The Marshfield and Wood County economies continued to experience a good deal of economic activity. Examples include a declining unemployment rate, a 3.7 percent gain in nonfarm employment, and a very strong nonresidential construction scene. However, a few indicators suggest that the economy was not as robust as in past periods. Data to support this include the decline in total employment, a drop in the help wanted advertising index and slow going in residential construction.
 

     In sum it appears that the local economy held its own during the first quarter of the year, but much like the national economy, it is giving us mixed signals with regard to its vitality and direction. In the long‑run, the viability of an area is tied to its endowments such as: location, the quality of the work force, the availability of land, clean water, other natural resources, and the transportation network. The extent to which the local area preserves or achieves these factors will determine the long run success of the economy.
 

     Wood County industrial employment increased by nearly 3.7 percent from a year ago. The service sector led all first quarter activity by posting a gain of 1010 positions. Manufacturing and construction employment were also higher than last year by 300 and 100 positions respectively. In contrast, trade employment was slightly lower in 1990 and government payrolls were at about the same level as in 1989. For the Marshfield area, the CWERB estimates that employment grew by approximately 4.8 percent from last year, a very healthy gain for the local economy, Table 7.
 

     Marshfield retailer attitudes are presented in Table 8. This group believes that store traffic and sales are noticeably better than a year ago. When this panel was queried about future events, they responded by saying that store traffic and sales are likely to be greater three months from now when compared to the same time last year. This is an important indicator for a community because it gauges the broader economic well‑being of an area.
 

     For three quarters in a row the Marshfield help wanted advertising index has declined from last year's level, Table 9. The decline for first quarter was 6 percent compared to a decline of 10 percent for the U.S. This figure suggests that employment growth at the local and national levels should abate somewhat in the months ahead. Similar occurrences have been taking place in the other two counties of Central Wisconsin.
 

     Table 10 and Table 11 attempt to measure local family financial distress. For public assistance, new applications rose from a monthly average of 33 to 39 and total caseload fell from an average of 623 per month to 591 from a year ago. In the category of initial unemployment claims an increase from 60 to 89 per week was registered and total claims also increased from a weekly average of 128 to 138. Much progress has taken place over the course of the decade in reducing financial distress. However, it should be noted that the recent rise in new applicants may be associated with factors other than economic performance, as personal factors may play an important role in the need for assistance.
 

     Residential construction is an important leading indicator of wider economic activity. Table 12 shows that residential construction in the Marshfield area slowed dramatically. First quarter 1990 was the weakest three month period during the past five years. No activity was reported in the categories of residential permits and their estimated values and in the number of housing units. Better news is presented in the number of residential alteration permits issued and their estimated value.

     In sharp contrast to residential activity, nonresidential construction for the first quarter of 1990 was the strongest first quarter during the past five years. This information is presented in Table 13. Of particular interest was the estimated value of business alterations which totaled $3,369,500 for the quarter and represents 37 different projects throughout the local area.

     Financial statistics in Table 14 show that local liquidity was higher by $6.4 million rising from $199.7 to a record level of $206.1 million over the past twelve months. Lending activity also established a record for the time of year by posting a 12 percent gain over last year's figures. It now stands $158.1 million. The jump in lending activity suggests that a substantial amount of activity took place during the first three months of the year.

     Table 15 and Table 16 present economic data for Clark County and give important insight into the condition of the area. These data are provided due to the business relationships between Marshfield and Clark County.

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