Still lagging, but positive.

A slow start to the year held down Wisconsin’s average wage growth in 2019, but the state finished the year by averaging more than 3% growth during the fourth quarter in most industries.

In December, the average hourly wage for private sector employees in the state was $27.10, up from $26.19 in December 2018, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Wisconsin averaged year-over-year wage growth of 1.9% for all of 2019, a figure that ranks 43^rd in the country.

 In the fourth quarter, however, Wisconsin averaged 3.6% wage growth, good enough to rank 14^th in the country.

The wage gains come amidst sluggish job growth for the state. Private sector employment increased just 0.33% from December 2018 to December 2019, according to BLS data. The state also had a strong year of wage growth in 2018, averaging 4.9% growth for the year.