The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Stand up for the facts! Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Mark Pocan stated on December 8, 2016 in an appearance on Fox News: \"In the last decade, 73% of new jobs (in Wisconsin) have come from Madison.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Jobs * Wisconsin * Mark Pocan ![\\"U.S.](\\" U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin, represents the Madison area. (Associated Press photo) ![\\"Eric](\\" mug_small/f8ec7291d825b9e6d54a4e23eef2704c.jpg\\"/) By Eric Litke January 19, 2017 # Pocan wrongly claims \'in the last decade, 73% of new jobs\' in Wisconsin \'have come from Madison\' After another congressman slammed Madison as a \"communist\" city, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, offered up a defense built on the city’s economic muscle. The spat began when U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican, referred to the \"progressive, liberal, communist community of Madison\" while discussing how Dane County opted for a hand tally during the presidential recount. The comments came in a December appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News. Duffy implied on Twitter he was joking, but Pocan wasn’t laughing. The Democrat went on the same show Dec. 8, 2016, to demand an apology and defend the state’s capital city. \"In the last decade, 73 percent of new jobs (in Wisconsin) have come from Madison,\" Pocan said in the appearance. \"I don’t know if that’s exactly the way I look at communists. We actually have a very vibrant private sector.\" Is one Wisconsin city really responsible for nearly three-fourths of the job growth over the last 10 years? Let\'s check the numbers. Problems with geography, specificity The claim runs into immediate trouble since Pocan referred to the wrong geographic area. Spokesman David Kolovson said Pocan meant to say Dane County was responsible for 73% of jobs, not Madison. He noted two news releases Pocan issued on the topic attributed that number to Dane County. Slightly more than half of Dane County lives outside Madison, so it’s an important difference. Pocan also referred on TV to \"73 percent of new jobs,\" when the figures he is citing actually address net job growth. Pocan’s phrasing implies he has data on where each new job in the state was created, when he is actually referring to the change in total employment — how many people had jobs at one point in time compared to another. Job figures don’t match Pocan’s claim As for the 73 percent figure, let’s first look at what Pocan actually said — that the City of Madison was responsible for 73 percent of growth. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates Madison added a net of 13,000 jobs from 2006-’16, while the state added 87,000. That would be 15 percent of the statewide growth — far less than Pocan asserted. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on September 14, 2024 in a speech “In Project 2025, you’re going to have to register with a new federal agency when you get pregnant.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • September 17, 2024 Those numbers come from the bureau’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics, which uses household-level data and surveys to estimate the labor force, employment and unemployment numbers. It’s the only dataset with city-level data. But what about the number Pocan was intending to cite (and did cite in news releases), attributing the increase to Dane County? It’s closer, but still off. Bureau of Labor Statistics Economist Steve Hipple said a different dataset, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, is the best measure of job growth. That is based on state unemployment insurance filings and produces county and state-level employment figures. The latest available employment data, through the second quarter of 2016, shows Dane County is responsible for 58 percent of the state’s job growth from 2006-’16. Dan Kennelly, manager of Madison’s Office of Business Resources, said the number is that high largely due to the Great Recession. Dane County was significantly less affected than the rest of the state, he said. \"If you look at more recent years, the statewide numbers look significantly stronger compared to Dane County,\" Kennelly said. \"This is likely because while Dane County’s economy stayed relatively strong through the recession, the statewide economy took a bigger dive and therefore had a deeper hole to climb out of during the recovery over the last few years.\" Kolovson, the Pocan spokesman, said the 73 percent figure came from a presentation made by Madison city development officials at a September 2014 symposium. That presentation said 73 percent of \"net new jobs\" created in Wisconsin from 2004-’14 were in Dane County. So the data is at least two years old, and not in line with Pocan’s reference to it as being \"in the last decade.\" And the number is wrong for that timespan anyhow. Kennelly, who did the calculations behind the 73 percent figure, said he used the same Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. But the symposium occurred with three months left in 2014. Full-year data for 2004-14 shows Dane County accounted for 55 percent of the job growth statewide in that span. Our rating In his defense of Madison, Pocan highlighted the area’s job creation by saying the city is responsible for 73 percent of new jobs in the state over the last decade. But his claim attributed Dane County data to Madison, referred to \"new jobs\" when he meant job growth and was built on two-year-old data that is wrong itself. We rate his claim False. Share the Facts Politifact ![\\"Politifact\\"](\\" facts/rating_images/politifact/tom-false.jpg\\"/) 4 6 ![\\"Politifact](\\" facts/rating_images/politifact/tom-false.jpg\\"/) Politifact Rating: \"In the last decade, 73% of new jobs (in Wisconsin) have come from Madison.