Job Growth is up. Wages are up. Poverty Rates are up. A “statistical snapshot” of Wisconsin workers was highlighted in the Business Section of the Labor Day issue of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The data was analyzed by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Every other year, the Center gathers and analyzes the latest data about Wisconsin workers. Some highlights:
* The unemployment rate is 4.7%. This rate is below the national average, as it has been since 1984.
* The median hourly wage is $14.62, slightly above the national average. However, adjusted for inflation, this wage is only $1 more per hour than it was in 1979.
* Male college graduates earned a median wage of $25.06 per hour. Female college graduates earned a median wage of $19.13 per hour.
* The child poverty rate is 18%. This is the first time since the mid-1980’s where the State’s child poverty rate exceeded the national average.
For the full report, go to www.cows.org/soww.