Wednesday, March 28, 2001  Governor Scott McCallum  Secretary Jennifer Reinert | News Media Contact Christopher Marschman 608/261-6705 e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784 | Contact: Terry Ludeman, 608/267-3262 FEBRUARY LOCAL EMPLOYMENT FIGURES RELEASED MADISON – The increase in unemployment rates that the State of Wisconsin experienced in the February labor market numbers is reflected in local employment data released today by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). Sixty-nine of Wisconsin’s seventy-two counties experienced an increase in rates between January and February. Many of the largest increases were felt in counties in the northern half of the state, particularly in the northwestern section of the state. In general, counties that are rich in manufacturing employment, particularly durable goods manufacturing were harder hit than counties whose employment is not manufacturing based. "Labor market information indicates that Wisconsin continues to experience the effects of a national economic slowdown," said DWD Secretary Jennifer Reinert. "Lower interest rates, being promoted by the Federal Reserve Bank, along with the arrival of spring weather are expected to have a positive effect on Wisconsin’s labor market in the coming months," she said. Although many of the northern counties in Wisconsin often have large unemployment increases during the winter months, this year’s increase was greater than it has been in recent years, reflecting the national economic slowdown, as well as a severe winter weather pattern. Statewide, durable goods manufacturing firms reported a loss of 3,900 jobs between January and February. Lumber and Wood Products Manufacturing, a mainstay of manufacturing in Wisconsin’s northern counties lost about 700 jobs between January and February. Although less than 10 percent of total durable goods manufacturing in Wisconsin is found in lumber and wood products, this industry accounted for nearly 20 percent of the durable goods job loss. (end) Employment and Labor Force Household Survey | Unadjusted estimates | Feb. 2001 | Jan. 2001 | Feb. 2000 | | Total labor force | 3,026,400 | 3,003,600 | 2,847,500 | | Employed | 2,872,200 | 2,870,600 | 2,725,200 | | Unemployed | 154,200 | 133,000 | 122,300 | | Wis. Unemployment Rate | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 | | U.S. Unemployment Rate | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.4 | | Seasonably adjusted | Feb. 2001 | Jan. 2001 | Feb. 2000 | | Total labor force | 3,062,500 | 3,047,800 | 2,881,500 | | Employed | 2,930,800 | 2,932,200 | 2,781,800 | | Unemployed | 131,700 | 115,700 | 99,700 | | Wis. Unemployment | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | | U.S. Unemployment | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | February State Rank  *January Area Rank | Unemployment % seasonally adjusted
