THU AM News: Marquette poll shows further drop in voters’ data center views; June home sales up 5.9% over the year, WRA report shows

July 23, 2026

— The latest Marquette Law School Poll shows a further drop in public opinion on data centers, with just 22% of surveyed registered voters saying the benefits of these projects outweigh the costs.

In the group’s latest survey, conducted earlier this month, 76% of registered voters said the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits.

That’s a far cry from October 2025, when the survey found 44% thought benefits were greater and 55% thought the costs were greater.

The wording of the question differed between the two polls, with the earlier one referencing Microsoft deciding against building a data center following community opposition. The more recent poll just mentioned several large data centers being proposed or built in the state.

In the meantime, two other Marquette Law School Polls earlier this year found voters were souring on the massive projects, with a 29-70 split in mid-February and 30-69 in mid-March.

When broken down by political affiliation, the poll shows a majority of each partisan group saying data center costs outweigh their benefits.

Among Republicans, the share of those saying the costs are greater has risen from 53% in October 2025 to 55% in February, 62% in March and 67% this month in the latest poll.

Meanwhile, Democrats have signaled greater opposition but also more variability. The share of those saying data center costs are greater rose from 56% to 85% between October and February, before dipping to 77% in March and rising back up to 88% in this month’s poll.

The share of Independents saying costs outweigh benefits rose from 55% in October to 76% in February, 69% in March and 71% most recently.

Despite the controversy surrounding these projects, only 5% of respondents in the latest poll said data centers are their most important issue. The topic was overshadowed by inflation and the cost of living with 42% ranking it the most important, followed by illegal immigration and border security at 13% and health insurance at 9%.

The latest survey was conducted July 8-16 with 838 registered Wisconsin voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

See the full poll results.

— Wisconsin home sales in June rose by 5.9% over the year as more listings came on the market and prices continued to rise, according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association.

The group today released its latest monthly report, showing 7,768 homes were sold last month compared to 7,333 in June 2025.

At the same time, the number of new listings in the state increased by 4.8% over the year while total listings were 3.3% higher over the same period. Still, inventory remained flat at 4.2 months, below the six-month benchmark signaling a balanced market.

WRA President and CEO Tom Larson says the latest figures show “a solid first half” of 2026 for the housing market.

“In a typical year, June is the strongest month for closings, so it was good to see a healthy bounce in June sales, which led to a solid first half for the year,” he said in the report. “While affordability remains a challenge for first-time buyers, higher inventory helps grow sales and also helps moderate price appreciation.”

The state’s median home price rose 5.9% over the year from $340,000 to $360,000, contributing to a decline in housing affordability when coupled with “very weak growth” in median family income and modest reduction in mortgage rates.

Meanwhile, WRA’s consultant and economist, Dave Clark, highlights a decline in available starter homes in Wisconsin. The median home price has risen 40.6% between June 2021 and June 2026, for an annual appreciation rate of 6.8%.

And while total listings have risen 4.1% over the same period, total listings priced under $350,000 have fallen by about a third.

“Inventory is expected to increase as baby boomers continue to transition out of single-family detached homes,” Clark wrote. “The reality is that the share of homes under $200,000 now accounts for only about 15% of listings, and that percentage will continue to decline over time.”

See the report.

— A new report from Federal Reserve Economist Erik Hembre suggests Wisconsin’s homeownership rate is lower than previously thought.

The report, issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, establishes a different way of calculating the home ownership rate for states and nationally.

While the U.S. homeownership rate is reported to be 65%, that’s based on the owner-occupancy rate, indicating how many housing units are occupied by an owner.

Authors argue that doesn’t truly reflect how many people own their home, instead pointing to the homeowners-to-population ratio or HPOP as a better measure for this concept. Under this approach — dividing the total population of adult homeowners by the total adult population — the U.S. homeownership rate is calculated to be 53%.

In Wisconsin, the owner-occupancy rate is 68.2%. But the HPOP calculation indicates the homeownership rate is actually 60.9%, a difference of 7.3 percentage points. While the figure differs, it’s one of the lower differences among U.S. states between the two measures, with just five other states below Wisconsin.

See the report.

— A federal judge has ordered the EPA to implement stronger air quality standards, handing a victory to a coalition of states including Wisconsin.

AG Josh Kaul touted the ruling, noting air quality affects both quality of life and people’s health.

“The Trump administration should stop trying to block progress toward cleaner air,” he said in a release.

Ten states — as well as the District of Columbia, New York City and Harris County, Texas — filed suit against the EPA in April after the agency in February failed to designate areas in violation of updated soot pollution limits that the Biden administration finalized in 2024.

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set ambient air quality standards for common air pollutants, including soot.

U.S. District Court Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. of the Northern District of California ordered the agency to designate nonattainment areas by Feb. 6, 2027.

See the release.

— The Medical College of Wisconsin’s Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment has announced $10.6 million in grants for 43 community health projects.

Grants of up to $250,000 are being provided to community-based nonprofits as well as MCW faculty, helping fund projects over a 24-month period starting this month.

The larger portion of the grants — about $5.9 million — are going to community groups, with nine supporting statewide projects, 12 funding urban projects and three supporting rural parts of the state. These 24 grants will impact 20 counties in the state, ranging from rural health workforce efforts and health literacy initiatives to projects boosting mental health access and more.

The other $4.7 million is going toward 19 research projects led by faculty at the college, including those related to flu vaccination, premature infant respiratory care, HIV treatment and prevention, advance care planning, treatment for blindness and other scientific endeavors.

Recipients were chosen by the MCW Consortium on Public and Community Health, the AHW Research and Education Advisory Committee and the MCW Board of Trustees, which all provide oversight for the endowment.

See the release.

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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— The Wisconsin Newspaper Association this week announced it’s changing its name to the Wisconsin NewsMedia Association, reflecting the shift away from physical media.

The group, which was founded in 1853, notes its member organizations now publish on a wide array of digital platforms, from websites to mobile apps, podcasts, social media, digital subscriptions and others.

While the announcement says newspapers “remain a cornerstone” of local news, it notes the practice of journalism has expanded far beyond the printed word.

“Our new name better reflects who we are today and where our industry is headed,” said WNA Board of Directors President Greg Mellis, publisher of The Shawano Leader. “We remain deeply committed to newspapers while embracing all of the platforms our members use to inform, engage and serve Wisconsin communities.”

See the release.

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