Right now, the question involves whether Wisconsin is moving forward with a healthy and stable economy. I believe this state can do better and be more active in keeping jobs here instead of outsourcing work to other parts of the world.

According to the “Department of Numbers” article in 2013, the median household income in Wisconsin was $51,467 compared to the U.S. average of $52,250. In 2005, Wisconsin’s median household income was $56,208. Throughout the nation it was $55,178.

This decline cannot be ignored because it reveals that Wisconsin’s economy is lagging behind when compared with the national average. Many of the jobs found throughout the state, according to “Institute for Research on Poverty,” are part-time and low-wage service sector jobs.

This is wrong because all individuals should have the opportunity to succeed without having to worry about struggling to survive. There shouldn’t be children in this state who live in poverty, who do not know what tomorrow will provide. This is deeply affecting Wisconsin’s economy, and plunging the state backward more than forward.

College students must help ensure the state’s economy improves at a productive level, which cannot happen if there are no jobs. Along with this, it is difficult for these students to contribute to society when they are facing massive debts following graduation. Many jobs are being outsourced, leading to high unemployment rates and forcing working men and women to work multiple minimum wage jobs to survive.

According to the “Institute for Research on Poverty,” a report released on May 7, the state’s economy is slowly improving.

Working families with children who reside in the state need work-support programs to keep them above the poverty line.

In 2013, according to the “Kids Count data center,” children in Wisconsin who live in poverty are at 18 percent out of all Wisconsin’s children, leading the state to be ranked number 16 in the nation. This is unacceptable, since a major notion involved in progress is to educate children and prepare them to be successful in their respective work fields.

Wisconsin cannot be productive if its children are uneducated, according to “Kids Count Data Center,” and struggling to survive on a day-to-day basis. Wisconsin’s future in economic growth is dependent upon the youth. If this youth demographic remains uneducated and unable to contribute toward a healthy economy, Wisconsin will be in critical danger in the near future.

According to the “U.S. Census Bureau,” Eau Claire County’s median household income from 2008 to 2012 was $47,821, below the state average of $51,467 mentioned above. The U.S. poverty level was 15.7 percent during the same period, compared to 12.5 percent for the state.

In Chippewa County, the median household income was $50,327, while its poverty level was at 11 percent. Clark County’s median household income was well below the state average, at $43,147, while its poverty level was at 15.4 percent.

Wisconsin’s economy is struggling to return to pre-recession levels. I believe in order to succeed, this state needs to focus on the education of its youth. It is the youth who will determine how Wisconsin will look ten years from now.