| Feb. 2001 | Jan. 2001 | Feb. 2000 | | 32nd | Wisconsin | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | | 93rd | Appleton-Oshkosh | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.5 | | 234th | Eau Claire | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.8 | | 93rd | Green Bay | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.7 | | 228th | Janesville-Beloit | 6.7 | 4.4 | 5.0 | | 248th | Kenosha | 4.5 | 4.9 | 3.9 | | 145th | La Crosse | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 | | 11th | Madison | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.7 | | 162nd | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.8 | | 266th | Racine | 5.6 | 5.1 | 4.8 | | 67th | Sheboygan | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.2 | | 197th | Wausau | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.2 | - 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 February 2001 Unemployment Rates by County | WISCONSIN COUNTIES Unemployment Rates February 2001 (Not Seasonally Adjusted) | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 42 | | ADAMS | 6.6% | 5.7% | 39 | 6.4% | | 46 | | MARATHON | 5.9% | 4.6% | 54 | 4.5% | | 6 | | ASHLAND | 10.0% | 9.2% | 6 | 9.0% | | 26 | | MARINETTE | 7.7% | 6.9% | 23 | 6.5% | | 23 | | BARRON | 7.8% | 7.0% | 21 | 5.8% | | 4 | | MARQUETTE | 11.2% | 9.6% | 4 | 9.4% | | 8 | | BAYFIELD | 9.2% | 9.0% | 7 | 9.1% | | 12 | | MENOMINEE | 8.9% | 7.7% | 14 | 6.3% | | 65 | | BROWN | 3.9% | 3.2% | 66 | 3.2% | | 54 | | MILWAUKEE | 5.2% | 4.7% | 52 | 4.6% | | 50 | | BUFFALO | 5.6% | 5.2% | 44 | 4.9% | | 44 | | MONROE | 6.2% | 5.8% | 36 | 5.6% | | 33 | | BURNETT | 7.2% | 6.7% | 24 | 6.5% | | 27 | | OCONTO | 7.7% | 6.3% | 28 | 6.6% | | 66 | | CALUMET | 3.8% | 3.1% | 67 | 2.9% | | 24 | | ONEIDA | 7.8% | 7.0% | 22 | 7.8% | | 21 | | CHIPPEWA | 7.9% | 7.2% | 19 | 6.6% | | 64 | | OUTAGAMIE | 4.1% | 3.4% | 65 | 3.4% | | 2 | | CLARK | 11.7% | 9.3% | 5 | 8.3% | | 71 | | OZAUKEE | 2.6% | 2.3% | 71 | 2.4% | | 37 | | COLUMBIA | 6.7% | 5.9% | 33 | 5.8% | | 10 | | PEPIN | 9.2% | 7.7% | 15 | 7.6% | | 34 | | CRAWFORD | 7.2% | 5.6% | 41 | 4.9% | | 59 | | PIERCE | 4.7% | 4.2% | 57 | 3.7% | | 72 | | DANE | 2.3% | 2.0% | 72 | 2.1% | | 20 | | POLK | 8.0% | 5.9% | 35 | 4.7% | | 56 | | DODGE | 5.0% | 4.3% | 56 | 4.1% | | 51 | | PORTAGE | 5.6% | 5.2% | 45 | 4.9% | | 16 | | DOOR | 8.5% | 8.1% | 9 | 7.7% | | 3 | | PRICE | 11.6% | 7.5% | 17 | 10.1% | | 41 | | DOUGLAS | 6.6% | 5.9% | 32 | 5.6% | | 45 | | RACINE | 6.2% | 5.8% | 37 | 5.4% | | 53 | | DUNN | 5.4% | 4.8% | 49 | 5.4% | | 38 | | RICHLAND | 6.7% | 5.9% | 34 | 5.4% | | 60 | | EAU CLAIRE | 4.7% | 4.0% | 59 | 3.7% | | 32 | | ROCK | 7.3% | 5.0% | 47 | 5.4% | | 11 | | FLORENCE | 9.0% | 9.9% | 2 | 9.9% | | 1 | | RUSK | 11.9% | 10.4% | 1 | 9.5% | | 55 | | FOND DU LAC | 5.0% | 5.0% | 46 | 4.2% | | 58 | | SAUK | 4.9% | 4.7% | 51 | 4.6% | | 13 | | FOREST | 8.8% | 8.0% | 11 | 8.0% | | 15 | | SAWYER | 8.6% | 7.9% | 12 | 8.3% | | 31 | | GRANT | 7.3% | 5.7% | 40 | 5.1% | | 39 | | SHAWANO | 6.7% | 5.5% | 42 | 5.2% | | 43 | | GREEN | 6.5% | 4.6% | 55 | 4.8% | | 68 | | SHEBOYGAN | 3.6% | 2.9% | 69 | 2.5% | | 29 | | GREEN LAKE | 7.5% | 6.7% | 25 | 7.0% | | 49 | | ST. CROIX | 5.7% | 3.6% |
