Even in prosperous times, rural Wisconsin economy faces an uphill climb

By many standards, Wisconsin’s overall economic condition has never been better. Its core unemployment rate is the nation’s eighth-lowest; it ranks fifth among the states in the percentage of adults who are part of the labor force; it ranks 11th in the per capita growth of its gross domestic product since 2010; and it ranks 19th among the states in the percentage growth of total business establishments in this decade. Those are statewide snapshots from a mix of sources, but there is really no such thing as a “statewide” economy. Depending on where you stand in Wisconsin, you might see a thriving tech-based economy in Madison, manufacturing vibrancy in the Fox Valley or a struggling small-town economy in many villages and cities.The survival challenge for rural Wisconsin, which includes many municipalities of 5,000 or fewer people, is one of the state’s most vexing issues.Unless current trends reverse, rural Wisconsin will be much older in 2025 than it is today or than it was 10 years ago. In northern Wisconsin, it is projected that people 60 and older will make up at least 30 percent of about two dozen counties. In some counties, the 60-and-over share could be as much as 50 percent.