Center for Economic Development

The Economic Development Fellows Program (ED) is a two-year fellowship opportunity that combines work in a community-based organization or government agency with graduate level study at UWM.

“Being a MIED Fellow at UWM has been a great experience. With one of my undergraduate degrees being in Urban Planning, I have wanted to work in municipal government for years and my placement at the City of Milwaukee has been educational. As a Fellow I have been able to improve my community outreach skills, contribute to a grant that improves Milwaukee neighborhoods, work very closely with experienced City of Milwaukee officials, and learn more about the history of Milwaukee and the inner working of city government.” – Cortney Dunklin, MS Urban Studies

The MIED fellowship has provided me the optimal conditions to achieve my goal of a Master’s Degree. While my time spent in Public Allies gave me the professional skills needed to succeed in a professional workplace, the MIED fellowship has allowed me to pair those skills with an opportunity to work in an environment where I can see myself spending my career.” – Sally Svetic, MS Urban Studies

Meet current fellows →

The State of Veterans in Wisconsin

September 26, 2022 12:06 pm

Wisconsin is currently home to over 331,000 veterans of the US Armed Forces who have served from World War to the present. In this report, we analyze Wisconsin’s veteran population and identify critical gaps across 4 key categories including education, economy, housing, and health. Read more →

The State of Black Milwaukee in National Perspective: Racial Inequality in the Nation’s 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas. In 65 Charts and Tables.

July 20, 2020 2:31 pm

In 65 charts and tables, this study examines how Black communities in the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas fare on measures such as residential segregation; income, poverty, and intergenerational economic mobility; employment and earnings; the racial composition of private-sector economic decision-makers; mass incarceration; educational attainment; school segregation; and health care outcomes. Read more →

The AALAM/UWMCED Index of African American Well-Being in the Nation’s Largest Metropolitan Areas

July 20, 2020 11:48 am

This report, prepared for the African American Leadership Alliance MKE (AALAM), presents an index of African American community well-being in Milwaukee and the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas. Read more →

Milwaukee’s Coronavirus Racial Divide: A Report on the Early Stages of COVID-19 Spread in Milwaukee County

April 21, 2020 8:00 am

Like many other densely populated urban areas, Milwaukee is experiencing a surge of reported COVID-19 cases. On March 12 there was only one confirmed case in Milwaukee County. By April 8 there were 1,425 confirmed cases and 67 deaths. Examining deaths and confirmed cases through April 8, this study finds that stark inequalities are emerging along racial and economic lines. Areas of the county that are predominantly African American are experiencing disproportionately high numbers of reported cases and concentrations of coronavirus clusters, while areas that are predominantly white and higher income are reporting fewer cases and very small numbers of virus clusters. Most important, African Americans who have contracted the virus are developing life-threatening complications at a rate much higher than whites. Read more →

Water Needs Assessment: Pathways to Employment in a Water Centric City

January 29, 2020 12:45 pm

The Water Needs Assessment examines current and future conditions of the water workforce in the Metro Milwaukee Area, focusing on employment opportunities provided by water-related agencies and industries for individuals from economically disadvantaged communities. Read more →

Diversity in the Creative Occupations of Greater Milwaukee: A Labor Market Analysis

December 4, 2019 11:34 am

Milwaukee has been, for decades, one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the United States, a place where racial inequality is entrenched and pervasive. These disparities are particularly pronounced in the region’s labor market, where racial gaps in employment, earnings, and mobility are among the widest in the nation. This study presents the first systematic overview of racial disparities in a part of Milwaukee’s labor market that has attracted increased attention in recent years: occupations in the “creative sector.” Read more →

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

College of Letters & ScienceCenter for Economic Development

Center for Economic Development

Furthering UWM’s community engagement mission through university-based research and technical assistance.