Sauk County vs. Wisconsin
Comparative Trends Analysis:
Total Employment Growth and Change, 1969-2022
Introduction
Sauk County vs. Wisconsin
Sauk County:
2022 Jobs = 47,618
2022 Percent of State = 1.25%
Wisconsin:
2022 Jobs = 3,819,180
2022 Percent of U.S. = 1.80%
Employment numbers remain the most popular and frequently cited statistics used for tracking local area economic conditions and trends. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) employment estimates reported measure the number of full- and part-time wage and salary employees, plus the number of proprietors of unincorporated businesses. People holding more than one job are counted in the employment estimates for each job they hold. This means BEA employment estimates represent a job count, not a people count. Also, BEA employment is by place-of-work, rather than by place-of-residence. Jobs held by neighboring county residents who commute to Sauk County to work are included in the employment count for Sauk County.
Data Definition:
The BEA employment series for states and local areas comprises estimates of the number of jobs, full-time plus part-time, by place of work. Full-time and part-time jobs are counted at equal weight. Employees, sole proprietors, and active partners are included, but unpaid family workers and volunteers are not included. Proprietors employment consists of the number of sole proprietorships and the number of partners in partnerships. The description "by place of work" applies to the wage and salary portion of the series and, with relatively little error, to the entire series. The proprietors employment portion of the series, however, is more nearly by place of residence because, for nonfarm sole proprietorships, the estimates are based on IRS tax data that reflect the address from which the proprietor's individual tax return is filed, which is usually the proprietor's residence. The nonfarm partnership portion of the proprietors employment series reflects the tax-filing address of the partnership, which may be either the residence of one of the partners or the business address of the partnership. The employment estimates are designed to be consistent with the estimates of wages and salaries and proprietors' income that are part of the personal income series. The employment estimates are based on the same sets of source data as the corresponding earnings estimates and are prepared with parallel methodologies. Two forms of proprietors' income-the income of limited partnerships and the income of tax-exempt cooperatives-have no corresponding employment estimates.
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Figure 1.
Figure 1 tracks Sauk County's annual total employment for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate total employment patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Sauk County's total employment rose from 22,008 in 1969 to 47,618 in 2022, for a net gain of 25,610, or 116.37%.
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Total Employment, 1969-2022
Figure 2.
Figure 2 tracks Wisconsin's annual total employment for the period 1969-2022 to illustrate total employment patterns over time. During this 54-year period, Wisconsin's total employment rose from 1,943,518 in 1969 to 3,819,180 in 2022, for a net gain of 1,875,662, or 96.51%.
Total Employment Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Total Employment Indices (1969=100): 1969-2022
Figure 3.
Figure 3 shows Sauk County's total employment growth in a broader context by offering direct comparisons across time with Wisconsin, the United States. The growth indices shown here express each region's total employment in 1969 as a base figure of 100, and the total employments in later years as a percentage of the 1969 base figure. This method allows for more direct comparison of differences in total employment growth between regions that may differ vastly in size.
Sauk County's overall total employment growth was 116.37% over 1969-2022 outpaced Wisconsin's increase of 96.51%, and fell below the United States' increase of 133.32%.
Total Employment as a Percent of the Wisconsin Total: 1969-2022
Total Employment as a Percent of the Wisconsin Total: 1969-2022
Figure 4.
Another interesting and insightful way of highlighting the total employment growth of Sauk County is to trace its individual percentage contributions to Wisconsin's statewide total employment over time, as shown in Figure 4. A rising share means a region's total employment grew faster, or declined less, than Wisconsin's total employment, while a declining share shows it grew more slowly.
In 1969, Sauk County's total employment comprised 1.13% of Wisconsin's total employment, while in 2022 it comprised 1.25% thereby yielding a +0.11% share-shift.
   
