The Southeast Workforce Development Area (WDA) is composed of three counties: Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth Counties. Kenosha County, also known as the Kenosha Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), is a component of the larger Chicago-Gary-Kenosha Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). Racine County, or Racine MSA, is also a component of the Milwaukee-Racine CMSA. Walworth County is not a member county of any metropolitan area.

Some quick facts about the Southeast WDA:

• The three counties combine for 1,161 square miles or about two percent of Wisconsin's total area.
• The 2004 estimated population of the Southeast WDA is 444,987 residents, an increase of about 3.4 percent since 2000. The Southeast WDA represents about eight percent of Wisconsin's population.
• The WDA labor force in 2003 numbered 236,273 with 221,122 of those persons employed. This resulted in an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent. The statewide average unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in 2003.
• There were 175,800 non-farm jobs in the region in 2003.
• The 2003 average annual wages paid earned in the southeast region was $33,143. This was $279 lower than the statewide annual average.
• Per capita personal income for the region in 2002 was estimated to be $29,144, which was lower than the statewide figure of $30,050.

The manufacturing sector represented 23 percent of the southeast’s jobs and was its largest employing sector. The remaining industry employment composition is as follows in descending order: education and health services, 20 percent; trade, transportation, and utilities, 19 percent; leisure and hospitality, 12 percent; professional and business services, seven percent; public administration, six percent; construction, five percent; other services, three percent; financial activities, three percent; information, less than one percent; and natural resources, less than one percent.