| 3.0% | | 48 | | IOWA | 5.7% | 4.7% | 53 | 5.6% | | 7 | | TAYLOR | 9.9% | 7.2% | 20 | 7.2% | | 22 | | IRON | 7.8% | 7.4% | 18 | 9.1% | | 19 | | TREMPEALEAU | 8.0% | 7.8% | 13 | 6.7% | | 35 | | JACKSON | 7.0% | 6.6% | 26 | 6.3% | | 28 | | VERNON | 7.6% | 6.0% | 31 | 6.2% | | 61 | | JEFFERSON | 4.4% | 3.8% | 62 | 3.6% | | 17 | | VILAS | 8.4% | 7.6% | 16 | 8.1% | | 5 | | JUNEAU | 10.6% | 9.7% | 3 | 9.6% | | 63 | | WALWORTH | 4.3% | 3.9% | 61 | 3.5% | | 57 | | KENOSHA | 4.9% | 5.4% | 43 | 4.2% | | 14 | | WASHBURN | 8.6% | 8.4% | 8 | 8.6% | | 52 | | KEWAUNEE | 5.6% | 4.0% | 60 | 4.1% | | 67 | | WASHINGTON | 3.7% | 3.4% | 64 | 3.2% | | 62 | | LA CROSSE | 4.3% | 4.0% | 58 | 4.4% | | 70 | | WAUKESHA | 3.1% | 2.8% | 70 | 2.8% | | 30 | | LAFAYETTE | 7.3% | 5.8% | 38 | 5.5% | | 47 | | WAUPACA | 5.7% | 4.8% | 50 | 4.7% | | 9 | | LANGLADE | 9.2% | 8.1% | 10 | 7.4% | | 36 | | WAUSHARA | 6.7% | 6.0% | 30 | 6.4% | | 18 | | LINCOLN | 8.3% | 6.5% | 27 | 7.5% | | 69 | | WINNEBAGO | 3.5% | 3.0% | 68 | 2.8% | | 40 | | MANITOWOC | 6.7% | 4.9% | 48 | 4.9% | | 25 | | WOOD | 7.8% | 6.3% | 29 | 5.8% | | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service | WISCONSIN CITIES Unemployment Rates February 2001 (Not Seasonally Adjusted) | RANK | CITY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | | | | | | | | | 17 | | APPLETON | 4.6% | 3.8% | 17 | 3.7% | | 1 | | BELOIT | 10.0% | 7.2% | 2 | 7.8% | | 28 | | BROOKFIELD | 2.2% | 2.0% | 27 | 2.1% | | 12 | | EAU CLAIRE | 5.4% | 4.5% | 14 | 4.2% | | 7 | | FOND DU LAC | 6.1% | 6.1% | 6 | 4.6% | | 22 | | FRANKLIN | 3.4% | 3.1% | 22 | 2.9% | | 11 | | GREEN BAY | 6.0% | 4.9% | 11 | 4.8% | | 24 | | GREENFIELD | 2.6% | 2.4% | 24 | 2.4% | | 4 | | JANESVILLE | 7.3% | 4.8% | 13 | 5.4% | | 8 | | KENOSHA | 6.0% | 6.7% | 3 | 5.2% | | 13 | | LA CROSSE | 5.3% | 4.8% | 12 | 5.3% | | 27 | | MADISON | 2.3% | 2.0% | 28 | 2.0% | | 3 | | MANITOWOC | 8.6% | 5.5% | 7 | 6.0% | | 26 | | MENOMONEE FALLS | 2.5% | 2.2% | 26 | 2.2% | | 5 | | MILWAUKEE | 7.2% | 6.7% | 4 | 6.5% | | 15 | | NEENAH | 5.0% | 4.0% | 15 | 3.7% | | 25 | | NEW BERLIN | 2.6% | 2.3% | 25 | 2.3% | | 20 | | OAK CREEK | 3.9% | 3.7% | 18 | 3.1% | | 21 | | OSHKOSH | 3.9% | 3.5% | 20 | 3.0% | | 2 | | RACINE | 9.6% | 8.9% | 1 | 7.9% | | 16 | | SHEBOYGAN | 4.7% | 3.5% | 21 | 3.1% | | 6 | | STEVENS POINT | 7.2% | 6.6% | 5 | 6.2% | | 9 | | SUPERIOR | 6.0% | 5.4% | 8 | 5.1% | | 18 | | WAUKESHA | 4.3% | 3.8% | 16 | 4.0% | | 10 | | WAUSAU | 6.0% | 5.0% | 10 | 5.0% | | 23 | | WAUWATOSA | 3.3% | 2.8% | 23 | 2.9% | | 19 | | WEST ALLIS | 4.2% | 3.6% | 19 | 3.5% | | 14 | | WEST BEND | 5.1% | 5.2% | 9 | 4.8% | | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service WISCONSIN LABOR FORCE SUMMARY IN THOUSANDS | | | | | | Net Change From | | ITEM | Prelim. Feb. 2001 | Final Jan. 2001 | Year Ago Feb. 2000 | Month Ago | Year Ago | | | | | | | | | PLACE OF RESIDENCE DATA | | | | | | | | | CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE | 3026.4 | 3003.6 | 2847.5 | 22.8 | 178.9 | | UNEMPLOYMENT | 154.2 | 133.0 | 122.3 | 21.2 | 31.9 | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | | EMPLOYMENT (1) | 2872.2 | 2870.6 | 2725.2 | 1.6 | 147.0 | | | | | | | | | PLACE