Every week illuminating data flows through our mailbox from groups like the Wisconsin Policy Forum or the Legislative Fiscal Bureau without ever generating a story.
That’s why when Wisconsin Watch earlier this year launched Forward, our weekly newsletter focused on the upcoming week in state government and politics, we wanted to include a regular way to feature that information.
And so we created “Data Watch” to amplify that statistical information. Here are 10 of our most recent examples.
Legislative occupations
In the latest legislative session, Wisconsin had more farmers than lawyers for only the second time in the last 50 years.
Health insurance
After falling below the record number of sign-ups for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace in 2017, the state set a record for sign-ups this year.
Health and safety
Icy northern states may lead the nation in fall deaths, but Wisconsin is a cut above the rest. Could the state’s alcohol culture be a factor?
Voting patterns
Absentee ballots went up in the 2020 and 2022 elections undoubtedly because of COVID concerns. The number is expected to decline in 2024.
Legislative session
Wisconsin’s legislative session ended earlier this year than it did 14 years ago, but that’s on par with what it has been in recent years as Republicans have wrapped up business to get a head start on campaign season.
Household income
Wisconsin’s after-tax income per capita adjusted for the cost of living is $58,218. That ranks in the top third of states.
Arts funding
Wisconsin ranks last in the amount of funding the state budget dedicates to funding the arts compared with the size of the budget.
State budget
Wisconsin was projecting a more than $3 billion budget surplus by the end of June 2025, though that was before the Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers agreed on increasing the child care tax credit. Evers vetoed an income tax cut proposal.
Infant mortality
Wisconsin’s infant mortality rate increased in 2022 more than the U.S. rate.
Higher education
The amount that the Wisconsin Technical College System spends on students isn’t nearly as high as the raw numbers suggest, according to an in-depth analysis by the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
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