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News Release: October Local Unemployment Data Released
Home > News Releases > October Local Unemployment Data Released
  
  We've got NEWS
Tuesday, November 21, 2000
Governor
Tommy G. Thompson
Secretary
Jennifer Reinert

News Media Contact
Christopher Marschman
608/261-6705
e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us
fax: 608/266-1784

Contact: August Cibarich, 608/266-0522

OCTOBER LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT DATA RELEASED

MADISON – Sixty-five Wisconsin Counties had unemployment rates below 4.0 percent in the month of October, according to statistics released today by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD).

"We are pleased to see that unemployment rates in nearly all Wisconsin counties remain low," said DWD Secretary Jennifer Reinert. "Low unemployment across the state means employers will have to work extra hard during the coming months to fill their temporary openings during the holiday season," she said.

The Department has recently unveiled a new Web site specifically designed for meeting seasonal job market needs.

"We encourage employers and job seekers to utilize the Seasonal Jobs Web site to meet their employment needs in the coming months," Secretary Reinert said. The Seasonal Jobs Web site address is www.wi-seasonaljobs.org

Not surprisingly the six tenths of a percentage point decline in the Wisconsin statewide unemployment rate for October, recently released, also resulted in a rate decrease in ten of the states 11 metropolitan areas. Only the Janesville-Beloit area experienced an increase. That area also had the highest unemployment rate of any of the Wisconsin metropolitan areas at 5.1 percent.

Large unemployment rate declines occurred over the month in five metropolitan areas: Eau Claire, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine and Wausau. Employment gains were concentrated in the metropolitan areas, as the balance of the state lost employment in October. Normal seasonal employment declines in tourism-based counties and some northern counties were the major reasons for the employment gain being concentrated in the metropolitan areas. Abnormally warm October weather limited the decline in outdoor activity.

Most Wisconsin counties also had very low unemployment rates with 65 of the 72 counties below four percent, 49 below three percent and 13 below two percent. Only two had rates above five percent, Menominee at 7.6 percent and Forest at 6.6 percent

Of the 28 Wisconsin cities with a population of 25,000 or more, 24 had rates below four percent unemployment, 15 were below three percent and six were below two percent. Four cities had five or more percent unemployment. The city of Racine had the highest October unemployment rate at 6.2 percent.

-30-


 Employment and Labor Force
Household Survey

Unadjusted estimates

Oct. 2000

Sept. 2000

Oct. 1999

Total labor force

3,015,700

3,025,300

2,925,300

Employed

2,938,700

2,931,500

2,853,500

Unemployed

77,000

93,800

71,800

Wis. Unemployment Rate

2.6%

3.1%

2.5%

U.S. Unemployment Rate

3.6%

3.8%

3.8%

 

Seasonably adjusted

Oct. 2000

Sept. 2000

Oct. 1999

Total labor force

3,014,400

3,030,300

2,923,700

Employed

2,924,100

2,919,800

2,837,500

Unemployed

90,300

110,400

86,100

Wis. Unemployment

3.0%

3.6%

2.9%

U.S. Unemployment

3.9%

3.9%

4.1%

 


 

*Metro National rank Sep. 2000


Unemployment
% seasonally adjusted

Oct.
2000

Sept.
2000

Oct.
1999

14th

Wisconsin

3.0%

3.6%

2.9%

45th

Appleton-Oshkosh

2.3%

2.7%

2.2%

101st

Eau Claire

2.8%

3.6%

2.5%

64th

Green Bay

2.2%

2.6%

2.3%

252nd

Janesville-Beloit

5.1%

4.9%

3.6%

131st

Kenosha

2.6%

3.4%

2.9%

84th

La Crosse

3.1%

3.4%

3.5%

9th

Madison

1.5%

1.7%

1.3%

203rd

Milwaukee-Waukesha

3.1%

3.9%

3.0%

227th

Racine

3.8%

4.6%

4.1%

40th

Sheboygan

2.0%

2.4%

1.7%

111th

Wausau

2.7%

3.7%

2.8%

  • This is the latest available data for the U.S.’s 331 largest metro areas. Urban rankings are NOT seasonally adjusted. Lower is better. Ties are shown only if existing with other Wisconsin urban areas; ties with urban areas in other states are not shown, but are available upon request. Rankings are by the U.S. Labor Department and are based on unadjusted data for the previous month, while the rates shown above for Wisconsin metropolitan areas are seasonally-adjusted and for the current month.
  • **State ranking is seasonally adjusted
  • *Metropolitan ranking is not seasonally adjusted and is for the prior month

Source *Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

 


Maps of October 2000 Unemployment Rates by County 
 

 

