Agriculture, Food, and Beverage
The Madison Region boasts a favorable agricultural climate and the largest agriculture employment base in the state with over 60,000 jobs directly related to agriculture, comprising 20% of Wisconsin’s total agricultural employment. Our industry infrastructure supports not only food & beverage production, but also processing, packaging, and distribution. Several food-related incubators throughout the region support a growing cadre of local entrepreneurs, while established companies thrive thanks to our strong industry assets. Renowned for products like milk, cheese and beer, the Madison Region’s agricultural sector will continue to build on existing strengths as well as a tradition of innovation that secures our ongoing competitiveness.
ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR TOTAL JOBS
CHANGE IN JOBS OVER 10 YEARS
EARNINGS
(As Compared to National Rate)
5 YEAR PROJECTED GROWTH
(Supply/Jobs)
Sub-sector Strengths
Animal Food Manufacturing
Fruit & Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing
Animal Processing
Establishments
830 establishments
Employment
61,096 employees
Employment Growth
-0.1% industry growth from 2015-2020
Wages
$61,511 average annual wage (nonfarm)
Degrees Conferred
638 industry-applicable degrees and certificates conferred in 2020 from higher education institutions in and around the Madison Region.
Location Quotients
Location Quotient (LQ) is a way of discovering the industries or occupations that are truly unique and specialized in your regional economy (compared to the national average). For example, if the commercial bakeries industry in your city accounts for 2.5% of jobs but only 1% of jobs nationally, then the city’s commercial bakeries have an LQ of 2.5, which means that this industry is 2.5x more concentrated in the region than the typical region. (Emsi)
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting LQ | 1.45
Dairy Product
Manufacturing | 6.88
Fruit and
Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | 4.02
Animal Food
Manufacturing | 2.14
Sugar and
Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 1.84
Other Food
Manufacturing | 1.57
Animal
Slaughtering and Processing | 1.07
Beverage
Manufacturing | 0.91
Bakeries and
Tortilla Manufacturing | 0.57
Grain and
Oilseed Milling | 0.51
Seafood Product
Preparation and Packaging | 0.33
Source: Emsi 2021.3 Employment figures based on UW-Extension County Impact Reports.