 
Total Employment Share-Shift
2022 vs. 1969
 
Share-
Shift*
 
2022
vs.
1969
+0.11%
=
1.25%
-
1.13%
 
   
Sauk County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Sauk County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change, 1970-2022
Figure 5.
Figure 5 shows the short-run pattern of Sauk County's total employment growth by tracking the year-to-year percent change over 1970-2022. The average annual percent change for the entire 53-year period is also traced on this chart to provide a benchmark for gauging periods of relative high--and relative low--growth against the backdrop of the long-term average.
On average, Sauk County's total employment grew at an annual rate of 1.50% over 1970-2022. The county posted its highest growth in 1994 (6.99%) and recorded its lowest growth in 2020 (-8.67%). In 2022, Sauk County's total employment grew by 3.62%
Sauk County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Sauk County Total Employment:
Annual Percent Change and Decade Averages Over 1970-2022
Figure 6.
Over the past five decades some counties have experienced extreme swings in growth, and often such swings have tended to coincide with the decades themselves. Figure 6 again shows the annual percent change in Sauk County's total employment since 1970, but this time they are overlayed with average growth rates for the decade of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020-2022.
During the 1970s, Sauk County's annual total employment growth rate averaged 0.95%. It averaged 2.15% throughout the 1980s, 3.38% in the 1990s, 1.36% in the 2000s, 0.31% throughout the 2010s, -0.65% thus far this decade (2020-2022).
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change by Decade
Figure 7.
Figure 7 compares the decade average growth rates for Sauk County noted in the previous graph with the corresponding decade averages for Wisconsin and the nation. As the chart reveals, Sauk County's average annual total employment growth trailed Wisconsin's average throughout the 1970s (0.95% vs. 2.40%), recorded above Wisconsin's average in the 1980s (2.15% vs. 1.10%), outgained Wisconsin's average throughout the 1990s (3.38% vs. 2.03%), led Wisconsin's average during the 2000s (1.36% vs. 0.29%), trailed Wisconsin's average during the 2010s (0.31% vs. 0.77%), and amounted to less than Wisconsin's average over the 3 year period of the current decade, 2020-2022 (-0.65% vs. 0.95%).
Finally, relative to nationwide total employment growth trends, Sauk County posted below the nation over the 1970s (0.95% vs. 2.21%), exceeded the nation throughout the 1980s (2.15% vs. 1.88%), registered above the nation throughout the 1990s (3.38% vs. 1.73%), exceeded the nation in the 2000s (1.36% vs. 0.74%), fell below the nation during the 2010s (0.31% vs. 1.51%), and lagged the nation over 2020-2022 (-0.65% vs. 1.82%).
   
 
Total Employment Growth:
Average Annual Percent Change
 
 
 
1.50
0.95
2.15
3.38
1.36
0.31
-0.65
3.62
 
1.30
2.40
1.10
2.03
0.29
0.77
0.95
3.64
 
1.62
2.21
1.88
1.73
0.74
1.51
1.82
4.78
 
   
Job Ratios (Employment/Population): 1969-2022
Job Ratios (Employment/Population): 1969-2022
Figure 8.
The job ratios shown in Figure 8 for Sauk County, Wisconsin and the nation not only portray a number of important trends, they also serves as a thumbnail guide to evaluating an economy's capacity to generate enough jobs fast enough to absorb the increasing number of workers attendant to a growing population. The job ratio is the number of full-time and part-time jobs by place of work, divided by population.
Nationally, the job ratio rose from 0.45 to 0.64 between 1969 and 2022. Sauk County's job ratio registered 0.58 in 1969, and 0.72 in 2022. Underlying the rising job ratio over the past several decades have been the increases in the labor force participation rates, with the number and proportion of women in the labor market playing a leading role.
An assortment of other factors can contribute to regional differences in the job ratio. They include differences in the proportion of elderly and retirees who no longer work and participate in the labor force, differences in the number and proportion of part-time vs. full-time workers, differences in industry composition, and differences in age and sex distribution and degree of urbanization. Also, a disproportionate number of workers commuting to work outside a county tends to lower its local county job ratio, while a net inflow of workers commuting to work inside the county tends to augment its local county job ratio.
Avoid interpreting the job ratio as the fraction (or percent) of the local population employed. This interpretation should only apply to the "employment-population ratio" statistic compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Job Ratios (Employment/Population)
as a Percent of the U.S. Average:
1969-2022
Job Ratios (Employment/Population)
as a Percent of the U.S. Average:
1969-2022
Figure 9.
To highlight trends in a local job ratio relative to nationwide trends, Figure 9 tracks Sauk County's, Wisconsin's job ratio as a percent of the national job ratio over 1969-2022.