WISCONSIN COUNTIES
Unemployment Rates
October 2000
(Not Seasonally Adjusted)

RANK COUNTY RATE LAST
RATE
LAST
RANK
YR AGO
RATE
RANK COUNTY RATE LAST
RATE
LAST
RANK
YR AGO
RATE
                       

38

ADAMS

2.5%

2.8%

48

2.8%

49

MARATHON

2.2%

2.9%

42

2.2%

5

ASHLAND

4.2%

5.6%

2

5.2%

14

MARINETTE

3.5%

4.4%

8

3.4%

11

BARRON

3.6%

4.3%

11

2.7%

7

MARQUETTE

4.1%

4.6%

6

3.7%

13

BAYFIELD

3.6%

3.9%

20

2.9%

1

MENOMINEE

7.6%

9.2%

1

5.3%

63

BROWN

1.9%

2.4%

61

2.0%

9

MILWAUKEE

3.8%

4.7%

4

3.6%

59

BUFFALO

2.0%

1.9%

71

2.0%

17

MONROE

3.5%

4.0%

19

3.0%

50

BURNETT

2.2%

2.7%

52

2.6%

19

OCONTO

3.2%

3.5%

27

3.7%

34

CALUMET

2.6%

2.3%

66

1.8%

22

ONEIDA

3.0%

3.7%

22

3.4%

43

CHIPPEWA

2.4%

2.9%

43

2.1%

65

OUTAGAMIE

1.9%

2.2%

68

2.0%

16

CLARK

3.5%

4.0%

18

3.0%

70

OZAUKEE

1.7%

2.1%

70

1.6%

23

COLUMBIA

3.0%

3.4%

29

2.6%

30

PEPIN

2.8%

3.1%

35

2.3%

47

CRAWFORD

2.3%

3.0%

39

2.7%

69

PIERCE

1.7%

3.0%

38

1.8%

72

DANE

1.3%

1.6%

72

1.2%

35

POLK

2.5%

3.3%

30

2.4%

62

DODGE

1.9%

2.4%

60

1.9%

48

PORTAGE

2.3%

2.6%

55

2.3%

54

DOOR

2.1%

2.7%

51

2.0%

8

PRICE

3.9%

4.6%

5

4.0%

24

DOUGLAS

2.9%

3.2%

32

2.6%

18

RACINE

3.4%

4.1%

16

3.7%

67

DUNN

1.8%

2.5%

56

1.8%

15

RICHLAND

3.5%

4.3%

10

3.1%

52

EAU CLAIRE

2.1%

2.8%

45

2.0%

3

ROCK

4.7%

4.4%

9

3.4%

32

FLORENCE

2.6%

4.1%

15

3.3%

10

RUSK

3.7%

4.5%

7

2.9%

45

FOND DU LAC

2.4%

2.8%

47

2.2%

58

SAUK

2.0%

2.3%

64

2.0%

2

FOREST

6.6%

4.3%

12

3.5%

20

SAWYER

3.1%

3.7%

23

2.8%

60

GRANT

1.9%

3.1%

33

2.6%

29

SHAWANO

2.8%

3.4%

28

2.9%

25

GREEN

2.9%

3.1%

36

2.2%

66

SHEBOYGAN

1.9%

2.2%

69

1.7%

51

GREEN LAKE

2.2%

2.5%

58

3.0%

71

ST. CROIX

1.6%

2.6%

54

1.6%

68

IOWA

1.8%

2.2%

67

1.8%

40

TAYLOR

2.5%

2.8%

50

1.8%

27

IRON

2.8%

4.0%

17

2.8%

44

TREMPEALEAU

2.4%

2.9%

44

2.2%

46

JACKSON

2.3%

3.5%

26

2.2%

33

VERNON

2.6%

3.0%

41

3.1%

57

JEFFERSON

2.0%

2.4%

62

1.9%

41

VILAS

2.5%

2.7%

53

2.3%

6

JUNEAU

4.1%

5.0%

3

4.6%

61

WALWORTH

1.9%

2.4%

59

1.9%

42

KENOSHA

2.4%

3.1%

34

2.7%

12

WASHBURN

3.6%

4.2%

13

4.0%

55

KEWAUNEE

2.1%

2.3%

65

1.9%

53

WASHINGTON

2.1%

2.8%

46

1.9%

39

LA CROSSE

2.5%

2.8%

49

2.8%

64

WAUKESHA

1.9%

2.3%

63

1.9%

28

LAFAYETTE

2.8%

3.6%

25

2.6%

37

WAUPACA

2.5%

3.0%

40

2.7%

4

LANGLADE

4.6%

4.2%

14

4.7%

36

WAUSHARA

2.5%

3.2%

31

3.0%

21

LINCOLN

3.0%

3.7%

21

2.8%

56

WINNEBAGO

2.0%

2.5%

57

1.9%

26

MANITOWOC

2.9%

3.1%

37

2.6%

31

WOOD

2.7%

3.6%

24

2.4%

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service


 

