Economic Analysis & Policy

Structural changes to the economy – like moving from goods to service production – have been playing out for decades affecting regions and communities of Wisconsin differently. All areas of the economy have been impacted by these changes, leaving communities and regions across the state needing information, data, and recommendations to help inform strategies, policies, and decisions.

As a well-established area with over fifty years of research and programming, we engage local communities, counties, and regions in research and educational programming related to economic competitiveness and preparedness.

We work with local, county, and regional economic development leaders providing timely and relevant economic analysis. Our work includes community economic analysis, county retail analysis, commuter studies, industry cluster analysis, economic contribution analysis, among others.

Industry Development & Cluster Analysis

Labor Force Analysis

Our WIndicators publication is a frequent, short-form series that looks at data surrounding a range of issues relevant to Wisconsin communities.

The Wisconsin Economy is a series of studies on key topics intended to inform Wisconsin decision-makers, community economic development practitioners, and concerned citizens about the Wisconsin economy and policy options available to them.

We bring together stakeholders from across the state, regions, or communities to examine research on issues critical to economic development. Meetings are held as in-services, summits, or forums, depending on the preference of the economic development partners.  Attendance ranges between 60 and 300 individuals, drawn from local, state, and national elected leaders, economic development professionals, government agencies, and business leaders.