OEA - WOW Workforce Development Area (WDA)

Washington, Ozaukee, and Waukesha Counties

Contact the regional analyst: Elizabeth Falk

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County Profiles contains detailed labor market information for individual counties within the entire state.

Regional Projections

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About the WOW WDA

The WOW Workforce Development Area (WDA) consists of Washington, Ozaukee, and Waukesha counties. All three counties have strong economic ties to Milwaukee County and are contributors to the largest economic corridor in Wisconsin. The WOW WDA has experienced considerable growth, both economically and demographically, over recent decades. Waukesha County, the most populous of the three counties, composes almost two-thirds of the WDA's population. Despite the heft of Waukesha County, Washington County has been one of the state’s fastest growing counties via population over the last thirty years and Ozaukee County has become one of the wealthiest.

Some quick facts about the WOW WDA:

• The three counties have a combined area of 1,219 square miles or about two percent of Wisconsin's total area.
• The WDA population was 581,473 in 2004. This represented just over 10.5 percent of the state's population.
• The WOW WDA labor was 336,500 in 2003, with 320,900 employed. Its annual unemployment rate in 2003 was 4.6 percent, which was one percentage point below the statewide rate.
• Total nonfarm industry employment numbered an estimated 310,000 jobs in 2003. It is important to note that many WOW residents commute to Milwaukee County for employment.
• The 2003 annual wage paid in the region was $37,097. There are significant differences in the county-level, annual wages paid within the WOW counties. Waukesha County averaged the highest at $38,578 per annum and Washington County, the lowest at $31,755. Ozaukee County wages averaged $35,346 per year.

The industry sector employment composition of this region is well above average in the goods-producing sectors though services-providers do make up the majority of employment. The WOW WDA employment distribution is as follows: manufacturing, 23 percent; trade, transportation, and utilities, 21 percent; education and health services, 15 percent; professional and business services, 11 percent; leisure and hospitality, eight percent; construction, seven percent; financial activities, six percent; public administration, three percent; other services, three percent; information, two percent and natural resources, less than one percent.

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Updated: September 25, 2009
Office of Economic Advisors

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