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Sauk County:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
22,008
100.0
N
1.13
0.58
127.33
1970
 
21,140
96.1
-3.94
1.08
0.54
120.96
1971
 
20,754
94.3
-1.83
1.06
0.53
119.42
1972
 
20,862
94.8
0.52
1.04
0.52
115.62
1973
 
21,371
97.1
2.44
1.01
0.52
112.29
1974
 
20,911
95.0
-2.15
0.97
0.51
108.60
1975
 
20,789
94.5
-0.58
0.97
0.49
107.49
1976
 
21,307
96.8
2.49
0.96
0.51
108.34
1977
 
21,900
99.5
2.78
0.95
0.52
107.83
1978
 
23,023
104.6
5.13
0.97
0.54
109.71
1979
 
24,101
109.5
4.68
0.98
0.56
111.43
1980
 
24,270
110.3
0.70
0.99
0.56
110.84
1981
 
24,274
110.3
0.02
1.01
0.55
109.46
1982
 
24,375
110.8
0.42
1.03
0.55
111.08
1983
 
24,677
112.1
1.24
1.04
0.55
111.70
1984
 
25,544
116.1
3.51
1.04
0.57
111.25
1985
 
25,941
117.9
1.55
1.04
0.58
110.76
1986
 
26,856
122.0
3.53
1.06
0.59
112.75
1987
 
27,854
126.6
3.72
1.07
0.61
114.78
1988
 
28,944
131.5
3.91
1.08
0.63
115.50
1989
 
29,770
135.3
2.85
1.09
0.64
116.38
1990
 
30,863
140.2
3.67
1.10
0.65
118.08
1991
 
31,125
141.4
0.85
1.10
0.65
119.86
1992
 
32,157
146.1
3.32
1.11
0.66
122.48
1993
 
33,953
154.3
5.59
1.15
0.68
126.19
1994
 
36,326
165.1
6.99
1.19
0.72
131.41
1995
 
37,960
172.5
4.50
1.22
0.74
132.97
1996
 
39,071
177.5
2.93
1.23
0.75
133.19
1997
 
39,970
181.6
2.30
1.24
0.75
132.35
1998
 
40,010
181.8
0.10
1.22
0.74
129.61
1999
 
41,451
188.3
3.60
1.24
0.76
131.03
2000
 
43,219
196.4
4.27
1.27
0.78
133.23
2001
 
45,390
206.2
5.02
1.33
0.82
140.40
2002
 
45,527
206.9
0.30
1.34
0.81
140.84
2003
 
45,956
208.8
0.94
1.35
0.80
140.73
2004
 
47,081
213.9
2.45
1.36
0.81
140.73
2005
 
47,778
217.1
1.48
1.36
0.81
139.20
2006
 
48,600
220.8
1.72
1.37
0.82
138.39
2007
 
48,908
222.2
0.63
1.36
0.81
135.88
2008
 
48,817
221.8
-0.19
1.37
0.80
135.28
2009
 
47,338
215.1
-3.03
1.37
0.77
135.85
2010
 
47,155
214.3
-0.39
1.38
0.76
135.91
2011
 
47,628
216.4
1.00
1.37
0.76
135.18
2012
 
47,641
216.5
0.03
1.36
0.76
133.55
2013
 
47,909
217.7
0.56
1.35
0.76
131.71
2014
 
47,917
217.7
0.02
1.34
0.75
129.37
2015
 
48,223
219.1
0.64
1.33
0.75
127.53
2016
 
47,696
216.7
-1.09
1.30
0.74
124.19
2017
 
47,943
217.8
0.52
1.30
0.74
122.92
2018
 
48,396
219.9
0.94
1.30
0.74
121.49
2019
 
48,803
221.8
0.84
1.31
0.74
121.87
2020
 
44,570
202.5
-8.67
1.24
0.68
115.00
2021
 
45,956
208.8
3.11
1.25
0.70
114.48
2022
 
47,618
216.4
3.62
1.25
0.72
113.57
Source: Calculations by the Wisconsin Regional Economic Analysis Project (WI-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
Wisconsin:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
1,943,518
100.0
N
2.13
0.44
98.14
1970
 
