Dane County, WI jobs, unemployment and layoffs
Dane County economy
2.9%
unemployment, Aug 2026
2.6% the month before
343,872
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
564,777
people in Dane County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$88,108
median household income
Source: Census ACS
55%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Dane County layoffs
6
WARN layoff notices, last 12 months
238
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
3
employers
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPD d/b/a Thermo Fisher Scientific - Revision 2Takes effect Sep 28, 2026 | Middleton | 71 | — | State record | |
| PPD d/b/a Thermo Fisher Scientific - Revision 1Takes effect Sep 28, 2026 | Middleton | 69 | — | State record | |
| UnityPoint HealthTakes effect Feb 28, 2027 | Madison | 1 | — | State record | |
| PPD d/b/a Thermo Fisher ScientificTakes effect Sep 28, 2026 | Middleton | 69 | — | State record | |
| Unity Point Health - Revision 1Takes effect Aug 7, 2026 | Madison | 3 | — | State record | |
| UnityPoint HealthTakes effect Jul 24, 2026 | Madison | 25 | — | State record |
Employers hiring most in Dane County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Creative Financial Staffing37 open roles
- Universities of Wisconsin [UW_Madison]34 open roles
- Catalent Pharma Solutions21 open roles
- Thermo Fisher Scientific20 open roles
- Accuray14 open roles
- Alliant Energy12 open roles
- Amazon10 open roles
- Baker Tilly10 open roles
- Abbott9 open roles
- SSM Health8 open roles
Largest employers headquartered in Dane County
- University of Wisconsin-Madison20,001–100,000 employees
- Reynolds Consumer Products5,001–20,000 employees
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in Dane County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Herzing University-Madison | Madison | Private nonprofit 4-year | 5,000–9,999 |
| Edgewood College | Madison | Private nonprofit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
Conferences in Dane County
Industry conferences and trade shows held in Dane County. 1 with dates announced.
- CCDA National Conference
Nov 17 to Nov 20, 2027 · Madison, WI
Paid ticket. 2027 registration opens next year; prices not published.
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Dane County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
- Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, Inc.
Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Marquette, Sauk
Dane County Job Center
Madison · Comprehensive · 608-405-4400
Monday-Friday 7:45am-4:30pm
Cities in Dane County
- Madison535 jobs
- Middleton41 jobs
- Oregon15 jobs
- Cottage Grove13 jobs
- Verona13 jobs
- Monona10 jobs
- Sun Prairie9 jobs
- Windsor7 jobs
- Stoughton7 jobs
- DeForest5 jobs
- Waunakee3 jobs
- Mount Horeb3 jobs
Other Wisconsin counties
Laid off or looking for work in Dane County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); WARN notices from Wisconsin’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers.