Wisconsin leads the nation with most metro areas on study that evaluates employment growth, income

MADISON, Oct. 10, 2016 – SmartAsset, a national personal finance technology company, included four Wisconsin metro areas on its new list of the top 25 best places to work in the manufacturing industry – more than any other state.

Marinette was ranked sixth in the study, Watertown-Fort Atkinson was eighth, Appleton ranked 17th and Wausau was 23rd.

SmartAsset calculated the rankings by analyzing U.S. Census Bureau data on income and employment for manufacturing workers in 398 of America’s largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The data include one-year and five-year employment and income growth, manufacturing jobs as percentage of total workforce and income after housing costs.

Wisconsin is the only state with two metro areas in the top 10 and four in the top 25. Texas and Kentucky had three metro areas in the top 25, while five states had two on the new list.

SmartAsset, based in New York City, is a financial technology company that uses data to provide free, actionable advice on key financial decisions such as home buying, retirement, life insurance, investing and more.

The complete report can be found here.

The rankings were released as WEDC joins more than a dozen state agencies and organizations to mark Manufacturing Month in October. Part of the focus of the month is to encourage young people to consider careers in manufacturing. More than 465,000 Wisconsinites are currently employed in manufacturing, and those jobs have an average annual salary of $55,000 – 22 percent higher than the average of all private-sector workers in the state.

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About the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) leads economic development efforts for the state by advancing and maximizing opportunities in Wisconsin for businesses, communities and people to thrive in a globally competitive economy. Working with more than 600 regional and local partners, WEDC develops and delivers solutions representative of a highly responsive and coordinated economic development network. Visit www.inwisconsin.com or follow WEDC on Twitter @_InWisconsin to learn more.