The MMAC's Blueprint for Economic Prosperity
Milwaukee was built on ingenuity and hard work. MMAC members have shaped this region for 150 years, both its form and function, and will continue to transform its landscape.
We cannot do it without an action plan. The following pages provide specific objectives to accomplish our goals. This Blueprint for Economic Prosperity builds off our strengths and addresses our challenges.
But the plan is not complete. Your feedback, leadership and commitment are invaluable to this process. Join us in advancing Milwaukee’s possibilities.
Benchmarking Our Progress
Drawn from an in-depth report produced by the MMAC, the five metrics outlined below are key measures of our region’s progress. To be competitive we need to know where we stand from a historical perspective and how we stack up against our peer regions.
Gross Metropolitan Product Per Capita
($54,310)
Metro Milwaukee’s gross metro product per capita ($54,310) in 2010 ranks eighth highest among the 21 comparable metros. Growth in this measure from 2005 to 2010 (+11.2%) registered slightly lower than consumer price inflation over the same time period.
Median Household Income
($49,774)
The 8.4% rate of growth in median household income for metro Milwaukee ($49,774) over the 1999 to 2010 period trailed consumer price inflation over the same time period (+30.9%). The metro Milwaukee’s absolute median income level ranks in the bottom half of comparable metro areas.
Net Population Migration
(-46,621)
The metro area saw a net outflow of 46,621 people over the 2000 to 2009 period, or 3.1% loss of its 2000 population. Milwaukee ranks fifth-worst in this measure among comparable metros.
Non-farm Employment
(-32,800)
All but four of the 21 comparable metro areas posted job declines over the 2005 to 2010 period. Metro Milwaukee’s 3.9% decrease ranks below the median level (down 1.8%) and the 1.9% decline posted nationally. On the positive side, the year-over-year growth registered in August 2011 for metro Milwaukee ranked second highest among the group of comparable metros.
Educational Attainment
(31.7%)
The percentage of the metro area population age 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or higher rose from 27% in 2000 to 31.7% in 2010, one spot higher than the median (29.9%) among comparable metros.