Fort McCoy’s economic impact exceeds $1.479 billion during fiscal year 2020

By CourtesyMarch 22, 2021

Service members hold training Aug. 26, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
1 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 26, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Members of the Wisconsin State Patrol hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy's $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
2 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Members of the Wisconsin State Patrol hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy's $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
3 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
4 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
5 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
6 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
7 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
8 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
9 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training Aug. 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members hold training March 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
10 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members hold training March 4, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
A service member participates in cold-water immersion training Feb. 28, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
11 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A service member participates in cold-water immersion training Feb. 28, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Service members participate in cold-weather training Feb. 28, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
12 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members participate in cold-weather training Feb. 28, 2020, at a training area on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Training like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. Thousands of people train at the installation every year which also translates to money spent in local economies. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL
Work on five new battle simulations buildings in the 200 block is shown Dec. 5, 2020, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Contractor MDM Construction Supply of Rockford, Ill., constructed the new buildings and related infrastructure. Construction like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)
13 / 13 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Work on five new battle simulations buildings in the 200 block is shown Dec. 5, 2020, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Contractor MDM Construction Supply of Rockford, Ill., constructed the new buildings and related infrastructure. Construction like this contributed to Fort McCoy’s $1.479 billion local economic impact during fiscal year 2020. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.) (Photo Credit: Scott Sturkol) VIEW ORIGINAL

Fort McCoy’s total economic impact for fiscal year (FY) 2020 was an estimated $1.479 billion, above the $1.184 billion reported for FY 2019, garrison officials announced.

The data was compiled by Fort McCoy’s Plans, Analysis and Integration Office.

Workforce payroll, operating costs, and other expenditures totaled $369 million for FY 2020 compared to $296 million for FY 2019.

A total of 2,549 personnel worked at Fort McCoy in FY 2020 — 1,476 civilians, 509 military, and 564 contract employees.

Approximately 68 percent of the workforce lives within Monroe County. The total FY 2020 workforce payroll for civilian and military personnel was $165.99 million.

FY 2020 operating costs of $194.4 million included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, as well as salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy.

Other expenditures accounted for $9.3 million and covered $330,494 in payments to local governments (including land permit agreements, school district impact aid, etc.) as well as $9 million in discretionary spending in local communities by service members training at Fort McCoy.

Other factors of economic impact for the fiscal year included $50.3 million in military construction on post.

Fort McCoy supported training for 60,054 troops in FY 2020, which ran from Oct. 1, 2019, to Sept. 30, 2020. The training population included reserve- and active-component personnel from throughout the military. And although more than half the fiscal year was affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the cancellation of training for months at Fort McCoy, the installation rallied in the fourth quarter of the year to bring training back.

Larry Sharp, chief of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) Training Coordination Branch, said the pandemic changed everything when planning training. After training halted in April 2020, it restarted in July and grew significantly all the way through September.

“It was a herculean effort by everyone on our team to get this training back and to keep it going,” Sharp said. “After we stopped the training, we were busy getting units rescheduled and back here starting in July. We had to work with travel restrictions in mind as well as COVID-19 safety precautions.”

The Fort McCoy Executive Summary, available on the installation website, www.home.army.mil/mccoy, shows the installation makes continuous improvements to provide a training plethora of training capabilities for service members.

“Throughout the last decade, Fort McCoy experienced unprecedented facility modernization, training area development and expansion, increased training and customer support capability, and improved quality-of-life opportunities,” the summary states. “From unmanned aerial vehicles, to urban training facilities, to live-fire ranges and virtual-training environments, Fort McCoy is prepared to meet the training needs of the Army in the 21st century.”

A gross multiplier index (GMI) of 4.0 was used to determine the overall effect of the expenditures in the local economy.

The GMI measures the number of times a dollar turns over within a region and was developed by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Fort McCoy was established in 1909 and its motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.

(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.)