Shall-issue with training (no constitutional carry). No AWB, no mag cap, strong preemption. Castle doctrine but duty to retreat in public is a deduction. Suppressors legal. 48-hour handgun waiting period repealed 2015. No red-flag law.

No medical (CBD only) or recreational cannabis. No state-level decriminalization (Madison, Milwaukee only). Possession criminalized. No psychedelic reform. Among most prohibitionist Midwestern states.

State minimum wage $7.25/hr (state matches federal). MIT living wage for 1 adult: $14.93/hr. Ratio 0.49 — minimum-wage workers earn 49% of what's needed to live there alone.

Moderate-high tax burden, above-average NAEP scores, decent infrastructure, strong healthcare access, healthy life expectancy. Spending produces solid returns.

IJ grades WI B (2017 Wis. Act 211 - conviction required, equitable-sharing limits). No QI reform. No-knock allowed. No body cam mandate. No comprehensive privacy law. Limited ICE cooperation but no full sanctuary.

No-excuse absentee voting. Early voting via in-person absentee 14 days. Same-day registration since 1976. Strict photo ID (one of strictest, post-2011). Felons vote after sentence completion including probation. WI Supreme Court flipped 2023 led to redistricting redo with low-bias maps for 2024+. Mixed: good registration, bad ID law.

Has NOT adopted Medicaid expansion (BadgerCare covers up to 100% FPL only). Abortion legal up to ~22 weeks (1849 ban struck down 2023; resumed services). Gender-affirming care for minors not banned. Uninsured rate moderate. Strong system in Madison/Milwaukee; rural gaps.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide BWC mandate. Personnel records partially accessible after balancing test. WI LESB decertification database (Act 82, 2021 expanded). No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. Independent investigation of officer-involved deaths required (Wis. Stat. 175.47, 2014 - first state with such law). Chokeholds restricted by 2021 reforms.

Abortion legal up to ~20 weeks after WI Supreme Court (2025) struck down 1849 ban. Limited LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination (sexual orientation only, not gender identity statewide). Conversion therapy ban only via licensing rule, contested. Republican legislature pushing fetal personhood (SB 553, 2026). No religious mandates in schools. Mixed picture depending on chamber.

Right-to-work state (2015, public-sector under Act 10 since 2011). No paid family leave. No paid sick leave (state preempts locals). Federal OSHA only. Prevailing wage repealed (2017). Moderate wage theft enforcement. Near-median fatal injury rate.