Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy
It is a budget story. WI competes in 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.
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.
What inflation took from Wisconsin households and who keeps the change?
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.
Wisconsin football posted back-to-back losing seasons (5-7, 4-8) for the first time since 1991-92. We trace the collapse to the NIL era’s structural transformation — and the economic effects are already emerging in Dane County.
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.
Exact Sciences’ relocation to Madison has driven a total economic impact of ~20,650 jobs and $6-7 billion in added GDP for Wisconsin — roughly 1.7-2% of the entire state economy.
College functions as both investment and consumption good. The report evaluates why 90-credit pathways deliver strong returns while respecting families who prioritize earnings over full residential experience.
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.
UW-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.