WisBusiness: the Podcast with Laura Dresser, High Road Strategy Center

This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with returning guest Laura Dresser, associate director of the High Road Strategy Center at UW-Madison. The conversation is focused on the center’s latest report, “Can’t Survive on $7.25,” which makes the case that Wisconsin’s minimum wage is too low to live on and explores the potential impacts of raising it. 

High Road Strategy Center Releases Can’t Survive on $7.25: 2026 Update

The High Road Strategy Center has released an updated edition of Can’t Survive on $7.25, examining the impact of Wisconsin’s stagnant minimum wage and the potential benefits of raising the state’s wage floor. Wisconsin’s minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009, while inflation has steadily eroded its value and neighboring states have moved ahead with significantly higher minimum wages.