Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Sheboygan, WI MSA — October 2026
Sheboygan defies Wisconsin's job slowdown — for now.
Sheboygan's unemployment rate fell to 2.6% while Wisconsin shed 13,700 nonfarm jobs statewide, even as the metro's 21.4% manufacturing employment share leaves it exposed to a forecast statewide manufacturing contraction.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Sheboygan unemployment rate: 2.6% — vs 3.2% Wisconsin, 4.1% U.S. (Sept 2026)
- Metro workforce growth: +300 jobs YoY — 63,500 total employed, Sept 2026
- Manufacturing employment share: 21.4% — vs 5.5% national average
- Wisconsin real wage growth: -5.1% — Steepest decline among all states, YoY
Key takeaways
Sheboygan is bucking the state's job-growth stall.
While Wisconsin lost 13,700 nonfarm payroll jobs in September and posted job growth of just 1.5% since February 2020 (versus 4.3% nationally), Sheboygan's unemployment rate dropped and its workforce expanded by 300 workers year-over-year. That divergence suggests the metro's economic base, anchored in manufacturing and skilled trades, is holding steadier than the statewide trend implies.
Manufacturing concentration is a strength and a watch item.
Production jobs account for 21.4% of local employment, nearly four times the national share, which has historically supported Sheboygan's wage premium. Wisconsin manufacturing is forecast to run 1.3% below year-ago levels statewide by October, meaning the metro's fortunes are tied closely to a sector showing early signs of statewide softening.
Wage gains in skilled trades point to where local demand concentrates.
HVAC technician pay rose moderately and registered nurse pay rose moderately locally, both outpacing several white-collar categories that sit flat. That pattern is consistent with sustained demand in trades and healthcare delivery even as softer categories like construction laborer (down significantly) and electrician (down significantly) suggest uneven conditions within the broader skilled-trades basket.
Real wages are likely still losing ground to inflation locally.
Wisconsin's year-over-year real wage decline of 5.1% was the steepest among all states even as nominal median wages hit record highs, and national CPI has outpaced wage growth through Q3. Sheboygan's wage levels remain high relative to peer counties, but that comparison does not mean local household purchasing power is improving.
Median advertised pay by role — Sheboygan, WI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $25,806 | $29,684 | $32,240 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,960 | $27,040 | $29,120 | Moderate increase | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $34,010 | $41,600 | $43,680 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $58,801 | $79,482 | $85,714 | Moderate decline | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,996 | $33,578 | $35,566 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $37,440 | $44,720 | $44,720 | Significant decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $59,897 | $69,875 | $83,778 | Significant decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $34,912 | $39,520 | $41,550 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $35,144 | $39,520 | $40,322 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $30,057 | $33,280 | $33,280 | Significant decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $41,600 | $48,880 | $54,080 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $35,360 | $40,560 | $46,030 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician * | $60,320 | $69,500 | $76,681 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $92,300 | $104,962 | $115,159 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $100,116 | $112,250 | $141,126 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $90,729 | $131,337 | $145,390 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $54,038 | $65,554 | $72,705 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $66,735 | $91,691 | $92,455 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $62,180 | $77,433 | $77,500 | Stable | $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 | $31,564 | $35,360 | $42,300 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $54,452 | $87,224 | $107,487 | 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 | $72,800 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $72,315 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $41,600 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $55,000 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $65,333 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $49,088 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $51,599 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $49,920 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,916 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $67,193 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Sheboygan metro unemployment fell to 2.6% in September, the only Wisconsin city posting a year-over-year decline, while the local workforce grew by 300 to 63,500 employed — modest but notable against a state that shed 13,700 nonfarm payroll positions the same month. Manufacturing remains the metro's defining structural feature at 21.4% of local employment versus 5.5% nationally, leaving the local economy more exposed than the state or national average to the sector's broader deceleration, even as Sheboygan County's $1,394 average weekly wage ranks highest among Wisconsin's smaller counties.
What it means
Sheboygan's labor tightness — unemployment nearly a point and a half below the state average and over a point and a half below the national rate — signals an economy still running close to full capacity, a condition that supports continued local investment but leaves little slack to absorb a manufacturing downturn should state-level softness (Wisconsin manufacturing forecast 1.3% below year-ago levels by October) reach the metro. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion or relocation decisions should weigh that Sheboygan's wage advantage and low unemployment reflect underlying demand strength even amid population loss; current conditions suggest monitoring whether manufacturing employment locally tracks or diverges from the statewide contraction before treating metro tightness as guaranteed to persist.
Looking ahead
Potential inflection point: Statewide manufacturing employment is projected to run below year-ago levels through October; watch whether Sheboygan's 21.4% manufacturing employment share begins to show the same softening or continues to outperform the state trend.
Early indicator: Wisconsin's WARN filings remain concentrated outside Sheboygan County so far in 2026, but the state's lower 25-employee notice threshold makes it a sensitive gauge — any new local filings would be an early signal worth flagging for regional economic development tracking.
Worth watching: Sheboygan's wage-vs-inflation gap mirrors a national and state pattern of nominal gains trailing CPI; local consumer spending data in retail and hospitality over the next two months will indicate whether that erosion is affecting household confidence.
Expected: Labor force participation locally has outpaced the state's already-strong 64.9% rate; continued workforce growth alongside falling unemployment would reinforce the metro's divergence from statewide contraction, while any stall would suggest the gap is closing.
Sources
- WHBL / Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development — Sheboygan unemployment fell to 2.6%, only WI city with YoY decrease
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Sheboygan production jobs 21.4% of employment vs 5.5% national
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / Wisconsin DWD — Wisconsin lost 13,700 nonfarm payroll jobs in September 2026
- Wisconsin labor market research notes — Wisconsin manufacturing forecast 1.3% below year-ago levels by October
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Wisconsin real wage decline of 5.1% YoY, steepest among states
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Sheboygan County highest average weekly wage among WI small counties
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.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.