Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Appleton, WI MSA — September 2026
Appleton's low unemployment hides a flat, wage-stagnant economy.
Appleton MSA unemployment sits at 2.8%, but Outagamie County employment grew just 0.1% year-over-year and wages rose only 1.4% — trailing Wisconsin's 3.7% statewide pace and near-4% inflation.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Appleton MSA unemployment rate: 2.8% — July 2026, vs 3.2% statewide Aug and 4.1% national
- Outagamie County employment growth: 0.1% — Year-over-year, Q1 2026 — near-flat
- Metro average weekly wage growth: 1.4% — vs 3.7% Wisconsin statewide, Q1 2026
- Wisconsin core inflation: 3.9% — Outpacing both state and metro wage growth
Key takeaways
Low unemployment is masking a stalled expansion.
Outagamie County employment grew only 0.1% year-over-year even as the unemployment rate sits near historic lows, consistent with a labor market that has stopped adding jobs rather than one still tightening through growth. That distinction matters for how local officials and chambers characterize economic momentum to outside investors.
Wage growth is falling behind both state and inflation benchmarks.
Metro average weekly wages rose just 1.4% in Q1 2026, far below Wisconsin's statewide 3.7% pace and short of core inflation running near 3.9%. Purchasing power erosion at this scale has direct implications for consumer spending forecasts local commerce leaders rely on.
Sector divergence is widening beneath a calm headline number.
Advertised pay softened for retail, food service, electricians, and administrative roles while healthcare, software, and data roles posted moderate-to-significant gains. This split is consistent with national and state patterns separating white-collar/skilled-service demand from blue-collar and transactional retail softness — a pattern economic development planners should track by sector, not by metro average.
Public-sector stability remains a relative anchor amid private softening.
National data shows government payrolls still contracting overall, yet Wisconsin's Education & Health Services sector grew 1.9% over the past year and continues concentrating job growth locally. Appleton's public and quasi-public institutions may be providing a stabilizing counterweight to softer trade, transportation, and manufacturing activity.
Median advertised pay by role — Appleton, WI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $23,920 | $30,123 | $34,528 | Moderate decline | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $25,147 | $29,754 | $31,733 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $33,060 | $39,177 | $41,600 | Moderate increase | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $56,386 | $75,820 | $88,000 | Moderate increase | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $27,019 | $35,360 | $41,600 | Moderate decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $36,941 | $43,680 | $45,733 | Stable | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $60,109 | $69,874 | $72,800 | Moderate decline | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $34,847 | $39,520 | $43,764 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,240 | $38,480 | $43,680 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,411 | $29,254 | $31,200 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $37,440 | $42,640 | $47,320 | Moderate decline | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $35,360 | $41,588 | $44,720 | Moderate decline | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $61,360 | $69,680 | $69,689 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $83,200 | $96,720 | $106,253 | Moderate increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $86,045 | $131,414 | $149,553 | Significant increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $83,605 | $130,933 | $131,901 | Significant increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $56,632 | $65,373 | $70,752 | Stable | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $65,533 | $78,962 | $83,713 | Moderate decline | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $55,000 | $76,500 | $76,500 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $47,500 | $62,522 | $71,276 | Stable | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,157 | $82,250 | $88,005 | Moderate increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $31,044 | $40,175 | $52,246 | Moderate increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $61,731 | $86,500 | $107,500 | Significant increase | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $41,352 | $75,110 | $84,529 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $81,526 | $81,526 | $81,526 | Moderate increase | $98,279 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $63,440 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $59,347 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $35,360 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $51,604 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $72,689 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $52,739 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $56,160 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $57,091 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $33,280 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $64,929 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Appleton MSA unemployment held at 2.8% in July 2026, among the tightest readings in the state, even as Outagamie County employment grew just 0.1% year-over-year and average weekly wages rose only 1.4% — a pace well below statewide wage growth and barely ahead of core inflation. Tight headline unemployment is coexisting with near-zero job growth and softening advertised pay across several of the metro's largest employment categories, suggesting a labor market defined more by low churn than by expansion.
What it means
Flat employment growth paired with a sub-3% unemployment rate points to a metro economy operating near capacity rather than one accelerating — a signal relevant to expansion timing, site-selection pitches, and public investment planning rather than any hiring calculus. Commerce leaders weighing whether conditions favor new facility announcements or retail expansion should note that wage softness in several advertised-pay categories (retail, food service, electricians) sits alongside strength in healthcare and tech-adjacent roles, implying uneven capacity across sectors rather than broad-based slack. Consider reviewing sector-specific momentum before framing the metro's low unemployment rate as uniformly favorable for business investment.
Looking ahead
Expected: BLS metro-level unemployment and payroll data for August and September will not post until mid-to-late October. Treat current 2.8% readings as directional until confirmed.
Emerging pressure point: Wisconsin's core CPI running near 3.9% against metro wage growth of 1.4% implies a widening real-income gap. Watch whether local consumer-facing sectors (retail, hospitality) report softer sales as a downstream effect.
Worth watching: Statewide manufacturing and trade/transportation sectors are contracting; Outagamie County's exposure to both makes it a useful bellwether. A rise in WARN filings or notable plant-level news locally would mark a shift from stagnation to contraction.
Early indicator: Wisconsin's labor force participation rate has slipped a full point year-over-year to 64.5%. A parallel decline locally would suggest workforce exit rather than simple job-market softness, a distinction that matters for long-term regional labor supply planning.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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