The healthcare and social assistance sector has surpassed manufacturing as Wisconsin’s largest employer by roughly 5,000 jobs, making now a great time for those interested in changing fields or looking for a new challenge to consider a healthcare career.
According to the report, Wisconsin has joined 46 other states in which healthcare and social assistance is now the largest employment sector, shifting the state’s workforce. Overall, Wisconsin’s healthcare and social assistance employment has grown by nearly 143,000 jobs since 2001, an increase of 44.6 percent, which can be attributed to the increasing needs of the state’s aging population.
Healthcare Employment in Wisconsin: Growing Wages and Needs
Wisconsin’s ambulatory and outpatient healthcare subsector grew by 54.1 percent from 2001 through 2025, which tracks the national shift toward clinic-based care. This subsector consists of jobs that provide medical services without overnight admittance to hospitals or other facilities like family doctor clinics, outpatient care centers, labs, or dental offices.
In addition, employment in the hospital subsector grew by 36 percent from 2001 to 2025, which is just shy of the national average of 37.2 percent. The hospital subsector is defined as employment in establishments providing inpatient medical care, diagnostic treatment, specialized accommodation, and 24-hour care.
“As the state ages and requires more health care, demand for physicians and nurses will remain high, especially in hospital and clinical settings,” the report states.
In 2025, wages in the ambulatory care subsector averaged around $92,500 per year and jobs in the hospitals subsector paid around $77,300. Average pay for health care and social assistance employees more than doubled from 2001 through 2025, growing from $31,611 to over $65,000 per year.
Why Healthcare Workers Are Needed Now More Than Ever in Wisconsin
Wisconsin hospitals, which typically pay higher wages than facilities like nursing homes, are competing for the same nurses, the report says. Therefore, increasing demand for nurses means employers with lower-paying roles will struggle to fill them. This challenge is compounded by the fact the state’s 65 and older population is projected to grow by 26.7 percent (around 283,000 residents) between 2020 and 2030.
The state’s increasing need for healthcare workers emulates national trends. Nearly six million jobs will be added to the economy in the next 10 years, with healthcare and social assistance making up the largest portion. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that healthcare roles will account for more than 1 in 3 of new jobs throughout the next decade. Like Wisconsin, this growth is directly related to an aging population, along with the increasing prevalence of chronic health conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Get the Skills You Need to Excel in Wisconsin’s Healthcare Workforce
If you’ve ever considered starting – or advancing – a career in healthcare, now is the time to do it. Whether you’re looking to become a nurse, a substance use disorders counselor, clinical mental health counselor or you’re seeking another role in healthcare like nursing home administration, UW Flexible Option and UW Online Collaboratives offer a variety of online degree programs that can help working adults complete their four-year degree while continuing to work full-time. Many of these professionals begin in entry-level healthcare roles and later advance into leadership or specialized positions, such as healthcare management, healthcare information technology management, nursing leadership, or behavioral health counseling.
At UW Flexible Option and UW Online Collaboratives, you’ll be able to continue working full-time while earning your degree or certificate. With a 100% online educational format built to fit into the lives of busy adults, you can work toward your degree or certificate at the pace you choose. You can also take breaks when necessary so that your education fits into your life, and not the other way around. Many students have taken time off to get married, move into new homes, or have families while still excelling in all of their roles.