WI ranked #2 in Economic Growth
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
MADISON — Wisconsin jumped to #2 in the nation this month, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s coincident index. Wisconsin’s growth rate over the last three months is the best in 25 years and the state’s ranking is the best in history.
“This is more great news, not only for the state, but for job-seekers and employers as well,” Governor Walker said. “A better economy means a better quality of life for all Wisconsinites, and that is why it is my top priority. This latest history-making ranking is one more sign we are heading in the right direction.”
The coincident index is a measure of economic conditions for all 50 states. The coincident index is calculated by using four state variables. These include employment, average hours worked in manufacturing, the unemployment rate, and wage and salary data.
This ranking is latest in series of positive economic news for state:
• Private sector job growth from April to July shows the largest three-month gain on record going back to 1990 at 28,100. Total job growth is the best as well with 31,900.
• Wisconsin housing permits for the first seven months of 2013 are 20.5% above 2012.
• New business formations year-to-date are up 4.2% from 2012 levels.
• Average initial weekly unemployment insurance claims are at 13-year low.
• Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is 6.7%, below the national average of 7.3%.
• At the Governor’s Small Business Summit in Stevens Point, Governor Scott Walker Sept. 25 announced 11,590 new businesses have been created in the state since he took office, according to statistics from the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).