Economic Impact Study
The University of Wisconsin-Stout commissioned the consulting firm Economic Modeling Specialists Int. to study the overall economic impact of our institution. The results are listed below. It should be noted, however, that this study varies from most others done for similar institutions because it measures the economic value of the skills our graduates bring to the workplace. The study also reveals what the return on investment is for our students and for the taxpayers.
Payroll and benefits to support day-to-day operations of ºÚÁÏ¿Æ amounted to $90.8 million. The net impact of operations spending toward the university in the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area during the analysis year was approximately $99.2 million in added income, which is equivalent to supporting 1,232 jobs.
Around 71% of credit students attending ºÚÁÏ¿Æ originated from outside the region. Some of these students relocated to the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area to attend ºÚÁÏ¿Æ. In addition, some students are residents of the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area who would have left the region if not for the existence of ºÚÁÏ¿Æ. The money that these students spent toward living expenses in the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area is attributable to ºÚÁÏ¿Æ.
The expenditures of relocated and retained students in the region during the analysis year added approximately $10.6 million in added income for the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area economy, which is equivalent to supporting 210 jobs.
ºÚÁÏ¿Æ invests in construction each year to maintain its facilities, create additional capacities, and meet its growing educational demands. While the amount varies from year to year, these quick infusions of income and jobs have a substantial impact on the regional economy.
In FY 2019-20, ºÚÁÏ¿Æ’s construction spending generated $10.2 million in added income, which is equivalent to supporting 142 jobs.
Over the years, students gained new skills, making them more productive workers, by studying at ºÚÁÏ¿Æ. Today, thousands of these former students are employed in the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area.
The accumulated impact of former students currently employed in the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area workforce amounted to $186.3 million in added income to the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area economy, which is equivalent to supporting 3,025 jobs.
Total Economic Impact
Altogether, the average annual added income due to the activities of ºÚÁÏ¿Æ and its former students equals $306.2 million.
The $306.2 million impact supported 4,609 regional jobs, using the jobs-to-sales ratios specific to each industry in the region. This means that one out of every 53 jobs in the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area is supported by the activities of ºÚÁÏ¿Æ and its students.
This is approximately 1.5% of the ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area's economy (GRP). This contribution that the university provided on its own constitutes half of the entire Professional & Technical Services industry in the region.
The ºÚÁÏ¿Æ Service Area includes Polk, St. Croix, Pierce, Barron, Chippewa, Eau Claire, and Dunn Counties.