Top Occupations in Wisconsin by Political Donations

See which occupations donate the most in Wisconsin. 100 occupations, $38.7M in donations from Wisconsin.

The occupational breakdown of political donors in Wisconsin reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within Wisconsin, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.

#OccupationWisconsin TotalNational Total
1CHAIRMAN$19.0M$209.7M
2CHAIRWOMAN$12.0M$13.3M
3CHAIR$2.0M$21.9M
4CHAIRMAN & CEO$449K$39.1M
5CHAIRMAN AND CEO$408K$19.8M
6RETAIL OWNER$323K$721K
7DEVELOPER$321K$12.9M
8SOFTWARE DEVELOPER$237K$6.5M
9BUSINESS MANAGER$209K$2.7M
10SURGEON$189K$5.6M
11SHAREHOLDER$130K$1.8M
12PROGRAMMER$126K$6.0M
13ANESTHESIOLOGIST$107K$3.1M
14INSURANCE SALES$102K$1.1M
15OWNER/MANAGER$95K$828K
16LETTER CARRIER$92K$2.1M
17FINANCIAL PLANNER$89K$1.9M
18TRUCK DRIVER$82K$2.8M
19BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE$78K$2.0M
20DRIVER$72K$2.5M
21PARTNER/OWNER$70K$1.9M
22AUDIOLOGIST$65K$252K
23CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD$63K$10.6M
24RETIRED ATTORNEY$63K$366K
25MGR$61K$1.1M
26SENIOR COUNSEL$61K$876K
27CHIROPRACTOR$59K$3.1M
28ACTUARY$56K$1.8M
29CORPORATE OFFICER$55K$832K
30RESEARCH$55K$2.0M
31RADIOLOGIST$54K$2.0M
32BOARD$52K$174K
33BUSINESS AGENT$52K$1.1M
34COACH$51K$1.6M
35CORPORATE EXECUTIVE$50K$869K
36GRAPHIC DESIGNER$50K$1.3M
37TRIBE$50K$181K
38REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT$49K$2.0M
39HEALTHCARE CONSULTANT$49K$586K
40GROWER$48K$538K
41CAREGIVER$45K$1.4M
42FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN$44K$2.4M
43DDS$44K$288K
44FINANCE DIRECTOR$41K$837K
45RETIRED TEACHER$40K$699K
46EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT$40K$474K
47PLUMBER$40K$3.2M
48MERCHANT$38K$497K
49ATTY$38K$1.0M
50PLAYWRIGHT$38K$178K
51ATTORNEY AT LAW$34K$1.3M
52APPRAISER$34K$508K
53HEALTH COACH$33K$259K
54OPERATIONS DIRECTOR$33K$389K
55BRANCH MANAGER$32K$316K
56COMMUNITY RELATIONS$32K$456K
57SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT$31K$508K
58EPIDEMIOLOGIST$29K$759K
59RETAILER$26K$3.8M
60PRESIDENT AND COO$26K$430K
61RECEPTIONIST$26K$375K
62SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER$25K$83K
63MAINTENANCE$25K$598K
64JOURNALIST$24K$1.6M
65DAIRY FARMER$24K$1.0M
66FUNERAL DIRECTOR$24K$524K
67RESTAURANTEUR$24K$921K
68PEDIATRIC DENTIST$23K$460K
69EVP & CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER$23K$239K
70PROFESSOR EMERITUS$23K$673K
71COMPUTER CONSULTANT$23K$509K
72MEDICAL SALES$23K$236K
73MOM$22K$469K
74STATE FARM AGENT$22K$509K
75LANDLORD$21K$747K
76IT EXECUTIVE$21K$199K
77DOC$21K$239K
78PRESIDENT/OWNER$21K$787K
79EVENT PLANNER$20K$572K
80PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT$20K$160K
81DEVELOPMENT OFFICER$20K$186K
82ASSISTANT$20K$638K
83FIELD REPRESENTATIVE$20K$564K
84RETIRED PHYSICIAN$20K$724K
85STATE DIRECTOR$19K$157K
86SINGER$19K$399K
87RETIRED PROFESSOR$19K$150K
88PROF$18K$296K
89DENTAL HYGIENIST$18K$304K
90HLTH PLAN CEO$17K$322K
91REALESTATE$17K$256K
92PRESIDENT/COO$16K$169K
93FARM OWNER$16K$123K
94FITNESS INSTRUCTOR$16K$315K
95RESTAURANT MANAGER$16K$132K
96IT TECHNICIAN$15K$82K
97EVP & CFO$14K$271K
98TAX PREPARER$14K$432K
99SENIOR EXECUTIVE$14K$320K
100INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE$14K$512K

Frequently Asked Questions

What occupations donate the most in Wisconsin?

The top political donors by occupation in Wisconsin typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 100 tracked occupations, Wisconsin residents have contributed $38.7M to federal campaigns.

Does Wisconsin's occupation mix differ from the national average?

Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the Wisconsin and National Total columns to spot these differences.

How are occupation categories determined?

Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.

More Wisconsin Data

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