Columbia County, WI jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Columbia County economy

• 2.6%

  unemployment, Sep 2026

  2.5% the month before

• 32,165

  in the labor force

  Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

• 58,322

  people in Columbia County

  Source: U.S. Census Bureau

• $82,792

  median household income

  Source: Census ACS

• 38%

  of workers in white-collar occupations

  Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Columbia County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

• Private-sector jobs down 0.9% from 2022 to 2025
• Population down 0.7% from 2020 to 2025
• Unemployment 2.6%, up 0.1 points from a year ago
• Sectors losing the most jobs: manufacturing (−465 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Columbia County. Each link goes to the publisher.

• More Madison area businesses are adopting AI, survey findsThe Capital Times · Oct 27, 2026
• More Madison area businesses adopt AI amid concern over value, effectsThe Capital Times · Oct 27, 2026
• Cardinal Call: UW–Madison merges botany and integrative biology departmentsThe Daily Cardinal · Oct 21, 2026
• UW-Madison biology merger raises staff concerns over layoffs, botany’s futureThe Daily Cardinal · Oct 15, 2026
• Gov. Evers, DWD Announce $6.6 Million in New Grants to Train Over 3,800 Wisconsin Workers in Advanced Manufacturing and AIWHBL · Oct 14, 2026
• Fearing AI, young workers retrain for hands-on jobsThe Hechinger Report on MSN · Sep 29, 2026

Learn and get funded in Columbia County

• Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
• Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
• Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
• Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Columbia County layoffs

No layoff notices naming Columbia County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Columbia 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.

1. Creative Financial Staffing2 open roles
2. Pilot Company2 open roles
3. Central Builders1 open role
4. Diamondresorts1 open role
5. Drexel Building Supply1 open role
6. Eaton1 open role
7. GPAC1 open role
8. Pyramid Global Hospitality1 open role
9. Saputo Inc./ADR1 open role

Conferences in Columbia County

Industry conferences and trade shows held in Columbia County. 1 with dates announced.

All conferences

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Columbia County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Wisconsin? How to file for unemployment in Wisconsin (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

• Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, Inc.

  Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Marquette, Sauk

Cities in Columbia County

Other Wisconsin counties