MON AM News: WI ranked No. 8 in U.S. for various measures, but WPF warns some are slipping; ACA enrollment in Wisconsin drops 16% from open enrollment

July 6, 2026

— Wisconsin was ranked 8th in the country for a broad range of metrics in the 2026 State of the States report, reflecting relatively low rates of poverty and income inequality as well as a strong labor force.

But the Wisconsin Policy Forum says the state is in danger of slipping lower based on trends in the report. In a recent analysis of the State of the Nation Project report, the group said Wisconsin’s “strong standing” may be at risk.

“Our state is losing ground relative to the nation on significantly more metrics than it is gaining,” authors wrote. “Unless it reverses course in a number of these areas, it may not hold its top 10 distinction for much longer.”

The rankings include 31 metrics grouped into 14 categories, covering things like the economy, education, mental and physical health, rates of violence, the workforce, citizenship, life satisfaction and more.

Overall, the state is worsening on 13 of the report’s 31 measures and improving on eight of them, WPF notes. For the other 10, its trend is “mixed, stable or unclear” when compared to the national level.

Wisconsin ranked No. 4 for income inequality and No. 9 for poverty, while its long-term unemployment rate was good for No. 6. WPF notes the state has “consistently performed better than the national rate” on this measure over the last three decades.

And while the state was also ranked No. 8 for its labor force participation rate, authors note “Wisconsin’s edge on its national peers in this area is eroding” despite the state and Upper Midwest region historically performing well on this measure.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s rate of fatal shootings has risen more than the national rate in recent years, with WPF deeming it “solid but slipping” on this measure. Still, the state ranked No. 16 with a lower rate than the national level.

And while the state ranked near the top or at least middling on “nearly all measures” in the report, WPF notes, other factors are dragging down Wisconsin’s ranking. One of these is child mortality, for which the state was ranked No. 28 with a rate slightly better than the national level.

“Our child mortality rate increased relative to the nation’s during the prior decade,” authors wrote.

Wisconsin also ranked No. 31 for net emissions of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. While the ranking report doesn’t provide emissions per capita, WPF drew on its own figures to note per capita net emissions were slightly higher than the national level in 2022.

“A comparison of the trend shows that emissions have plummeted nationally since the Great Recession, while Wisconsin’s have remained relatively stable,” authors wrote.

See the WPF report.

See Wisconsin’s rankings.

— Wisconsin’s enrollment in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans dropped by nearly 46,000 early this year as enhanced subsidies for the program expired.

As of February, the state had 245,753 enrollees with active ACA plans who had paid their first month’s premium, according to figures from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

That’s a decline of about 16% from the 291,336 enrollment total reported by CMS in January, covering the open enrollment period for this year.

Wisconsin’s decrease matches the decline at the national level, as ACA plan enrollees also dropped about 16% from nearly 23 million at the end of open enrollment to 19.2 million in February, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In a statement on the decline, Joe Zepecki of Protect Our Care Wisconsin said “this didn’t happen by accident,” laying the blame on Republicans in Congress for voting for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He singled out GOP guv candidate U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents the state’s 7th CD.

Zepecki argues voting for the federal bill was a policy choice to “make health insurance more expensive” for more state residents.

“One year after HR1 was enacted into law the health care system is approaching a full-blown crisis,” he said. “It costs too much. It’s leading to even less access. And Wisconsin families are paying the price.”

Neither Tiffany’s office nor his campaign responded to a request for comment.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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— Gov. Tony Evers later this month will lead a trade mission to Africa that will include stops in Ghana and South Africa.

That includes visiting Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd. The largest cocoa processor in Ghana operates a manufacturing facility in Franklin, Wisconsin. According to the governor’s announcement, it’s the largest African foreign direct investment in the food and beverage industry in the U.S.

The governor’s office also noted South Africa has business connections to Wisconsin through exports of industrial machinery, medical devices and agricultural products.

The governor’s office announced the mission late Thursday afternoon and didn’t immediately respond to follow-up questions seeking details on who will accompany Evers on the mission and who will cover the costs.

It will be Evers’ fourth trade mission after going to Japan in 2019; Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 2023; and Germany and France in 2025.

— Homeowners and renters in 19 counties and the Oneida Nation can now apply for FEMA assistance to help cover damage caused by April storms.

President Donald Trump originally announced on social media that he had approved $22.6 million for Wisconsin to help recover from the storms. FEMA then formally announced Thursday that the assistance had been approved.

The 19 counties impacted are: Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Marathon, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca and Winnebago.

The assistance can include: low-cost loans to cover uninsured losses, money for temporary housing and home repairs, and other programs.

The federal government has also approved funding for state, tribal and local governments and some private nonprofits to help with emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities. The counties included in that designation are: Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kewaunee, Outagamie, Rock, Vernon and Waupaca counties. The Oneida Nation is also eligible.

A FEMA spokesperson said the $22.6 million was a preliminary estimate, and there is no cap on the amount of individual assistance that families impacted by the storms can receive.

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from the latest WisBusiness column by manufacturing expert Buckley Brinkman.

— AI will make a real difference for the companies and people who lean into it and take advantage of the speed and productivity gains it offers. AI already touches — or will soon touch — nearly every corner of our lives, often in ways we can’t yet predict.

But here’s the catch: AI won’t hand anyone a lasting competitive advantage once everyone uses it to boost performance. The real challenge is finding the moves that set us apart even after the technology becomes table stakes. Could the human factor still decide who wins?

Read the full column by Buckley Brinkman here.

Find more columns from Brinkman at the AI in Wisconsin page.

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