Wisconsin has 100,000 fewer manufacturing jobs than it had in 2001 while health care and social assistance has become the state’s largest professions, according to a new report from Forward Analytics.

Manufacturing was the state’s largest industry in 2001 and now, along with 46 other states, health care and social assistance have overtaken it with those sectors adding 143,000 jobs since 2001. Only Indiana still has more manufacturing employees.

Hawaii and Nevada are led by employees in accommodation and food service jobs.

“Manufacturing remains a vital part of Wisconsin’s economy: nearly 460,000 workers, average pay of $75,115, and an estimated $74 billion contribution to the state GDP, about 15.6% of the total,” the report states. “The transition is less a story of decline than as an economic and demographic inevitability.”

The report said that social assistance, where pay is roughly $30,000 annually, has grown more than hospitals and ambulatory care, where pay ranges from $77,000 to $93,000 per year.

The state’s June employment report showed that Wisconsin was down 11,600 jobs in trade and 3,700 in manufacturing over the past year.

Paper manufacturing has dropped by 45% since 2001 and printing has declined by 42% in Wisconsin since 2001.

Jobs that produce motor vehicles, aerospace equipment and rail products have declined by 37% while the manufacturing of machinery dropped by almost 22% over that time.

Food manufacturing has added 17,000 jobs since 2001, a growth rate of more than 27%.

Only seven states have grown manufacturing employment since 2001 with those states in the mountain-west area of the country.

—

The Center Square is a project of the 501(c)(3) Franklin News Foundation