The Wisconsin Scorecard is a unique new publication from the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau that provides data on how Wisconsin compares to the other 49 states on a variety of measures. The Scorecard includes 44 rankings organized into four umbrella sections: Demographic and Social, Health and Education, Government Finance and Economic, and Environment and Energy Rankings.

Each ranking includes a list of all 50 states and a 50-state-average with Wisconsin’s ranking highlighted, a graphical representation of the data, and extra details. All of the rankings come from public data made available by the federal government, and each ranking includes information on where that data came from.

The graphics and extra details included in the publication make looking at the actual publication a worthwhile endeavor, but here is a quick listing of all the categories and Wisconsin’s ranking:

Population – 20

Population Change – 34

Poverty Rate – 47

Median Age – 16

65 and Over Population – 22

Disabled Population – 38

Non-English Speakers – 32

Incarceration Rate – 28

Gender Earnings Parity – 24

Voter Turnout – 3

Volunteer Rate – 4

Health Insurance Coverage – 7

Infant Mortality Rate – 32

Life Expectancy – 18

Overweight and Obesity Rate – 30

Smoking Rate – 17

Binge Drinking Rate – 1

High School Completion Rate – 12

Bachelor’s Degree Holders – 28

Average In-State Tuition – 20

K-12 Expenditures Per Pupil – 16

K-12 Student-Teacher Ratio – 23

8th Grade NAEP Scores – 12

State and Local Revenue – 50

State and Local Taxes – 16

Taxes as a Percentage of Income – 9

Federal Revenue – 23

State and Local Expenditures – 21

Federal Expenditures -32

State and Local Debt – 30

Personal Income – 26

Income Inequality – 44

Unemployment Rate – 30

Employment to Population Ratio – 8

Government Employment – 40

Minimum Wage Workers – 34

Land and Water Area – 23

State Parks and Recreation Areas – 17

Energy Consumption – 25

Carbon Dioxide Emissions – 27

Renewable Electricity Generation – 27

Renewable Electricity Sources – 20

Motor Gasoline Consumption – 34

Average Commute Time – 38