John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor. Social Security was the largest, totaling $25.08 billion, equating to $4,256 per capita and making up 38.2% of total transfers.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Wisconsin in 2022, accounting for $16.28 billion, averaging $2,763 per capita, and represented 24.8% of transfers in the state. Medicaid transfers provided another $11.8 billion, averaging $2,003 per capita and comprising 18% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $65.63 billion, and accounted for 18.1% of residents’ total income, with an average of $11,137 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 18.6% of the population aged 65 and older, Wisconsin has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in Wisconsin, excluding government transfers was $50,338, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $61,475, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Wisconsin saw a decrease in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.2%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Wisconsin, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 8.5% (or $1,986 per capita) in 1970 to 18.1% (or $11,137 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County | 1 | 23.2% | 14.8% | 5.9% | 4.6% | 7% | 4.2% | $13,056 |
| Dane County | 2 | 11% | 15.2% | 4.7% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.9% | $8,073 |
| Waukesha County | 3 | 11.5% | 20.4% | 5.7% | 3.4% | 1% | 0.5% | $10,097 |
| Brown County | 4 | 15% | 16.4% | 6.1% | 3.7% | 2.1% | 1.4% | $9,355 |
| Racine County | 5 | 20.7% | 18.1% | 7.8% | 5.6% | 3.5% | 2.2% | $11,909 |
| Rock County | 6 | 21.3% | 17.9% | 8.2% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 2.3% | $11,186 |
| Outagamie County | 7 | 15.2% | 16.5% | 6.6% | 4% | 1.8% | 1.2% | $9,177 |
| Kenosha County | 8 | 17.9% | 15.9% | 6.7% | 4.2% | 3.2% | 1.9% | $10,440 |
| Winnebago County | 9 | 17.8% | 17.6% | 7.5% | 4.4% | 2.6% | 1.4% | $10,113 |
| Washington County | 10 | 14.7% | 19.8% | 6.9% | 4.3% | 1.5% | 0.7% | $10,095 |
| Marathon County | 11 | 16.7% | 19.2% | 7% | 4% | 2.5% | 1.4% | $10,023 |
| La Crosse County | 12 | 18% | 18% | 6.5% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 1.3% | $10,884 |
| Sheboygan County | 13 | 17.6% | 19.7% | 7.7% | 4.4% | 2.6% | 1.5% | $10,598 |
| Fond du Lac County | 14 | 19.8% | 19.8% | 7.6% | 5.2% | 3.7% | 1.4% | $11,502 |
| Eau Claire County | 15 | 18.4% | 17.2% | 6.7% | 4.7% | 3.4% | 1.4% | $10,541 |
| Walworth County | 16 | 16.7% | 19.9% | 7.3% | 4.5% | 2.2% | 1.2% | $10,491 |
| Wood County | 17 | 25.4% | 22% | 9.6% | 6.9% | 3.9% | 2.1% | $13,504 |
| Manitowoc County | 18 | 22.4% | 22.5% | 9.4% | 5.9% | 3.5% | 1.6% | $12,253 |
| Ozaukee County | 19 | 10.2% | 21.6% | 5.2% | 3% | 0.8% | 0.4% | $10,217 |
| Dodge County | 20 | 19.4% | 19% | 8.4% | 4.6% | 3.3% | 1.4% | $10,181 |
| Jefferson County | 21 | 18.8% | 18.6% | 7.9% | 4.4% | 3.6% | 1.3% | $10,358 |
| St. Croix County | 22 | 12.6% | 15.9% | 5.5% | 3.5% | 1.5% | 0.7% | $8,500 |
| Chippewa County | 23 | 21.4% | 19.6% | 7.8% | 5.3% | 4.2% | 1.6% | $11,657 |
| Portage County | 24 | 19.8% | 18.3% | 7.7% | 4.8% | 3.5% | 1.4% | $10,759 |
| Waupaca County | 25 | 26% | 21.2% | 9.6% | 6.4% | 5.9% | 1.6% | $14,209 |
| Sauk County | 26 | 17.8% | 20% | 7.2% | 5% | 2.5% | 1.5% | $11,060 |
| Barron County | 27 | 24% | 23.4% | 8.6% | 6.5% | 4.4% | 1.8% | $13,933 |
| Marinette County | 28 | 29.7% | 25.2% | 11.2% | 7.8% | 5.4% | 2% | $15,525 |
