Employment Opportunities

The Badger State may be known for being the country’s top cheese producer, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll have to be a dairy farmer in order to make a living in Southwest Wisconsin.  Even if you are, you’ll be coming to the right place.

Iowa County has more than 800 farms scattered throughout its area.  Agriculture remains a major economic force providing jobs to 18 percent of the county’s workforce of 16,676.  Agricultural land, which totals 367,373 acres and includes cropland, pastures and tree farms, accounts for 75 percent of all land in Iowa County.

Despite not being heavily industrialized, however, Iowa County also offers employment opportunities in various sectors apart from agriculture.  According to the 2002 Economic Census, the retail trade employs 5,125 people; healthcare and social assistance employs 806; manufacturing employs 603; and accommodation and food services employs 440.  The tourism industry is also contributing more and more to the economy.            



Among the county’s major non-agricultural employers are Lands’ End, Upland Hills Health, Fleet Guard Inc., Wal-Mart and the Iowa County Government.  The clothing and online catalog retailer Land’s End, Inc., whose corporate headquarters are in Dodgeville, employs more than 5,000 people.

If jobs in Iowa County seem too scarce for you, there’s nothing to worry about because right next door is Dane County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the US and site of the state capital, Madison.  The biggest industries here include healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and various service industries (educational, professional, scientific and technical, to name a few).  Among the top employers are the University of Wisconsin-Madison, American Family Mutual Insurance Co., and the Department of Health and Family Services.