Wisconsin is a U.S. state situated in the north-central United States and is considered part of the Midwest. It is bounded by the state of Minnesota towards the west, the state of Iowa to the southwest, the state of Illinois towards the south, Lake Michigan to the east, the state of Michigan towards the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Madison is the state capital of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee is its largest city. As of 2010, Wisconsin's 72 counties have a total of 5,686,986 inhabitants.
During the year 2010, the state's gross state product was $248.3 billion, making it 21st among U.S. states. The per capita personal income was $35,239 during 2008. The economy of the state of Wisconsin is driven by health care, manufacturing and agriculture. Even though manufacturing is responsible for a far greater part of Wisconsin's income as opposed to farming, Wisconsin is commonly perceived as a farming state.
The biggest businesses within the state of Wisconsin as of the month of October 2010 were: Milwaukee Public Schools, Wal-Mart, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Menards, US Postal Services, Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Marshfield Clinic, Aurora Health Care Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and City of Milwaukee.
Agriculture
The state of Wisconsin produces about 25 percent of the nation's cheese, leading the nation in production of Cheese. It is 2nd in milk production, after the state of California, and third in per-capita milk production, behind Vermont and Idaho. Wisconsin is 2nd in production of butter, producing around 25 percent of the country's butter. The state places 1st nationwide in corn production for silage, snap beans for processing and cranberries ginseng. It grows over half the national crop of cranberries and 97 percent of the country's ginseng. Wisconsin is likewise a leading producer of oats, potatoes, carrots, tart cherries, maple syrup, and sweet corn for processing. The significance of Wisconsin's agricultural production is exemplified by the depiction of a Holstein cow, an ear of corn, and a wheel of cheese on Wisconsin's 50 State Quarters design.
A big part of the state's manufacturing sector includes commercial food processing, including popular brands like for instance Oscar Mayer, Usinger's sausages, Tombstone frozen pizza and Johnsonville brats. Kraft Foods alone hires more than 5,000 people within the state. Milwaukee is a main producer of beer and was formerly headquarters for Miller Brewing Company, the country's second-biggest brewer, until it merged with Coors Brewing Company. Formerly, Pabst, Schlitz and Blatz were cornerstone breweries in Milwaukee.
Tourism is likewise a key trade in the state of Wisconsin, with numerous tourist spots such as the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, the House on the Rock near Spring Green and The Wisconsin Dells also attracts thousands of tourists each and every year, and festivals comprising the EAA Oshkosh Airshow and the Summerfest draw international attention, along with hundreds of thousands of visitors. Additionally, the large number of rivers and lakes within the state of Wisconsin has allowed water recreation to become very popular.
Door Peninsula is a distinctive peninsula which extends off the eastern coast of the state and contains Door County, which is amongst Wisconsin's tourist spots. This County is a great boater destination, with a huge number of natural ports, harbors and bays.