Fiscal Facts

Amid a troubled overhaul of the federal process for applying for student financial aid, the share of Wisconsin high school seniors completing the application so far this year has plummeted

As Milwaukee’s performing arts sector continues to struggle to recapture pre-pandemic ticket revenues, a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report suggests a new strategic vision and exploration of partnerships between individual arts groups could bolster the sector’s sustainability.

Crash fatalities for Milwaukee County residents have steadily risen over time, with recent increases due in part to crashes in which excessive speed is a factor.

Four years after the arrival of COVID-19, Wisconsin’s state finances are the strongest on record, with ample reserves and comparatively low debt levels.

Voters across Wisconsin approved 62 of the 103 school district referenda held in this year’s spring elections, the February primary and April general election.

The overall quality of Wisconsin’s paved local roads has deteriorated modestly since 2010, with Milwaukee having especially poor local road conditions relative to most of the state’s large cities.

In the years prior to the pandemic, Wisconsin’s reported homeless population shrank, following changes in programs to serve that population.

Home prices in Wisconsin have grown much faster than incomes in recent years, creating especially acute challenges for prospective first-time homebuyers.

In seeking approval to exceed state revenue limits in an April 2 referendum, Milwaukee Public Schools and its supporters can cite the district’s many challenges, such as a past lack of growth in revenue limits, workforce hurdles, and rates of students in poverty and with special learning needs.

With last year’s enactment of historic state legislation, most Wisconsin municipalities are receiving their first substantial increase in a generation in their main source of state aid, shared revenue.