Forest County, Wisconsin

• Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
• Elevated poverty: At 15.2%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
• Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 19.6 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
• Aging population: Median age of 49 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

• Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 264 workers (39.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $24,897.
• Economic scale: Regional GDP of $430M (2024).
• Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $61,334 while Retail Trade averages $24,897, a 2.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.

• Top specialization: Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers concentrates at 2.54x the national norm.

• In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
• High home ownership: 82% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
• Elevated vacancy: 54% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
• Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,527/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.

• Succession risk is real: 31.1% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
• Low participation: 50.8% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
• Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 27,191 annual credentials.

Forest County shows emerging potential for gasoline stations and fuel dealers attraction, with a 2.54x concentration and 55 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 31.1% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.