Pandemic Create a Boom of Remote Work in Wisconsin, But Rise Hasn't Been Even Across the State

Sunday, February 26th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(By Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) The COVID-19 pandemic created a boom of remote work. But the rise hasn’t been even across Wisconsin’s counties and could worsen preexisting inequities, according to a new report from Wisconsin Policy Forum.

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, the report, released Thursday, found 14.8 percent of Wisconsinites over 16-years old worked remotely in 2021. Dane County and Milwaukee’s suburbs had the largest share of people working from home, while counties more reliant on manufacturing and the service industry tended to lag behind.

About 24.4 percent of Dane County residents worked from home in 2021, followed by 21 percent in Ozaukee County and 19.6 percent in Waukesha County. Meanwhile, only 9.5 percent of Manitowoc County residents worked remotely, 8.3 percent in Rock County and 7 percent in Dodge County.

Those discrepancies were primarily due to differences in the concentration of jobs that can be done remotely, according to Joe Peterangelo, a senior researcher at Wisconsin Policy Forum and the report’s lead author.

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