This month’s edition of Metro Metrics examines key economic indicators in the Madison Metro to assess the first quarter of 2026.  

Industries 

Overall, the number of jobs in the Madison Metro declined slightly from a year ago, mirroring trends statewide, impacting the Manufacturing, Trade, Transportation and Utilities, and Leisure and Hospitality sectors most (Fig. 1). The strongest growth in the past year was seen in Education and Health Services, Professional and Business Services, and Information, one of the key economic drivers for the region. The Metro’s growth of nearly 5% in the Information sector surpassed other software hubs such as Boulder, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Seattle. Information jobs in the Metro have been growing since at least 1990 according to the BLS, with an accelerated rate of growth since the early 2000’s and a spike after the pandemic.

Labor Force 

The number of employed people in the Metro also remained relatively unchanged from last year, increasing by 0.11% since this time last year (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). The unemployment rate increased modestly by 0.2%, following the Wisconsin average, with the number of unemployed people increasing by approximately 1,000 people.

Housing Permits

Year-to-date housing permits are up in the Metro area since last year, driven primarily by construction of multifamily housing units, which has nearly doubled from 670 last year to 1,303 this year (Fig. 4). The Metro area has been growing faster than it built housing for decades. As covered in January’s Metro Metrics, the city and county last year both fell short of their housing goals. It remains to be seen whether this increase will continue through the rest of the year, but the 45.4% increase in overall units permitted is an encouraging trend line.

MSN Airport Update  

Last year, the Dane County Regional Airport broke its pre-pandemic passenger count record. This year, passenger counts are already up 5.9%, supporting the expansion of new direct service options to major metros like Boston (Fig. 5).