\" Mark Pocan U.S. representative, D-Wis. ![](\\" In an interview Thursday, December 8, 2016 -12/-08/2016 Read More info #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources YouTube.com, Dem wants GOP lawmaker to apologize for insulting community, Dec. 8, 2016 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2016 Q2 and 2006 Q2, accessed Jan. 5, 2017 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2016 and 2006, accessed Jan. 5, 2017 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Madison, accessed Jan. 5, 2017 Email exchange with David Kolovson, spokesman for Mark Pocan, Jan. 4, 2017 Mark Pocan press release, Rep. Pocan Calls Out Rep. Duffy for Saying Madison is a Communist Community…, Dec. 7, 2016 Mark Pocan press release, Rep. Pocan Sets the Facts Straight with Rep. Duffy After He Refuses to Apologize, Dec. 8, 2016 Email exchange with Dan Kennelly, Madison business resource manager, Jan. 5, 2017 Email exchange with Steve Hipple, economist, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Jan. 6, 2017 Email exchange with Cassandra Wirth, economist, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Jan. 5-6, 2017 Madison Economic Development, Madison’s Economic Strategy: Shaping What’s Next (slide 25), Sept. 10, 2014 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Eric Litke ![](\\" ![](\\" Mark Born stated on March 21, 2021 in a TV appearance: “Private insurance gives … better coverage” than people would get under a Medicaid expansion. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Eric Litke • April 21, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Janet Bewley stated on March 28, 2021 in TV interview: Says Republican lawmakers delayed COVID-19 testing ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • April 16, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tony Evers stated on March 30, 2021 in Twitter: “It took the Legislature nearly 300 days to act on a (COVID-19) bill during this pandemic.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • April 2, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Shelley Grogan stated on March 29, 2021 in a radio ad: Judge Jeff Davis \"spent years defending a convicted cop killer\" and \"tried to get him off the hook.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • March 30, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" James Edming stated on March 23, 2021 in a speech: “You can’t tell me they can (develop a safe vaccine) in eight to 10 months. Or a year. It takes more time than that.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • March 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron Johnson stated on March 20, 2021 in a speech: “There was no violence on the Senate side, in terms of the chamber.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • March 23, 2021 ![](\\" sen-stroebel/626cbc5b71c026c4147c955b46d1e90a.jpg\\") ![](\\" sen-stroebel/43141e5e308588b580466ad546acd45c.jpg\\") Duey Stroebel stated on March 7, 2021 in a TV interview: \"We’ve had more voter turnout since voter ID was passed than ever before.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • March 19, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 10, 2021 in a Facebook post: Diesel prices jumped from $1.69 to $3.19 since Biden took office, and the president is to blame. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • March 17, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron Johnson stated on March 4, 2021 in in various forums: On passing high-dollar legislation with no time to read it. ![\\"full-flop\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"full-flop\\"](\\" flop.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • March 11, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Gordon Hintz stated on February 23, 2021 in a speech: Republicans are “trying to create a fake unemployment insurance crisis.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Eric Litke • March 4, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Scott Fitzgerald stated on February 27, 2021 in a press release: “More than 91% of the spending in this $1.9 trillion package is not used for pandemic relief.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • March 1, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Sarah Godlewski stated on February 6, 2021 in a tweet: “On average, 17% of a family’s income goes towards child care in Wisconsin.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • February 23, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Mark Pocan stated on February 12, 2021 in a tweet: Ron Johnson didn’t “show up” for a day of impeachment hearings. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • February 16, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron Johnson stated on February 15, 2021 in a radio interview: Says Jan. 6 Capitol riot “didn’t seem like an armed insurrection.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Eric Litke • February 15, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Dan O\'Donnell stated on February 3, 2021 in in a commentary: November election data shows a “stunning anomaly in the rejection rate of absentee ballots.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Eric Litke • February 12, 2021 ### Pocan wrongly claims \'in the last decade, 73% of new jobs\' in Wisconsin \'have come from Madison\' * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in a post: Vice President Kamala Harris’ college professors disparaged her as their “worst student.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 17, 2024 in a post: Photo shows Kamala Harris posing beside Sean “Diddy” Combs. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 18, 2024 in Instagram posts: “BREAKING: Police found ‘explosives’ in car near former President Donald Trump’s rally site on Long Island.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Dave McCormick stated on September 13, 2024 in an X post: Charleroi, Pennsylvania, “has grown by 2,000% due to an influx in migrants.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: \"El gran respaldo de Taylor Swift\" a Kamala Harris \"le cuesta $125 millones en acuerdos de marca\". ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 16, 2024 in an Instagram post: Taylor Swift “lost 17 million followers by endorsing Kamala.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on September 13, 2024 in a post on X: Rep. Ruben Gallego’s “first act in Congress was to propose legislation to BAN the use of the term ‘illegal alien.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Mia Osmonbekov • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Sherrod Brown stated on September 4, 2024 in a TV interview: Of Bernie Moreno, “Now, he’s arguing for a national abortion ban, no exceptions.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 16, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Country Music Television (CMT) has announced a permanent boycott of Taylor Swift.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 11, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Disney World officially moving to Nashville.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. Sign me up #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" ✕ * * *
In the last decade 73 of new jobs in Wisconsin have come from Madison