Key Facts
- Per Capita Real GDP
- $34,890 Rank: 29/50 (2007)
- Population
- 5,627,970 Rank: 20/50 (2008)
- Per Capita Personal Income
- $34,701 Rank: 22/50 (2006)
- Unemployment Rate
- 4.90% Rank: 32/50 (2008)
- Business Tax Climate Index
- Rank: 39/50 (2008)
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Wisconsin: Introduction
Carved out by glaciers hundreds of years ago, Wisconsin has a fairly flat, rolling terrain with 15,000 lakes throughout the state. Wisconsin is located in the Midwest and is bordered by Lake Michigan on the east and Lake Superior on the north. The state holds several ports along its Lake Michigan coast which accommodate shipping to and from the Atlantic Ocean. With the abundance of freshwater located in and around the state, it comes as no surprise that the soil is particularly fertile. This has led to the growth of a renowned dairy industry that leads the nation in cheese production and is ranked second in its production of milk.
Wisconsin’s greatest natural resource has always been its supply of lumber. Exploitive practices depleted the amount of forests in the past, but reforestation practices have helped to reverse the trend. Today about 40% of Wisconsin’s land is densely forested. Green Bay has one of the largest pulp and paper-products industrial complexes in the nation. Milwaukee, famous for its brewing and meatpacking industries, is also a home to manufacturers of vehicles and transportation equipment, metal products, medical instruments and equipment, farm implements, and lumber. Wisconsin also has an active agriculture sector that leads the nation in production of several crops such as oats, cranberries, and cabbage. The largest crop however is corn, which is primarily used as feed for cattle.
