decreased from $12,900 to about $11,500, or
11 percent. Between 1950 and 1980, per
capita personal income grew at a rate less
than that of either the State of Wisconsin
or the United States. Between 1980 and
1985, per capita income in the Region
declined at a faster rate than that of either
the State or the Nation.
11. The period from 1950 to 1980 saw a sub-
stantial increase in single-family housing
values in the Region. Measured in con-
stant 1990 dollars, the median value of
single-family housing units in the Region
increased from about $62,000 in 1950 to
about $93,100 in 1980. While increasing in
actual dollars, the median value of single-
family housing units in the Region,
expressed in constant 1990 dollars,
decreased from $93,100 in 1980 to $73,700
in 1990.
12. Population and employment levels in the
Region have historically followed quite
similar patterns because population migra-
tions between regions of the United States
have been largely dependent upon the
availability of jobs in these areas. The
rapid historical growth of population in
the Region, therefore, may be attributed
primarily to the increasing economic activ-
ity in the Region. In the last two decades,
significant changes in the distribution of
economic activity in the Region have
occurred as economic activity has decen-
tralized from the established urban areas
to the suburban areas of the Region. This
trend is consistent with, but more moder-
ate than, the population movements that
have characterized the "urban sprawl"
nature of much of the development in the
Region since 1950.
13. The segment of the population which can
be most closely related to the economy is
the labor force, defined as all residents
16 years of age or older who are either
employed or unemployed but seeking work.
From 1950 to 1990, the regional labor force,
which is enumerated by place of residence,
increased by about 414,200, or by about
77 percent, from 538,700 to 952,900, a rate
of growth less than that of either the State
or the Nation. Within the Region, however,
four counties, Ozaukee, Walworth, Wash-

ington, and Waukesha, experienced signifi-
cant growth in the labor force, increasing
by about 31,200, or by about 325 percent,
from 9,600 to 40,800; by about 23,100, or by
about 141 percent, from 16,400 to 39,500; by
about 36,400, or by about 255 percent, from
14,300 to 50,700; and by about 136,400, or
by about 404 percent, from 33,800 to
170,200, respectively, in these counties.
14. The labor force participation rate, which is
the relationship between the labor force
and total population, has increased from
57 percent in 1950 to about 66 percent in
1980. Much of this increase is due to
increases in the number of working age
females entering the labor force. In 1950,
females accounted for about 155,100, or
about 29 percent of the total regional
civilian labor force. By 1980, females
accounted for about 379,200, or about
43 percent of the total regional civilian
labor force, an increase of about 224,100,
or about 145 percent from 1950.
15. One of the most important measures of the
economy of an area is the number of
employment opportunities, or jobs, avail-
able in the area. Historically, the number
of jobs available in the Region has
changed at varying rates, generally corres-
ponding to the state of the national
economy. Overall, between 1950 and 1990,
the number of jobs in the Region increased
by about 437,600 jobs, or by about
79 percent. The number of jobs in the
Region increased steadily from about
552,700 in 1950, to about 884,200 in 1980.
Between 1980 and 1982, the number of jobs
decreased by about 65,500 jobs, or about
7 percent, from about 884,200 jobs to about
818,700 jobs. Between 1982 and 1985,
however, total employment increased by
about 53,200 jobs, or about 6 percent, from
about 818,700 jobs to about 871,900 jobs, as
the Region emerged from the recessionary
period of 1979 to 1983.
16. For land use and public facility planning
purposes, the character of the regional
economy can best be described according to
the distribution of economic activity in the
following eight major categories: 1) agri-
culture; 2) construction and mining; 3)

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