| Douglas County | 29 | 28% | 20.8% | 8.8% | 7% | 5.7% | 2.2% | $13,845 |
| Columbia County | 30 | 17% | 19.7% | 7.5% | 4.1% | 2.3% | 1.2% | $10,437 |
| Polk County | 31 | 24.1% | 22.6% | 9.4% | 7.1% | 3.5% | 1.5% | $13,059 |
| Grant County | 32 | 21.7% | 18.5% | 7.9% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 1.5% | $11,354 |
| Oneida County | 33 | 27% | 28.3% | 11.7% | 6.3% | 4.4% | 1.5% | $15,125 |
| Monroe County | 34 | 22.3% | 18.1% | 7.3% | 5% | 3.8% | 2.1% | $11,153 |
| Shawano County | 35 | 24.4% | 22% | 9.5% | 6.3% | 4.1% | 2% | $12,311 |
| Dunn County | 36 | 21.7% | 16.7% | 7.8% | 5.9% | 3.6% | 1.7% | $10,710 |
| Oconto County | 37 | 21.8% | 22.5% | 9.4% | 5.6% | 2.7% | 1.5% | $11,724 |
| Door County | 38 | 20.3% | 32.3% | 9.6% | 6% | 1.9% | 0.9% | $14,465 |
| Pierce County | 39 | 17.3% | 16.6% | 6.8% | 5.3% | 2.2% | 0.9% | $10,080 |
| Vilas County | 40 | 28.6% | 31.7% | 12.5% | 8.9% | 2.6% | 1.4% | $17,111 |
| Lincoln County | 41 | 26.7% | 23.7% | 10.4% | 7.3% | 4.3% | 1.7% | $14,171 |
| Clark County | 42 | 22.3% | 17.4% | 7.1% | 6.5% | 4.6% | 1.6% | $11,465 |
| Green County | 43 | 17.4% | 20.6% | 7.5% | 4.4% | 2.6% | 1.2% | $10,659 |
| Vernon County | 44 | 24% | 21.1% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 4.3% | 1.7% | $12,144 |
| Calumet County | 45 | 12.1% | 17.3% | 6.1% | 2.7% | 1.2% | 0.8% | $7,140 |
| Trempealeau County | 46 | 22.8% | 18.9% | 7.8% | 5.4% | 5.6% | 1.6% | $11,677 |
| Juneau County | 47 | 28.1% | 22.2% | 10.4% | 7% | 5.1% | 2.6% | $13,132 |
| Waushara County | 48 | 27.1% | 26.1% | 12% | 6.6% | 3.4% | 2% | $12,670 |
| Adams County | 49 | 32.4% | 32.1% | 15.3% | 6.8% | 4.8% | 2.5% | $14,485 |
| Langlade County | 50 | 30.7% | 25.8% | 11.2% | 8.1% | 5.5% | 2.5% | $15,600 |
| Sawyer County | 51 | 31.8% | 28.1% | 12.1% | 8.8% | 5.3% | 2.1% | $16,196 |
| Washburn County | 52 | 32.1% | 28.1% | 11.3% | 9.4% | 5.2% | 1.9% | $17,768 |
| Burnett County | 53 | 33.2% | 32% | 14.2% | 8.7% | 4.7% | 2.1% | $15,942 |
| Jackson County | 54 | 24.5% | 20.7% | 8.5% | 6.7% | 4.2% | 2.1% | $12,275 |
| Ashland County | 55 | 34.5% | 21.8% | 10.9% | 9.1% | 7.9% | 3% | $15,884 |
| Price County | 56 | 33.3% | 28.5% | 12.3% | 8.6% | 6.2% | 2.1% | $17,263 |
| Green Lake County | 57 | 24.6% | 23.7% | 10.5% | 6.4% | 3.9% | 1.7% | $12,723 |
| Iowa County | 58 | 17% | 20.8% | 7.7% | 4.3% | 2.3% | 1.3% | $10,012 |
| Bayfield County | 59 | 27.1% | 31.1% | 11.5% | 6.9% | 3.7% | 1.7% | $14,349 |
| Kewaunee County | 60 | 19.9% | 22% | 8.1% | 5.9% | 2.6% | 1.2% | $11,473 |
| Taylor County | 61 | 23.1% | 21.2% | 8.5% | 5.6% | 4.2% | 1.7% | $11,576 |
| Richland County | 62 | 26.2% | 24.9% | 9.1% | 6.4% | 6.6% | 2.1% | $13,438 |
| Marquette County | 63 | 28.8% | 26.7% | 12.3% | 7.9% | 3.5% | 2% | $14,129 |
| Crawford County | 64 | 27.2% | 25.4% | 9.9% | 7.8% | 4.9% | 2.1% | $13,798 |
| Rusk County | 65 | 29.2% | 26.1% | 10.2% | 7.8% | 5.5% | 2.5% | $15,400 |
| Buffalo County | 66 | 23.2% | 23.8% | 8.4% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 1.5% | $12,825 |
| Lafayette County | 67 | 19.1% | 20.1% | 7.6% | 5.3% | 2.8% | 1.6% | $9,962 |
| Forest County | 68 | 34.1% | 25.3% | 12.1% | 8.4% | 6.8% | 2.7% | $15,420 |
| Pepin County | 69 | 24.7% | 24.1% | 8.4% | 8.1% | 4.2% | 1.3% | $14,870 |
| Iron County | 70 | 32.4% | 33% | 12.3% | 8.2% | 6.1% | 1.9% | $17,398 |
| Florence County | 71 | 23.8% | 29.6% | 10.6% | 4.9% | 3.7% | 1.5% | $14,800 |
| Menominee County | 72 | 36.6% | 15.7% | 9.6% | 6.3% | 9.4% | 8.7% | $15,176 |
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