The Wisconsin Department of Health Services released its 2025 State Health Assessment, and it shows that economic stress, burnout and high health care costs are among the barriers to healthier living.
The report, issued every five years, presents a snapshot of health and well-being across Wisconsin, and identifies both barriers impacting health outcomes and assets that can be leveraged to support solutions.
“Wisconsin’s state health assessment is part of our work to monitor the health of our state and is key to identifying health needs and understanding the driving factors behind them,” said Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson. “The 2025 SHA is a powerful resource for the state as a whole, providing a foundation for agencies, organizations, and partners to make informed decisions and support healthier communities.”
Among the barriers to health identified in the report are:
- Health care, including high costs; poor access to care; and lack of whole-person, prevention-focused care.
- Economic stress, including the rising cost of living.
- Mental health, including feelings of burnout and poor access to mental health care.
- Housing, including a lack of affordable housing
- Transportation, including inadequate public transportation; challenges of transportation in rural areas; and need for transportation options to work and health care appointments.
The 2025 SHA highlights demographic data, measures of health outcomes, and metrics on key factors that influence our ability to be healthy—such as employment, income, housing and childcare costs, transportation, and more. Alongside these measures, the report calls attention to priority areas for change, identified by Wisconsinites in community conversations held across the state.
The priority areas are:
- Economic well-being and cost of living
- Housing affordability and quality
- Mental health care and community social and emotional support
- Transportation infrastructure and public options
- Healthcare cost, access, and care quality
“Together, our data and the insights directly from Wisconsinites continue to tell us a powerful story: That good health is not as simple as making ‘the right’ choices or going to the doctor alone,” said Paula Tran, state health officer and administrator for the Division of Public Health. “The real story is that, for far too many people across Wisconsin, making the healthy choice or adopting a healthy behavior is far too difficult, or out of reach entirely.”
Learn more about the Wisconsin State Health Plan on the DHS website.
