Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Janesville, WI MSA — October 2026
Janesville's economy adds businesses as job growth stays flat.
Rock County gained 119 private establishments over the past year while private employment grew just 0.3% and unemployment climbed to 3.7% in August from a 2026 low of 3.1% in May.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Rock County unemployment: 3.7% — Up from 3.1% low in May 2026
- Private establishment growth: +3.1% — 3,971 vs 3,852 establishments, year-over-year
- Rock County avg weekly wage growth: 0.5% — Vs Wisconsin's -5.1% real wage decline, steepest in US
- Wisconsin statewide unemployment: 3.2% — vs 4.2% national rate, September 2026
Key takeaways
Business formation is outpacing job creation in Rock County.
Private establishments grew to 3,971 from 3,852 over the past year, a gain of more than 3%, while private employment rose just 0.3%. New business formation may reflect confidence in the local market even as existing firms hold headcount flat.
Healthcare remains the county's only consistent growth engine.
Education and health services added 253 jobs in Rock County on a year-over-year basis through Q1, the largest gain of any private sector, while trade, transportation and utilities shed 217 positions over the same period. Economic development planning should account for this bifurcation and treat the county's labor market as two distinct trend lines.
County wage growth trails the state's already-weak pace.
Rock County's average weekly wage rose 0.5% year-over-year to $1,273, while Wisconsin recorded the steepest real wage decline of any state at -5.1%. Consumer spending capacity in the metro appears more constrained than state-level averages alone would suggest.
Unemployment's summer climb bears watching against the statewide pattern.
Rock County unemployment rose from a 2026 low of 3.1% in May to 3.7% in August, moving against Wisconsin's statewide rate, which held steady at 3.2% in September. A local-to-state divergence this size is worth tracking into Q4 data before drawing conclusions about the county's trajectory.
Median advertised pay by role — Janesville, WI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $23,182 | $30,735 | $35,880 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,609 | $29,877 | $31,708 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $32,254 | $36,400 | $41,184 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $57,789 | $78,798 | $85,800 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,573 | $35,339 | $43,680 | Significant decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $35,360 | $41,227 | $42,052 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $75,375 | $83,200 | $85,280 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $35,360 | $39,520 | $41,600 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $35,360 | $39,313 | $41,600 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,206 | $35,634 | $40,175 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $36,633 | $44,772 | $46,929 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $36,021 | $43,322 | $46,800 | Moderate decline | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician * | $60,320 | $69,500 | $76,681 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $91,820 | $108,853 | $117,970 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $142,415 | $142,668 | $143,804 | Stable | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $87,887 | $133,378 | $154,789 | Moderate decline | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $60,000 | $64,186 | $73,486 | Significant decline | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $69,438 | $110,000 | $110,000 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $54,425 | $73,658 | $83,184 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $48,552 | $58,054 | $67,922 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,000 | $85,176 | $88,005 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $31,200 | $45,531 | $53,309 | Stable | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $59,150 | $115,000 | $149,791 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $66,387 | $80,000 | $85,223 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $76,502 | $91,418 | $103,251 | Stable | $98,302 |
* 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 | $53,479 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $73,819 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $40,555 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $55,605 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $71,047 | Moderate decline | Moderate decline |
| Financial Activities | $53,175 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $50,055 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $83,200 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $32,469 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $67,386 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Rock County unemployment rose to 3.7% in August, up three-tenths of a point from a year earlier, even as employers added 119 private establishments over the past year and healthcare continued absorbing the bulk of new positions. Private employment growth stayed essentially flat — up just 0.3% year-over-year through March — while trade, transportation and utilities contracted 1.3%, a pattern consistent with Wisconsin's statewide job count still sitting below its November 2024 peak.
What it means
Flat private payroll growth alongside a rising county unemployment rate points to a local economy adding establishments without adding proportional headcount, a signal worth distinguishing from outright contraction when assessing business investment climate. Wage data reinforces the caution: Rock County's average weekly wage rose only 0.5% year-over-year, well under Wisconsin's statewide real wage decline of 5.1%, suggesting local household purchasing power is under pressure even where employment holds steady. Commerce leaders and economic development officials should track establishment counts alongside payroll figures before characterizing current conditions as either expansion or slowdown.
Looking ahead
Data release to watch: October metro-level BLS data for Janesville has not yet posted; county figures through August show unemployment climbing from spring lows. The next release will clarify whether the summer uptick is seasonal or a trend.
Sector concentration risk: Trade, transportation and utilities — a sector tied to the metro's logistics and fulfillment base — lost jobs year-over-year even as warehouse and fulfillment advertised pay softened locally. Commerce leaders tracking the metro's logistics footprint should watch whether this sector stabilizes or continues contracting into year-end.
Wage-inflation gap: Wisconsin's statewide real wage decline of 5.1% is the steepest in the nation; if Rock County's 0.5% weekly wage growth persists against continued inflation, local consumer spending data merits closer monitoring heading into the holiday retail season.
Policy pressure point: Federal WARN filings nationally have topped 3,860 notices affecting over 340,000 workers this year, and Wisconsin's lower 25-employee notification threshold makes the state more sensitive to smaller-scale layoffs. No major Rock County filings have surfaced this month, but the threshold means local economic developers get earlier signal than most states if conditions shift.
Sources
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development / USA Facts — Rock County unemployment rose to 3.7% in August 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Private establishments in Rock County grew to 3,971 from 3,852
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages — Education and health services added 253 jobs in Rock County YoY
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Wisconsin saw steepest real wage decline nationally at -5.1%
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Wisconsin statewide unemployment held at 3.2% vs 4.2% national
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development — Wisconsin WARN threshold set at 25 employees vs federal 50-100
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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