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Wisconsin IDEA
Insight • Data • Economics • Analysis
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Pandemic Impacts Time Away from Home & Work
Mobility Data on "Time Away from Home" Nearing Pre-Pandemic Levels, Not the Case for "Time Away from Work"
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The COVID pandemic has impacted the economy and our lives in very different ways. In the early days of the pandemic people were encouraged to shelter in their homes to minimize the spread of the disease. But as the risk of infections, and more relevant death, has declined people are attempting to return to pre-pandemic behavior. One way to track the behavior of people over the period of the pandemic is to track their mobility using GPS from smartphones. Google, in response to the need for information to help form policies in response to the pandemic, created the Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports and has made much of the data available to researchers.
Using these data, one can see the impact of the initial “stay-at-home” orders (Figure 1). Wisconsin tracks the national pattern from the start of the pandemic up to the most current data (5/30/2022): the initial reaction which peaked in the middle of April (4/14/2020) with a slow return but incomplete return in the summer of 2020, the impact of the second wave of COVID in the fall-winter, the slow recovery though much of 2021 and then the third wave of COVID in January-February of 2022. The pattern of waves of COVID and recovery is clear in the mobility data.
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Econ Quiz: Education Premium
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For many Wisconsin families, going to college or technical school after high school is an expectation. However, the increasing costs of pursuing higher education, coupled with rising levels of student debt to linked to those higher costs, tight labor markets, rising wages, and higher tuition bills are leading some students to carefully weigh the long-term benefits of higher education with the short-term costs of tuition, fees and charges and foregone income.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest that earnings are positively tied to levels of education and that the relationship holds for both rural and urban areas. Across the nation, regardless of the rural-urban breakdown, people with less than a high school degree earn a median of about $25,744 whereas those with a high school degree (or GED) earn a median of $31,548, an associate degree $35,664, bachelor’s degree $47,529 and a graduate or professional degree earn $59,867.
The increasing returns to higher education also play out differently in rural and urban areas. For example, the median earnings for those with a bachelor’s degree in all nonmetropolitan counties across the U.S. is $44,579, below the return in metropolitan counties at $52,614. Thus, it looks like the education premium is stronger in urban areas than rural areas.
What about Wisconsin? As with the rest of the nation, the education premium varies by county and by degree. For example, in the average Wisconsin county the median education premium for an associate degree is $5,089, but that figure soars to $10,995 for associate degree earners in St. Croix County. Likewise, for the average Wisconsin county median education premium for those with a graduate or professional degree relative to a high school degree is $27,862, but ranges from a low of $14,719 (Douglas County) to a high of $45,263 (Waukesha County).
A bachelor’s degree is becoming a default goal for many high school seniors. Again, the education premium varies depending on where one lives in the state, ranging from a low of $5,856 (Juneau County) to a high of $28,444 (Florence County).
For today’s quiz question, let’s look at the median return across all counties in the Badger state. What is the median education premium across Wisconsin for earning a bachelor’s degree as compared to a high school degree?
A. $28,444
B. $14,210
C. $15,847
D. $23,389
E. $34,001
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The Hotel Industry: Recovery and Future Development in Our Communities
Tuesday, July 12, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (CST)
Hotels provide an important service to our communities and represent a significant economic engine for jobs, business income, and taxes. They often serve as a gateway to a community, influencing perceptions of the local community. During the pandemic, the hotel industry experienced significant challenges, including changes in travel behaviors, both in the US and in Wisconsin. While historically a volatile real estate asset, hotels can provide a favorable return on investment, based in part on room rates, occupancy levels and cost controls. Join us as we discuss the hotel business during and after the pandemic with two industry experts, Michael Lindner and Richard Sprecher.
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WIndicators Volume 5, Number 3: Farm Household Income
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OVERVIEW
As a growing number of Wisconsin farms struggle to survive, many farm households (families) are dependent on off farm income to offset weak and unstable farm sourced income. Over the five-year average (2016-2020) average household income for Wisconsin farm operators is $98,353 of which $20,210 comes from farming activities, and the remaining $78,143 comes from off farm sources. One strategy to ensure the continued operation of most Wisconsin farms is to focus on enhancing off farm employment opportunities.
KEY POINTS
- Nearly half (48.2%) of Wisconsin farms had sales less than $10,000 and only 7.3 percent had sales above $500,000.
- Slightly over half (53.1%) of farm operators reported farming was not their primary occupation and 58.1 percent worked off the farm.
- From 2016 to 2020 the typical Wisconsin farm household received 75 percent of its income from off farm sources.
- From 2016 to 2020 the smallest farms, those with sales less than $100,000 (¾ of all Wisconsin farms), 102.2 percent of farm operator household income came from off farm sources.
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The Rise Of Entrepreneurship During the Pandemic
Dr. Tessa Conroy discusses entrepreneurial activity in Wisconsin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entrepreneurship is a key part of any healthy economy but ensuring that new business activity leads to significant economic impact by creating high-quality jobs can be difficult. Learn about entrepreneurial activity in the state and hear discussions on what communities can do to take a lead role in helping entrepreneurs grow and be successful.
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2022 Wisconsin Housing Symposium
The 2022 Wisconsin Housing Symposium brought together experts, innovators, practitioners, and Extension colleagues to learn and discuss housing needs and responses across the state. This event included presentations and conversations related to building context and knowledge of housing in Wisconsin, accessing and applying data to local needs, exploring approaches and innovations to community-led housing processes, discussing Extension’s role with local government leaders and a conversation about where to go from here.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Housing Market Needs in Wisconsin
- The State of the State’s Housing
- How Do We “Move the Needle”?
- Housing CEA: A Guide to Free Housing Data
- An Introduction to Using ALICE Data
- Understanding Your Community’s Housing Needs
- The Local Comprehensive Plan and Housing
- Chequamegon Bay Regional Housing Coalition
- Developing a Community Housing Action Plan
- Reframing Housing: The Science Behind Moving Hearts and Minds
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In Our Words: Additional Episodes Available
In Our Words: Black Entrepreneurs Speak Wisconsin, is a weekly podcast exploring in-depth conversations with Wisconsin black business owners. Ten episodes are now available for streaming. The podcast is hosted by entrepreneur and UW-Madison graduate, Rajon Hall, and supported by the Entrepreneur of Color Business Support Team at UW-Madison, Extension.
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(Wisconsin State Journal - 6/4/2022)
(Wisconsin Public Radio - 5/30/2022)
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 5/9/2022)
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Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action Statements
An EEO/AA employer, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements. Please make requests for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to our educational programs as early as possible preceding the scheduled program, service, or activity.
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