsin lost an average of 1,583 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 1,058, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 10,200 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 3,800 on average every month in 2014.
In 2025, Wisconsin lost an average of 1,600 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 13 metro areas primarily in Wisconsin during July 2026 ranged from a loss of 500 jobs in the Appleton, WI area metro area to a gain of 1,500 jobs in the Milwaukee, WI area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Wisconsin
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1,500 | |
| 2. | +900 | |
| 3. | +500 | |
| 4. | +100 | |
| 5. | +100 | |
| 6. | +0 | |
| 7. | +0 | |
| 8. | -100 | |
| 9. | -200 | |
| 10. | -200 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
