Wednesday, May 23, 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 APRIL LOCAL EMPLOYMENT FIGURES RELEASED MADISON – Unemployment rates in most Wisconsin counties and municipalities dropped for the second consecutive month largely reflecting a decrease in unemployment experienced by the state overall last month, according to employment data released today by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). Wisconsin’s April labor market continued to see a slight step-up in springtime activity in the figures released by the department. Sixty of Wisconsin’s 72 counties reported lower unemployment rates. Meanwhile, two counties, Milwaukee County at 4.9 percent and Sheboygan County at 3.3 percent, reported no change, and ten counties reported some unemployment rate increase between March and April. "Wisconsin’s labor market continued to move in a positive direction in April, with nearly all counties showing a decrease in unemployment and ten counties reporting rates of 3.5 percent or less," said DWD Secretary Jennifer Reinert. Urban areas of the state, predominantly found in the southern-most areas of the state, also generally experienced the lowest unemployment rates. The lowest unemployment in the state of Wisconsin was reported for Dane County with a rate of 1.8 percent. The highest rate in the state was estimated for Menominee County at 11.4 percent. Manufacturing employment continued to be sluggish throughout most of the state, although Dane, Brown and Sheboygan counties bucked the tide and reported very small increases in manufacturing employment. Retail trade employment generally increased throughout the state. Construction and Mining also experienced recovery from winter levels. There were 121,900 construction workers reported for April, up from 113,200 in March. The Services industry also experienced improvement throughout most of the state, increasing from 769,100 workers in March to 775,700 workers in April. (end) Employment and Labor Force Household Survey | Unadjusted estimates | April 2001 | March 2001 | April 2000 | | Total labor force | 3,031,100 | 3,028,900 | 2,878,700 | | Employed | 2,897,900 | 2,882,700 | 2,768,700 | | Unemployed | 133200 | 146,200 | 110,000 | | Wis. Unemployment Rate | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.8 | | U.S. Unemployment Rate | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.7 | | Seasonably adjusted | April 2001 | March 2001 | April 2000 | | Total labor force | 3,052,900 | 3,059,500 | 2,898,900 | | Employed | 2,942,200 | 2,932,500 | 2,793,700 | | Unemployed | 128,700 | 127,000 | 105,300 | | Wis. Unemployment | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 | | U.S. Unemployment | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.0 | April State Rank  *March Area Rank | Unemployment % seasonally adjusted
