Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Racine, WI MSA — October 2026
Racine wages climb as county employment contracts
Racine County unemployment reached 4.1% in August against Wisconsin's 3.2% statewide rate, even as local wages grew 3.8% year-over-year — a divergence that signals cost pressure more than economic strength.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Racine County unemployment: 4.1% — vs 3.2% Wisconsin statewide, Aug. 2026
- Racine wage growth: 3.8% — Q1 2026 YoY, highest among major WI counties
- Racine County employment decline: -1.5% — YoY, Dec. 2025, largest among major WI counties
- Wisconsin real wage growth: -5.1% — YoY, steepest decline of any state
Key takeaways
Wage growth and job losses are moving together.
Racine County posted 3.8% wage growth in Q1 while logging the state's largest year-over-year employment decline (-1.5%) in December. That combination is consistent with a shrinking, more concentrated workforce commanding higher pay.
Racine's unemployment gap with the state is widening.
County unemployment reached 4.1% in August against Wisconsin's statewide 3.2%, placing Racine among the state's highest-unemployment counties. The divergence suggests local softening is outpacing the statewide trend, a distinction state-level averages can mask for commerce planning purposes.
Manufacturing softness is a metro-specific risk.
Wisconsin manufacturing employment is forecast roughly 1.3% below year-ago levels by October, and statewide manufacturing sits about 4% below pre-pandemic levels. Racine's manufacturing concentration means local conditions likely track this contraction more closely than the state average.
Administrative and clerical pay is outrunning most other local roles.
Advertised pay for administrative/office roles rose significantly to $50,960 locally, outpacing the national median of $44,552. That divergence may reflect scarcer local supply for office-support functions even as manufacturing and retail show flatter wage signals.
Median advertised pay by role — Racine, WI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $26,000 | $33,394 | $37,746 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $23,174 | $30,126 | $32,240 | Moderate increase | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $31,246 | $36,687 | $46,800 | Moderate increase | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $57,211 | $76,052 | $86,580 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $31,488 | $40,580 | $43,886 | Moderate increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $34,370 | $41,600 | $43,680 | Significant decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $72,656 | $88,806 | $100,360 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $35,675 | $39,312 | $41,600 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $36,296 | $44,431 | $47,840 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,769 | $29,582 | $33,548 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $36,844 | $45,760 | $53,738 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $38,147 | $50,960 | $51,747 | Significant increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $63,200 | $70,262 | $79,581 | Significant decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $86,480 | $98,612 | $103,072 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $50,276 | $104,646 | $125,283 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $90,729 | $131,337 | $145,390 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $58,148 | $70,281 | $73,812 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $69,395 | $86,817 | $91,430 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $65,000 | $78,736 | $91,879 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $70,000 | $85,176 | $88,005 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $33,668 | $50,716 | $56,904 | Moderate increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $54,140 | $79,810 | $90,000 | Moderate decline | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $66,387 | $80,000 | $85,223 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $81,877 | $90,553 | $119,339 | Significant decline | $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 | $84,675 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $60,851 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $38,189 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $57,720 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $101,650 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $46,800 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $53,040 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $67,774 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,823 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $66,924 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Racine County's unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in August, the 8th-highest among Wisconsin's 72 counties and up 0.4 points from a year earlier, even as county average weekly wages climbed 3.8% year-over-year in Q1 — among the strongest wage gains in the state. Manufacturing remains the metro's defining sector, but statewide forecasts point to manufacturing employment running roughly 1.3% below year-ago levels by October, consistent with Racine's own -1.5% employment decline recorded in December, the steepest among major Wisconsin counties.
What it means
Rising local unemployment alongside above-average wage growth points to a metro economy where labor costs are climbing even as job counts soften — a combination that squeezes margins for employers while doing little to rebuild household purchasing power, since Wisconsin's real wage growth fell -5.1% year-over-year, the steepest decline of any state. Commerce leaders weighing expansion or investment timing should treat Racine's wage strength as a cost signal, since it is occurring alongside contraction. Current conditions suggest monitoring county-level employment releases alongside wage data before reading local wage gains as evidence of a tightening or expanding labor market.
Looking ahead
Expected release: Wisconsin DWD's next county and MSA unemployment update will show whether Racine's August 4.1% reading holds or extends further above the statewide 3.2% rate. A continued widening would reinforce the case that local softening is metro-specific.
Emerging pressure point: Statewide manufacturing employment is forecast to run 1.3% below year-ago levels by October, a trend that would weigh disproportionately on Racine given its manufacturing concentration. Watch county-level manufacturing payroll figures for confirmation or divergence from the state forecast.
Early indicator: Job ads for warehouse/fulfillment and delivery driver roles are both trending up moderately in Racine, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings) in logistics-adjacent work even as broader manufacturing softens. Sustained growth there could offset some manufacturing drag in the metro's employment count.
Potential inflection point: Real wage erosion is running steeper in Wisconsin (-5.1% year-over-year) than almost any other state, a dynamic that could compress local consumer spending even where nominal wages rise. Watch whether Racine's above-average wage growth translates into stronger local retail and services activity or gets absorbed by inflation.
Sources
- USAFacts/Bureau of Labor Statistics — Racine County unemployment at 4.1% in August, 8th-highest in WI
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Racine County wages grew 3.8% YoY in Q1 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Racine County employment fell 1.5% YoY in December 2025
- Wisconsin DWD/forecast research notes — Wisconsin manufacturing forecast 1.3% below year-ago levels by October
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Wisconsin real wage growth -5.1% YoY, steepest among states
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development — Wisconsin statewide unemployment at 3.2%, labor force participation 64.9%
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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