1,953,931
100.5
0.54
2.14
0.44
98.57
1971
 
1,957,393
100.7
0.18
2.14
0.44
99.11
1972
 
2,014,337
103.6
2.91
2.14
0.45
99.36
1973
 
2,116,012
108.9
5.05
2.15
0.47
100.56
1974
 
2,158,611
111.1
2.01
2.16
0.48
101.36
1975
 
2,147,925
110.5
-0.50
2.17
0.47
102.40
1976
 
2,211,407
113.8
2.96
2.18
0.48
103.29
1977
 
2,293,198
118.0
3.70
2.18
0.50
104.00
1978
 
2,380,482
122.5
3.81
2.17
0.51
104.06
1979
 
2,460,477
126.6
3.36
2.17
0.53
104.66
1980
 
2,442,970
125.7
-0.71
2.14
0.52
103.35
1981
 
2,415,039
124.3
-1.14
2.10
0.51
102.03
1982
 
2,372,990
122.1
-1.74
2.08
0.50
101.83
1983
 
2,375,985
122.3
0.13
2.05
0.50
101.73
1984
 
2,466,771
126.9
3.82
2.05
0.52
101.92
1985
 
2,495,453
128.4
1.16
2.02
0.53
101.02
1986
 
2,537,323
130.6
1.68
2.01
0.53
101.50
1987
 
2,604,573
134.0
2.65
2.01
0.55
101.95
1988
 
2,683,663
138.1
3.04
2.01
0.56
101.87
1989
 
2,740,050
141.0
2.10
2.01
0.56
102.26
1990
 
2,814,229
144.8
2.71
2.03
0.57
103.54
1991
 
2,840,450
146.1
0.93
2.06
0.57
105.19
1992
 
2,893,937
148.9
1.88
2.09
0.58
106.91
1993
 
2,949,696
151.8
1.93
2.10
0.58
107.10
1994
 
3,040,287
156.4
3.07
2.11
0.59
108.07
1995
 
3,119,622
160.5
2.61
2.11
0.60
108.31
1996
 
3,170,631
163.1
1.64
2.10
0.61
108.12
1997
 
3,225,761
166.0
1.74
2.09
0.61
108.07
1998
 
3,287,793
169.2
1.92
2.07
0.62
108.02
1999
 
3,350,388
172.4
1.90
2.07
0.63
108.53
2000
 
3,413,585
175.6
1.89
2.06
0.64
108.38
2001
 
3,403,719
175.1
-0.29
2.06
0.63
108.38
2002
 
3,395,194
174.7
-0.25
2.06
0.62
108.63
2003
 
3,413,427
175.6
0.54
2.06
0.62
108.93
2004
 
3,467,823
178.4
1.59
2.05
0.63
109.07
2005
 
3,511,454
180.7
1.26
2.04
0.63
108.57
2006
 
3,547,006
182.5
1.01
2.02
0.64
107.89
2007
 
3,585,326
184.5
1.08
2.00
0.64
107.21
2008
 
3,572,816
183.8
-0.35
1.99
0.63
107.47
2009
 
3,444,538
177.2
-3.59
1.98
0.61
107.34
2010
 
3,426,369
176.3
-0.53
1.98
0.60
107.71
2011
 
3,474,372
178.8
1.40
1.97
0.61
107.69
2012
 
3,499,342
180.1
0.72
1.96
0.61
107.18
2013
 
3,539,199
182.1
1.14
1.94
0.61
106.79
2014
 
3,585,944
184.5
1.32
1.93
0.62
106.39
2015
 
3,624,473
186.5
1.07
1.90
0.63
105.78
2016
 
3,657,732
188.2
0.92
1.89
0.63
105.53
2017
 
3,678,859
189.3
0.58
1.87
0.63
104.83
2018
 
3,721,096
191.5
1.15
1.86
0.64
104.18
2019
 
3,718,385
191.3
-0.07
1.84
0.63
103.57
2020
 
3,581,998
184.3
-3.67
1.83
0.61
103.13
2021
 
3,684,969
189.6
2.87
1.82
0.63
102.63
2022
 
3,819,180
196.5
3.64
1.80
0.65
101.68
