“We see good indicators out there,” Walker said.

Walker, who is campaigning for re-election, didn’t arrive at the forum until after Brooks’ presentation. Brooks agreed with the governor that the state’s economy is on a “slow but positive” trend and said his research shows improvements in housing, lending and employment.

But some of Brooks’ data tempered the optimism. Wisconsin’s median annual income of $52,627 is about $6,500 less than the median income in Minnesota. In Wisconsin, 26.4 percent of residents have a college education, compared with 32.2 percent of Minnesotans.

Taking a humorous tone, Brooks acknowledged his wife is from Minnesota.

“Minnesotans are richer, younger, prettier, more educated,” Brooks said. “There — I said it.”

Sales tax figures for La Crosse County and other counties in the region show consumer spending is lower than it should be after the recession, following a national pattern. In the United States, food and retail sales are about 10 percent short of pre-recession trends.