Wisconsin energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in Wisconsin

Wisconsin plants pay 8.84 cents per kWh for industrial power as of Apr 2026, which puts the state 2.1% over the national average and 27 of 51 in the country, counting from the cheapest.

Current prices in Wisconsin

  • Industrial electricity: 8.84 cents per kWh (Apr 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in Wisconsin typically pays: 13.38 cents per kWh.
  • Industrial natural gas: 7.98 per Mcf (Apr 2026), 62.9% above the national average.
  • Just below Wisconsin on the price ladder: Utah at 8.51, New York at 8.62, Wyoming at 8.75 cents. Just above: West Virginia at 8.84, Indiana at 8.86, Michigan at 8.95 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 3,536 in electricity at Wisconsin rates versus 3,464 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 17,680 versus 17,320, and at 200 kW it is 70,720 versus 69,280.
  • Wisconsin sits mid-pack for power cost, so energy is neither a site-selection advantage nor a penalty. Estimates built on national averages will land close here, though demand charges and rate schedules still swing the real bill.

What factory labor pays in Wisconsin

  • Industrial engineers: $46.62/hr median in Wisconsin versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $35.98/hr median in Wisconsin versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Tool and die makers: $32.75/hr median in Wisconsin versus $30.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial machinery mechanics: $32.03/hr median in Wisconsin versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $28.42/hr median in Wisconsin versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Welders, cutters, and brazers: $28.08/hr median in Wisconsin versus $25.84 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Wisconsin employs about 455,000 manufacturing workers as of May 2026 (BLS).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's Wisconsin observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.