| April 2001 | March 2001 | April 2000 | | 24th | Wisconsin | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 | | 145th | Appleton-Oshkosh | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.5 | | 260th | Eau Claire | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.1 | | 145th | Green Bay | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.7 | | 284th | Janesville-Beloit | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.1 | | 231st | Kenosha | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.1 | | 210th | La Crosse | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | | 18th | Madison | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.7 | | 195th | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | | 296th | Racine | 5.8 | 5.8 | 4.8 | | 113th | Sheboygan | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.5 | | 263rd | Wausau | 3.7 | 4.0 | 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 April 2001 Unemployment Rates by County | WISCONSIN COUNTIES Unemployment Rates April 2001 Not Seasonally Adjusted) | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 51 | | ADAMS | 4.4% | 6.0% | 41 | 4.6% | | 59 | | MARATHON | 3.9% | 5.3% | 49 | 3.5% | | 6 | | ASHLAND | 8.9% | 9.3% | 6 | 10.0% | | 20 | | MARINETTE | 6.9% | 7.6% | 22 | 5.0% | | 18 | | BARRON | 7.0% | 7.9% | 21 | 4.8% | | 15 | | MARQUETTE | 7.6% | 10.1% | 3 | 7.2% | | 10 | | BAYFIELD | 8.3% | 9.0% | 10 | 9.1% | | 1 | | MENOMINEE | 11.4% | 9.1% | 9 | 10.2% | | 65 | | BROWN | 3.5% | 3.7% | 67 | 2.8% | | 45 | | MILWAUKEE | 4.9% | 4.9% | 54 | 5.0% | | 50 | | BUFFALO | 4.5% | 5.0% | 53 | 4.2% | | 47 | | MONROE | 4.7% | 6.2% | 39 | 4.0% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 30 | | BURNETT | 5.8% | 7.1% | 28 | 4.8% | | 21 | | OCONTO | 6.7% | 7.3% | 24 | 5.2% | | 58 | | CALUMET | 4.0% | 3.8% | 66 | 2.8% | | 9 | | ONEIDA | 8.5% | 7.3% | 25 | 6.9% | | 25 | | CHIPPEWA | 6.3% | 6.8% | 33 | 5.2% | | 62 | | OUTAGAMIE | 3.8% | 4.0% | 63 | 2.9% | | 8 | | CLARK | 8.5% | 10.8% | 1 | 6.4% | | 71 | | OZAUKEE | 2.7% | 2.6% | 71 | 2.2% | | 40 | | COLUMBIA | 5.2% | 6.2% | 40 | 5.3% | | 26 | | PEPIN | 6.1% | 8.1% | 17 | 5.4% | | 27 | | CRAWFORD | 6.1% | 6.8% | 32 | 3.7% | | 54 | | PIERCE | 4.1% | 4.4% | 59 | 3.2% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 72 | | DANE | 1.8% | 2.2% | 72 | 1.8% | | 17 | | POLK | 7.2% | 8.1% | 18 | 4.1% | | 49 | | DODGE | 4.5% | 5.1% | 51 | 3.1% | | 52 | | PORTAGE | 4.4% | 5.3% | 50 | 3.8% | | 24 | | DOOR | 6.3% | 7.9% | 20 | 5.9% | | 4 | | PRICE | 9.8% | 9.4% | 5 | 9.9% | | 39 | | DOUGLAS | 5.3% | 5.8% | 45 | 6.0% | | 29 | | RACINE | 6.0% | 6.4% | 38 | 4.9% | | 48 | | DUNN | 4.6% | 5.1% | 52 | 4.7% | | 35 | | RICHLAND | 5.5% | 6.6% | 35 | 4.1% | | 60 | | EAU CLAIRE | 3.9% | 4.2% | 61 | 4.0% | | 33 | | ROCK | 5.7% | 5.9% | 42 | 4.9% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | | FLORENCE | 8.0% | 8.9% | 11 | 8.2% | | 12 | | RUSK | 8.1% | 9.2% | 8 | 8.4% | | 56 | | FOND DU LAC | 4.0% | 4.8% | 55 | 3.4% | | 61 | | SAUK | 3.8% | 4.6% | 58 | 3.3% | | 2 | | FOREST 1 | 10.4% | 9.3% | 7 | 7.5% | | 14 | | SAWYER | 7.7% | 8.4% | 16 | 7.2% | | 28 | | GRANT | 6.0% | 7.9% | 19 | 3.3% | | 32 | | SHAWANO | 5.7% | 6.4% | 37 | 4.5% | | 44 | | GREEN | 5.0% | 5.8% | 43 | 4.1% | | 69 | | SHEBOYGAN | 3.3% | 3.3% | 68 | 2.5% | | 34 | | GREEN LAKE | 5.5% | 6.6% | 34 | 4.4% | | 43 | | ST. CROIX | 