Source: Calculations by the Wisconsin Regional Economic Analysis Project (WI-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PSN
 
   

Interactive TableTip: To augment your analysis click on the column headers in the following table to rank and/or sort the data.

   
 
United States:
Total Employment, 1969-2022
 
1969
 
91,053,200
100.0
N
0.45
1970
 
91,277,600
100.2
0.25
0.45
1971
 
91,581,400
100.6
0.33
0.44
1972
 
94,312,200
103.6
2.98
0.45
1973
 
98,427,500
108.1
4.36
0.47
1974
 
100,111,800
109.9
1.71
0.47
1975
 
98,900,600
108.6
-1.21
0.46
1976
 
101,591,200
111.6
2.72
0.47
1977
 
105,042,200
115.4
3.40
0.48
1978
 
109,686,600
120.5
4.42
0.49
1979
 
113,147,100
124.3
3.15
0.50
1980
 
113,983,200
125.2
0.74
0.50
1981
 
114,914,000
126.2
0.82
0.50
1982
 
114,163,300
125.4
-0.65
0.49
1983
 
115,645,700
127.0
1.30
0.49
1984
 
120,528,100
132.4
4.22
0.51
1985
 
123,796,700
136.0
2.71
0.52
1986
 
126,232,300
138.6
1.97
0.53
1987
 
129,548,400
142.3
2.63
0.53
1988
 
133,563,900
146.7
3.10
0.55
1989
 
136,177,800
149.6
1.96
0.55
1990
 
138,330,900
151.9
1.58
0.55
1991
 
137,612,800
151.1
-0.52
0.54
1992
 
138,166,100
151.7
0.40
0.54
1993
 
140,774,400
154.6
1.89
0.54
1994
 
144,196,600
158.4
2.43
0.55
1995
 
147,915,800
162.4
2.58
0.56
1996
 
151,056,200
165.9
2.12
0.56
1997
 
154,541,200
169.7
2.31
0.57
1998
 
158,481,200
174.1
2.55
0.57
1999
 
161,531,300
177.4
1.92
0.58
2000
 
165,370,800
181.6
2.38
0.59
2001
 
165,522,200
181.8
0.09
0.58
2002
 
165,095,100
181.3
-0.26
0.57
2003
 
165,921,500
182.2
0.50
0.57
2004
 
168,839,700
185.4
1.76
0.58
2005
 
172,338,400
189.3
2.07
0.58
2006
 
175,868,600
193.1
2.05
0.59
2007
 
179,543,700
197.2
2.09
0.60
2008
 
179,213,900
196.8
-0.18
0.59
2009
 
173,636,700
190.7
-3.11
0.57
2010
 
172,901,700
189.9
-0.42
0.56
2011
 
176,091,700
193.4
1.84
0.56
2012
 
178,979,700
196.6
1.64
0.57
2013
 
182,328,100
200.2
1.87
0.58
2014
 
186,239,800
204.5
2.15
0.58
2015
 
190,325,800
209.0
2.19
0.59
2016
 
193,425,900
212.4
1.63
0.60
2017
 
196,394,100
215.7
1.53
0.60
2018
 
200,292,200
220.0
1.98
0.61
2019
 
201,635,200
221.4
0.67
0.61
2020
 
195,286,600
214.5
-3.15
0.59
2021
 
202,752,100
222.7
3.82
0.61
2022
 
212,442,000
233.3
4.78
0.64
Source: Calculations by the Wisconsin Regional Economic Analysis Project (WI-REAP)
with data provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_PN
 
   
Copyright © 2023. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

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