The Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE) supports and disseminates economic policy research, with a particular focus on the Wisconsin economy and state-level economic policy issues.
The Collapse of Badger Football Is Not a Football Story
It is a budget story. Wisconsin competes in newly priced markets with a budget model built for a slower world. The state effectively constrains what the university can charge and directly limits what it can borrow; inside the university and athletics, money still follows history more than what those markets now require.
Developing and Retaining a Skilled Workforce in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's skilled workforce gap isn't a pipeline problem. The state meets or exceeds national averages in high school completion, college enrollment, and in-state attendance. The bigger challenges: demographics, talent attraction, and high-skill retention.
The Tax No One Voted For
What Inflation Took from Wisconsin Households and Who Keeps the Change
UW–Madison’s In-State Tuition Is Too Damn Low
UW–Madison is a top research university charging a resident price that ranks 12th-lowest of the 38 public AAU universities, because for a decade that price was frozen by political decision rather than set by the economics of the enterprise.
Rising Health Care Costs in Wisconsin: The Case for Price Transparency
Hospital prices have risen far faster than wages or general inflation, placing real burdens on Wisconsin employers, workers, and the state’s long-term competitiveness. This report takes a measured look at the data and a practical policy path forward.
The Economic Impact of Badger Football’s Declining Performance
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Badger Football program serves as a critical revenue engine for the Athletics Department, generating roughly $60 million in annual profits. Yet, its on-field performance has declined sharply, with winning percentages plummeting from over 90% in 2017 to below 50% in 2024—the program’s worst record since 2001. If the poor performance persists, it could reduce the program’s profit by around $20 million per year, threatening other subsidized sports, alumni donations, student applications, research output, and the university’s overall ranking.
The Economic Impact of the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Plan to Cut Income Tax Rates
Wisconsin State Legislature recently unveiled a tax cut plan which (among other initiatives) expands the state’s second income tax bracket to cover higher earners. We present a comprehensive model of the Wisconsin economy and its tax system to account for the behavioral responses from households and firms.
Business Dynamism in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's rates of business entry and exit lag those in the U.S. as a whole and continue to decline.
NIL and Badger Football’s Decline
Wisconsin football posted back-to-back losing seasons (5-7, 4-8) for the first time since 1991-92. This report traces the collapse to the NIL era's structural transformation — and the economic effects are already emerging in Dane County.
Degrees of Deception: UW-Madison Leads Where Earnings Matter Most
Headline rankings got it wrong. UW-Madison crushes in majors that actually pay: #1 in Wisconsin in all 15 fields over $96k, and leads 48 of 72 overall. Majors > myths.
Will Tariffs Make Wisconsin Rich?
Sustained tariff hikes against Canada, China and Mexico and retaliatory tariffs will have a negative impact on the Wisconsin economy.
Three-Year (90-Credit) Bachelor’s Degrees at UW
Economic Opportunities, Trade-offs, and Statewide Impacts
Five Options to Lower the Income Tax Rates in Wisconsin
In this report we evaluate five options to lower the income tax rates in Wisconsin, which are higher than the rates in most other states.
The Economic Impact of Lowering Income Tax Rates in Wisconsin
This CROWE report presents a model of the Wisconsin economy and its tax system, and shows that reducing the state’s individual income tax rates will increase output and household consumption
significantly.
Wisconsin's Sales Tax Regressivity
Wisconsin’s sales tax is less regressive than you think.
Fundamental State Tax Reform: Eliminating the Income Tax in Wisconsin
The state of Wisconsin has the oldest continuously operating state income tax in the United States. We develop and analyze a plan to dramatically change that history. v
The Wisconsin State Income Tax
A primer on the Wisconsin income tax, including the current distribution of taxes and effective tax rates.
Who Are Moving In and Out of Wisconsin?
The net inflow of income to Wisconsin due to interstate migration remained negative over the past decade.