OF WORK DATA | | | | | | | NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2791.1 | 2783.8 | 2759.1 | 7.3 | 32.0 | | MANUFACTURING | 603.1 | 608.7 | 612.5 | -5.6 | -9.4 | | DURABLE GOODS | 366.5 | 370.4 | 374.8 | -3.9 | -8.3 | | Lumber and Wood Products | 30.7 | 31.4 | 31.4 | -0.7 | -0.7 | | Furniture and Fixtures | 18.8 | 19.1 | 18.2 | -0.3 | 0.6 | | Stone, Clay & Glass Products | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | | Primary Metal Industries | 25.1 | 25.4 | 26.3 | -0.3 | -1.2 | | Fabricated Metal Products | 65.9 | 66.7 | 67.3 | -0.8 | -1.4 | | Nonelectrical Machinery | 107.6 | 108.6 | 111.3 | -1.0 | -3.7 | | Electrical Machinery | 45.1 | 46 | 46.5 | -0.9 | -1.4 | | Transportation Equipment | 33.7 | 33.6 | 34.7 | 0.1 | -1.0 | Prof., Scient. & Control Instruments | 18.1 | 18.1 | 17.7 | 0.0 | 0.4 | | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 11.1 | 11.1 | 10.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 | | | | | | | | | NONDURABLE GOODS | 236.6 | 238.3 | 237.7 | -1.7 | -1.1 | | Food and Kindred Products | 66.8 | 66.9 | 64.8 | -0.1 | 632.0 | | Textile Mill Products | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | Apparel & Other Finished Products | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | | Paper and Allied Products | 50.8 | 51.2 | 52.2 | -0.4 | -1.4 | | Printing, Publishing & Allied | 54.6 | 55.2 | 54.3 | -0.6 | 0.3 | | Chemicals and Allied Products | 15 | 15.1 | 14.8 | -0.1 | 0.2 | Rubber & Misc. Plastic Products | 37.7 | 38.2 | 39.4 | -0.5 | -1.7 | | Leather & Leather Products | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.9 | -0.1 | -0.8 | | All Other Nondurable Goods | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | | | | | | | | | MINING | 2 | 2 | 2.2 | 0.0 | -0.2 | | CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION | 108.7 | 110.8 | 106.3 | -2.1 | 2.4 | TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS & SAN. SERV. | 131.9 | 131.7 | 129.1 | 0.2 | 2.8 | | TRADE | 617.8 | 623.4 | 613.3 | -5.6 | 4.5 | | WHOLESALE TRADE | 137.3 | 137.5 | 136.4 | -0.2 | 0.9 | | RETAIL TRADE | 480.5 | 486 | 476.9 | -5.5 | 3.6 | FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE | 150.1 | 149.4 | 146.5 | 0.7 | 3.6 | | SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS | 762.2 | 758.3 | 740.6 | 3.9 | 21.6 | | GOVERNMENT | 415.4 | 399.5 | 408.8 | 15.9 | 6.6 | | FEDERAL | 29.8 | 29.7 | 30.5 | 0.1 | -0.7 | | STATE | 101.2 | 91.3 | 100.5 | 9.9 | 0.7 | | LOCAL | 284.4 | 278.4 | 277.8 | 6.0 | 6.6 | | | | | | | | PERSONS INVOLVED IN L-M DISPUTES | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.0 | | (1) Includes L-M Disputes | | SEASONALLY ADJUSTED LABOR FORCE ESTIMATES | | CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE | 3062.5 | 3047.8 | 2881.5 | 14.7 | 181.0 | | UNEMPLOYMENT | 131.7 | 115.7 | 99.7 | 16.0 | 32.0 | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | | EMPLOYMENT | 2930.8 | 2932.2 | 2781.8 | -1.4 | 149.0 | | NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2851.1 | 2844.9 | 2821.1 | 6.2 | 30.0 | | News Release Index Page |