A lot has changed since BizTimes launched as Small Business Times in 1995. Back then, Tommy Thompson was governor of Wisconsin, Bill Clinton was president, and Brett Favre had just completed his third season with the Green Bay Packers. Here are some other comparisons to highlight the changes in Wisconsin between then and now:
Money
Then: 58¢
Now: $1
Eggs (per dozen)
Then: 83¢
Now: $2.02
Flour (pound)
Then: 24¢
Now: 44¢
Regular unleaded gas (per gallon, average for year)
Then: $1.15
Now: $2.17 (maxed out at $3.64 in 2012)
Milk (gallon)
Then: $2.29
Now: $2.94
Wisconsin Fortune 500 companies
Then: 5
Now: 8
Fortune 500 companies (ranking)
Then:
Northwestern Mutual (111)
Johnson Controls (160)
Manpower (241)
Case Corp. (261)
Aid Association for Lutherans (453)
Now:
Northwestern Mutual (102)
ManpowerGroup (158)
Kohl's (165)
American Family Insurance (254)
Fiserv (311)
Oshkosh Corp. (377)
WEC Energy Group (416)
Rockwell Automation (452)
Wisconsin exports
Then: $8.93 billion
Now: $20.5 billion
Average annual wage in Wisconsin
Then: $25,099
Now: $50,520 (2019)
Median sales price of existing single-family home in metro Milwaukee
Then: $114,700
Now: $291,300
Wisconsin labor force participation rate (average for year)
73.50%
65.80%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fortune.com, U.S. Census Bureau, National Association of Realtors