5.1% | 5.8% | 44 | 2.7% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 55 | | IOWA | 4.0% | 5.4% | 47 | 3.2% | | 19 | | TAYLOR | 6.9% | 9.5% | 4 | 5.6% | | 3 | | IRON | 9.9% | 8.7% | 13 | 11.8% | | 23 | | TREMPEALEAU | 6.5% | 7.5% | 23 | 4.9% | | 37 | | JACKSON | 5.3% | 7.0% | 30 | 4.5% | | 42 | | VERNON | 5.1% | 6.9% | 31 | 4.4% | | 63 | | JEFFERSON | 3.5% | 4.1% | 62 | 3.0% | | 11 | | VILAS | 8.2% | 8.7% | 12 | 8.1% | | 5 | | JUNEAU | 9.0% | 10.4% | 2 | 8.0% | | 66 | | WALWORTH | 3.4% | 3.9% | 64 | 3.0% | | 53 | | KENOSHA | 4.1% | 4.7% | 57 | 4.1% | | 16 | | WASHBURN | 7.5% | 8.4% | 15 | 6.1% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 57 | | KEWAUNEE | 4.0% | 4.7% | 56 | 2.6% | | 64 | | WASHINGTON | 3.5% | 3.9% | 65 | 2.8% | | 68 | | LA CROSSE | 3.3% | 4.2% | 60 | 3.4% | | 70 | | WAUKESHA | 2.9% | 3.1% | 70 | 2.6% | | 36 | | LAFAYETTE | 5.4% | 7.2% | 26 | 3.7% | | 46 | | WAUPACA | 4.8% | 5.4% | 48 | 3.9% | | 7 | | LANGLADE | 8.6% | 8.5% | 14 | 5.8% | | 38 | | WAUSHARA | 5.3% | 6.4% | 36 | 4.9% | | 22 | | LINCOLN | 6.6% | 7.2% | 27 | 5.4% | | 67 | | WINNEBAGO | 3.4% | 3.3% | 69 | 2.5% | | 31 | | MANITOWOC | 5.8% | 5.6% | 46 | 3.7% | | 41 | | WOOD | 5.1% | 7.0% | 29 | 4.6% | | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service | WISCONSIN CITIES Unemployment Rates April 2001 (Not Seasonally Adjusted) | RANK | CITY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | | | | | | | | | 15 | | APPLETON | 4.4% | 4.4% | 16 | 3.6% | | 2 | | BELOIT | 9.2% | 8.9% | 2 | 7.8% | | 26 | | BROOKFIELD | 2.4% | 2.2% | 28 | 2.3% | | 14 | | EAU CLAIRE | 4.4% | 4.8% | 14 | 4.5% | | 9 | | FOND DU LAC | 4.9% | 5.9% | 6 | 4.0% | | 22 | | FRANKLIN | 3.0% | 3.2% | 22 | 2.7% | | | | | | | | | | 6 | | GREEN BAY | 5.4% | 5.6% | 9 | 4.4% | | 24 | | GREENFIELD | 2.5% | 2.8% | 24 | 2.3% | | 8 | | JANESVILLE | 5.2% | 5.5% | 10 | 4.8% | | 7 | | KENOSHA | 5.2% | 5.8% | 7 | 5.1% | | 16 | | LA CROSSE | 4.1% | 5.1% | 13 | 4.4% | | 28 | | MADISON | 1.9% | 2.2% | 27 | 1.9% | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | MANITOWOC | 7.3% | 6.9% | 4 | 4.6% | | 25 | | MENOMONEE FALLS | 2.4% | 2.5% | 26 | 2.0% | | 4 | | MILWAUKEE | 6.9% | 6.9% | 3 | 7.2% | | 11 | | NEENAH | 4.8% | 4.2% | 17 | 2.9% | | 27 | | NEW BERLIN | 2.3% | 2.5% | 25 | 2.2% | | 21 | | OAK CREEK | 3.7% | 3.6% | 21 | 3.0% | | | | | | | | | | 20 | | OSHKOSH | 3.8% | 3.7% | 20 | 2.8% | | 1 | | RACINE | 9.7% | 10.0% | 1 | 7.6% | | 18 | | SHEBOYGAN | 4.1% | 4.1% | 18 | 3.0% | | 5 | | STEVENS POINT | 5.5% | 6.6% | 5 | 4.9% | | 12 | | SUPERIOR | 4.7% | 5.4% | 12 | 5.6% | | 17 | | WAUKESHA | 4.1% | 4.5% | 15 | 3.6% | | 13 | | WAUSAU | 4.4% | 5.4% | 11 | 4.3% | | 23 | | WAUWATOSA | 2.9% | 3.0% | 23 | 2.8% | | 19 | | WEST ALLIS | 4.0% | 3.9% | 19 | 3.4% | | 10 | | WEST BEND | 4.9% | 5.7% | 8 | 4.3% | | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service WISCONSIN LABOR FORCE SUMMARY IN THOUSANDS | | | | | | Net Change From | | ITEM | Prelim. Apr. 2001 | Final March 2001 | Year Ago Apr. 2000 | Month Ago | Year Ago | | | | | | | | | PLACE OF RESIDENCE DATA | | | | | | | | | CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE | 3031.1 | 3028.9 | 2878.7 | 2.2 | 152.4 | | UNEMPLOYMENT | 133.2 | 146.2 | 110.0 | -13.0 | 23.2 | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.8 | -0.4 | 0.6 | | EMPLOYMENT (1) | 2897.9 | 2882.7 | 2768.7 | 15.2 | 129.2 | | | | | | | | | PLACE OF WORK DATA | | | | | | | NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2832.3 | 2806.2 | 2819.9 | 26.1 | 12.4 | | MANUFACTURING | 598.7 | 600.4 | 611.8 | -1.7 | -13.1 | | DURABLE GOODS | 361.6 | 363.5 | 375.1 | -1.9 | -13.5 | | Lumber and Wood Products | 30.9 | 30.3 | 31.8 | 0.6 | -0.9 | | Furniture and Fixtures | 18.7 | 18.8 | 18.0 | -0.1 | 0.7 | | Stone, Clay & Glass Products | 10.7 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 0.3 | -0.7 | | Primary Metal Industries | 24.3 | 24.5 | 26.3 | -0.2 | -2.0 | | Fabricated Metal Products | 65.3 | 65.3 | 67.8 | 0.0 | -2.5 | | Nonelectrical Machinery | 105.4 | 106.7 | 110.4 | -1.3 | -5.0 | | Electrical Machinery | 44.0 | 44.6 | 46.2 | -0.6 | -2.2 | | Transportation Equipment | 33.1 | 33.6 | 34.4 | -0.5 | -1.3 | Prof., Scient. & Control Instruments | 18.1 | 18.2 | 17.7 | -0.1 | 0.4 | | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | | | | | | | | | NONDURABLE GOODS | 237.0 | 237.0 | 236.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | | Food and Kindred Products | 67.4 | 66.9 | 64.2 | 0.5 | 3.2 | | Textile Mill Products | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Apparel & Other Finished Products | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.7 | -0.1 | 0.0 | | Paper and Allied Products | 50.8 | 50.9 | 51.7 | -0.1 | -0.9 | | Printing, Publishing & Allied | 54.4 | 54.7 | 54.1 | -0.3 | 0.3 | | Chemicals and Allied Products | 15.3 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 | Rubber & Misc. Plastic Products | 37.6 | 37.7 | 39.6 | -0.1 | -2.0 | | Leather & Leather Products | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 0.0 | -0.4 | | All Other Nondurable Goods | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | | | | | | | | | MINING | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 0.3 | -0.3 | | CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION | 119.5 | 111.1 | 121.3 | 8.4 | -1.8 | TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS & SAN. SERV. | 135.0 | 133.1 | 133.3 | 1.9 | 1.7 | | TRADE | 628.2 | 622.8 | 626.5 | 5.4 | 1.7 | | WHOLESALE TRADE | 137.0 | 136.8 | 138.7 | 0.2 | -1.7 | | RETAIL TRADE | 491.1 | 485.9 | 487.8 | 5.2 | 3.3 | FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE | 150.6 | 150.1 | 147.1 | 0.5 | 3.5 | | SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS | 775.7 | 769.1 | 758.5 | 6.6 | 17.2 | | GOVERNMENT | 422.3 | 417.5 | 418.7 | 4.8 | 3.6 | | FEDERAL | 29.8 | 29.8 | 33.5 | 0.0 | -3.7 | | STATE | 104.9 | 102.7 | 104.1 | 2.2 | 0.8 | | LOCAL | 287.6 | 285.1 | 281.1 | 2.5 | 6.5 | | | | | | | | 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 | 3052.9 | 3059.5 | 2898.9 | -6.6 | 154.0 | | UNEMPLOYMENT | 128.7 | 127.0 | 105.3 | 1.7 | 23.4 | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE | 4.2 | | | |