WISCONSIN CITIES
Unemployment Rates
September 2000

(Not Seasonally Adjusted)

RANK

CITY

RATE LAST
RATE

LAST
RANK

YR AGO
RATE
           

18

APPLETON

2.4%

3.0%

18

2.6%

2

BELOIT

5.9%

6.7%

2

5.0%

25

BROOKFIELD

1.8%

2.3%

24

1.9%

16

EAU CLAIRE

2.5%

3.3%

14

2.4%

10

FOND DU LAC

3.1%

3.5%

13

2.9%

23

FRANKLIN

1.9%

2.4%

23

2.0%

12

GREEN BAY

3.0%

3.7%

9

3.1%

26

GREENFIELD

1.8%

2.2%

26

1.6%

3

JANESVILLE

5.7%

4.7%

4

3.9%

9

KENOSHA

3.1%

3.8%

7

3.4%

5

LA CROSSE

3.4%

3.7%

10

3.7%

28

MADISON

1.5%

1.8%

28

1.4%

6

MANITOWOC

3.3%

3.6%

11

3.1%

27

MENOMONEE FALLS

1.5%

1.8%

27

1.4%

4

MILWAUKEE

5.0%

6.3%

3

4.7%

19

NEENAH

2.4%

2.8%

19

2.5%

24

NEW BERLIN

1.9%

2.3%

25

1.6%

21

OAK CREEK

2.1%

2.6%

20

1.8%

15

OSHKOSH

2.6%

3.3%

15

2.3%

1

RACINE

6.2%

7.6%

1

6.5%

20

SHEBOYGAN

2.3%

2.6%

21

2.0%

8

STEVENS POINT

3.2%

3.8%

8

3.4%

13

SUPERIOR

3.0%

3.5%

12

2.8%

14

WAUKESHA

2.7%

3.3%

16

2.9%

11

WAUSAU

3.0%

4.3%

5

3.1%

22

WAUWATOSA

2.1%

2.5%

22

1.9%

17

WEST ALLIS

2.5%

3.1%

17

2.3%

7

WEST BEND

3.2%

4.2%

6

2.6%

 


 

WISCONSIN LABOR FORCE SUMMARY
IN THOUSANDS

        Net Change From
ITEM Prelim.
Oct. 2000
Final 
Sep. 2000
Year Ago
Oct. 1999
Month
Ago 
Year
Ago 
           
PLACE OF RESIDENCE DATA          
 
  CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE

3015.7

3025.3

2925.3

-9.6

90.4

  UNEMPLOYMENT

77.0

93.8

71.8

-16.8

5.2

  UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

2.6

3.1

2.5

-0.5

0.1

  EMPLOYMENT (1)

2938.7

2931.5

2853.5

7.2

85.2

 
PLACE OF WORK DATA
NONFARM WAGE & SALARY

2862.9

2848.7

2815.5

14.2

47.4

  MANUFACTURING

612.6

614.8

613.3

-2.2

-0.7

  DURABLE GOODS

375.8

375.3

376.2

0.5

-0.4

     Lumber and Wood Products

32.9

33.0

32.6

-0.1

0.3

     Furniture and Fixtures

19.0

18.9

17.8

0.1

1.2

     Stone, Clay & Glass Products

12.5

12.6

12.0

-0.1

0.5

     Primary Metal Industries

25.9

26.0

25.7

-0.1

0.2

     Fabricated Metal Products

68.8

69.0

68.0

-0.2

0.8

     Nonelectrical Machinery

108.6

108.4

110.6

0.2

-2.0

     Electrical Machinery

45.1

45.2

46.0

-0.1

-0.9

     Transportation Equipment

34.0

33.9

34.2

0.1

-0.2

     Prof., Scient. & Control
     Instruments

17.6

17.6

17.6

0.0

0.0

     Miscellaneous Manufacturing

11.4

10.7

11.7

0.7

-0.3

 
  NONDURABLE GOODS

236.7

239.5

237.1

-2.8

-0.4

     Food and Kindred Products

65.5

68.2

65.2

-2.7

0.3

     Textile Mill Products

2.4

2.4

2.5

0.0

-0.1

     Apparel & Other Finished
     Products

5.8

5.8

5.9

0.0