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EconPulse

Local economy signal dashboard

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PLACEThriving

West Bend, WI

Thriving overall. Federal Funds is the clearest support signal, while population needs the most attention. Housing reads as affordable for a median-income household.

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Overall score75out of 100
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76
78
58
76
91

Population

32,030

Data freshness

Unknown

GDP / Output

+5.3% YoY

76

$9.2B

Output changed +5.3% in 2024.

Vintage date unknown

State growth5.0%
U.S. growth5.3%

Jobs

Unemployment rate

78

3.2%

Unemployment is 3.2% for Latest available.

Vintage date unknown

State avg3.2%
U.S. avg5.2%

Population

+1.4% 5-year

58

32,030

Population moved +1.4% over the latest ACS window.

Vintage date unknown

State population5,914,872
U.S. population334,922,499

Housing

Rent share of income

76

17.4%

Median rent consumes 17.4% of median household income: Affordable.

Vintage date unknown

State rent$1.1K
U.S. rent$1.4K
HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

Federal Funds

$7.0K per resident

91

$957.9M

$957.9M in federal obligations flowed here in FY2025.

Vintage date unknown

State total$113.0B
U.S. total$5.3T

Population and output

Trend Snapshot

Reported share

Industry Breakdown

FY2025

Federal Money

Federal obligations

$957.9M

$7.0K per resident in reported federal flow.

Top agencies

Dollars
1. Social Security Administration$872.7M
2. Department of Veterans Affairs$57.3M
3. Department of Transportation$12.8M

Top recipients

Dollars
1. WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$12.5M
2. REDACTED DUE TO PII$4.1M
3. WEST BEND JOINT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO 1$1.5M

Affordable

Housing Affordability

17.4%

of median income

1BR estimate$882
2BR estimate$1,162
Median income$74,076
Median home value$263,100

ACS context

Quick Facts

Population

32,030

Median age

41.0

Bachelor's degree+

28.6%

Poverty rate

8.2%

Labor force participation

67.6%

Prime rate

6.8%

CPI YoY

+3.2%

U.S. GDP YoY

+6.5%

Sources and warnings

Data Provenance

Census ACS 5-year

2024

BLS LAUS / CPS

Latest available

BEA regional CAGDP1

2024

USAspending

FY2025

FRED

2026-07-30

HUD Fair Market Rent

Latest available

Data notes
  • HUD_API_TOKEN missing; ACS median gross rent is used as the housing affordability fallback.

5-year compound growth

Historical Trends

Population CAGR

+0.3%

GDP CAGR

+6.2%

Federal flow

5 years

Population (5 years)
202031,587
202131,639
202231,682
202331,722
202432,030
GDP (5 years)
2020$6.8B
2021$7.3B
2022$8.2B
2023$8.7B
2024$9.2B

2-year linear forecast

Predictive Outlook

Population forecast

202432,030
202532,023 *
202632,120 *

R² = 77.6% · * projected

GDP forecast

2024$9.2B
2025$9.9B *
2026$10.5B *

R² = 98.5% · * projected

Linear regression over available historical data. Projections are estimates based on past trends and do not account for policy changes, economic shocks, or other external factors.

housing affordability breakdown

Cost of Living

Median household income$74,076/yr
Median rent$1,076/mo
Rent share of income17.4%
Est. mortgage (30yr, 6.5%)$15,965/yr
Mortgage share of income21.6%

Rent data from Census ACS 5-year. Mortgage estimate assumes 20% down, 6.5% APR, 30-year fixed.

employment snapshot

Job Market

Unemployment rate3.2%
State avg3.2%
U.S. avg5.2%
Labor force participation67.6%
Poverty rate8.2%

Data from BLS LAUS / CPS. Latest available.

valuation snapshot

Real Estate

Median home value$263,100
Median monthly rent$1,076
Price-to-rent ratio20.4x

High price-to-rent ratio — renting may be more economical than buying in this market.

composite score

Investment Climate

Investment climateStrong
Composite score73/100
Economic growth76/100
Labor market78/100
Population momentum58/100
Overall stability75/100

Composite score weighs economic growth, labor market health, population momentum, and overall stability. Not financial advice.

Location Context

West Bend city, Wisconsin

City/Town

Part of

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Nearby locations

Newburg, WIJackson, WISlinger, WIKewaskum, WIAllenton, WI