Business Advantages

Wisconsin and Shawano County have a tremendous variety of resources and amenities that make doing business here more profitable for your business.

Following are links to Business Development Resources:

Major Highways: Five major highways serve the county: 22, 29, 45, 47, and 55. Highway 29 is a four-lane, east-west expressway, which runs directly through the middle of the county.

Distance to major cities: Green Bay is 38 miles East; the Fox Valley is 65 miles SE; Wausau, is 60 miles West; Madison is 157 miles South; the Twin Cities are 241 miles West and Chicago is 243 miles South.

Airports: A newly expanded city/county airport with 3,900 foot and 2,225 foot paved runways and pilot-controlled lighting is capable of handling corporate aircraft. Charter service is available through Shawano Flying Service. Commercial service is available at Austin-Straubel (Green Bay), Outagamie (Appleton) and Central Wisconsin Airport (Mosinee). The Canadian National Railroad serves Shawano County and the Shawano County Industrial Park.

Utilities:

The county boasts low utility rates provided by cooperatives, municipals and larger providers of electricity with capacity reserves capable of handling major users. Water is abundant and natural gas or L.P gas is available throughout the county. For more information on area utilities, click HERE.

Industry:

Shawano County has a diversified industrial base with manufacturers in paper making products, textiles, wood products, iron works, agriculture and food processing. Since other major industries are just outside the county's borders, many area workers possess a wide range of technical skills.

Labor Force:

There are approximately 21,701 people in Shawano County's labor force (2011 Census Fact Finder). During the recent recession, unemployment levels peaked at 11.6% in late 2009 and have slowly declined to 3.9% as of September 2015. State projections suggest a growing labor force. Area workers are characterized as motivated, hard working individuals with a strong work ethic.

Applicants are less likely to have received a post-secondary education, but more likely to have completed high school than the state average.

Shawano County's traditional, pre-recession unemployment rate has been approximately 5%.

Income & Housing:

The median household income for residents of Shawano County is estimated at $57,322 (in 2020 dollars) or 9% lower than Wisconsin's average median household income of $63,293 (Census Fact Finder).

Per 2020 Census figures, the average Per Capita income in Shawano County is $29,682 or 14% lower than Wisconsin's average Per Capita income of $34,450.

There are over 20,423 occupied housing units of which slightly over 17,150 are single dwelling units and over 3,900 are rental uinits. Housing is very affordable.