Wednesday, August 22, 2001  Governor Scott McCallum  Secretary Jennifer Reinert | News Media Contact Teresa Weidemann-Smith 608/266-3999 e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784 | Contact: Terry Ludeman, 608/267-3262 JULY LOCAL EMPLOYMENT FIGURES RELEASED MADISON – Fifty-nine of Wisconsin’s 72 counties saw improvement in their unemployment rate between June and July, while four experienced no change, and nine experienced some increase in unemployment rate last month, according to statistics released today by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). "Most Wisconsin counties experienced some improvement in their unemployment rate last month, but manufacturing continues to be a concern as sluggishness in that sector is putting a strain on the state of the economy overall," DWD Secretary Jennifer Reinert said. Manufacturing jobs continue to be about 25,000 fewer than one year ago, and the July figure of 601,200 is likewise down 24,750 from the 625,953 recorded one year ago. Durable goods manufacturing employment continues to be very soft and this month that was reflected in high unemployment rates in Milwaukee County at 6.0 percent, Racine County at 7.2 percent, Manitowoc County at 5.6 percent, and Dodge County at 5.4 percent. Rock County’s unemployment rate also increased considerably to 8.4 percent as the transportation manufacturing industry experienced a short-term shutdown associated with the Fourth of July. Though Wisconsin’s unemployment rate of 4.4 percent in July is the highest July rate in Wisconsin since 1994, thirteen counties in Wisconsin actually had lower rates this July than they did one year ago. Of those thirteen counties, six are in the Northwest area of the State. Areas strong in tourism have experienced very low rates, Vilas County at 2.5 percent, Sauk County at 2.6 percent, and Door County at 3.1 percent. For the first seven months of 2001, the average number of jobs in the nonfarm wage and salary economy has averaged 2,828,971 per month. For 2000 that figure was 2,813,813, a growth of just over 15,000. The State’s highest unemployment rate was reported for Menominee County at 15.2 percent, down from 15.6 percent in June. Rock County was second highest at 8.4 percent followed by Juneau County at 7.7 percent. Dane County had the State’s lowest rate at 2.0 percent, up from 1.9 percent in June. Vilas County had the second lowest rate in the State at 2.5 percent, down from 3.1 percent in June. (end) Employment and Labor Force Household Survey | Unadjusted estimates | July 2001 | June 2001 | July 2000 | | Total labor force | 3,128,300 | 3,114,600 | 3,003,900 | | Employed | 2,990,500 | 2,972,900 | 2,891,500 | | Unemployed | 137,800 | 141,600 | 112,500 | | Wis. Unemployment Rate | 4.4% | 4.5% | 3.7% | | U.S. Unemployment Rate | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.2% | | Seasonably adjusted | July 2001 | June 2001 | July 2000 | | Total labor force | 3,056,900 | 3,051,000 | 2,932,400 | | Employed | 2,923,200 | 2,917,500 | 2,823,300 | | Unemployed | 133,700 | 133,500 | 109,100 | | Wis. Unemployment Rate | 4.4% | 4.4% | 3.7% | | U.S. Unemployment Rate | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.0% | July State Rank  *June Area Rank | Unemployment % seasonally adjusted | July 2001 | June 2001 | July 2000 | | 28th | Wisconsin | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 | | 91st | Appleton-Oshkosh | 3.7 | 3.3 | 2.9 | | 177th | Eau Claire | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | | 137th | Green Bay | 3.8 | 3.5 | 2.7 | | 263rd | Janesville-Beloit | 6.4 | 5.1 | 5.4 | | 191st | Kenosha | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | | 91st | La Crosse | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | | 3rd | Madison | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.8 | | 242nd | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | | 300th | Racine | 6.5 | 6.3 | 5.0 | | 137th | Sheboygan | 3.7 | 3.6 | 2.3 | | 150th | Wausau | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.5 | - 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 July 2001 Unemployment Rates by County | WISCONSIN COUNTIES Unemployment Rates July 2001 Not Seasonally Adjusted) | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 41 | | ADAMS | 4.0% | 3.7% | 61 | 3.2% | | 54 | | MARATHON | 3.6% | 4.0% | 52 | 3.3% | | 4 | | ASHLAND | 7.4% | 7.4% | 3 | 7.1% | | 6 | | MARINETTE | 6.8% | 6.5% | 9 | 4.6% | | 43 | | BARRON | 3.9% | 4.5% | 42 | 5.8% | | 16 | | MARQUETTE | 5.5% | 6.0% | 17 | 3.8% | | 39 | | BAYFIELD | 4.0% | 4.9% | 33 | 5.2% | | 1 | | MENOMINEE | 15.2% | 15.6% | 1 | 10.5% | | 55 | | BROWN | 3.6% | 3.9% | 56 | 2.7% | | 11 | | MILWAUKEE | 6.0% | 6.2% | 16 | 5.5% | | 53 | | BUFFALO | 3.6% | 4.1% | 49 | 2.7% | | 34 | | MONROE | 4.3% | 4.4% | 46 | 4.3% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 33 | | BURNETT | 4.3% | 4.7% | 36 | 2.8% | | 8 | | OCONTO | 6.3% | 6.3% | 14 | 3.9% | | 57 | | CALUMET | 3.6% | 3.5% | 66 | 2.4% | | 60 | | ONEIDA | 3.5% | 3.9% | 55 | 3.7% | | 38 | | CHIPPEWA | 4.1% | 4.8% | 34 | 3.5% | | 56 | | OUTAGAMIE | 3.6% | 3.6% | 64 | 2.7% | | 10 | | CLARK | 6.1% | 6.7% | 5 | 4.9% | | 65 | | OZAUKEE | 3.4% | 3.4% | 68 | 2.7% | | 32 | | COLUMBIA | 4.4% | 4.5% | 44 | 3.6% | | 22 | | PEPIN | 5.0% | 5.4% | 23 | 3.9% | | 37 | | CRAWFORD | 4.1% | 5.1% | 28 | 3.8% | | 52 | | PIERCE | 3.6% | 4.6% | 37 | 3.1% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 72 | | DANE | 2.0% | 1.9% | 72 | 1.7% | | 21 | | POLK | 5.1% | 5.6% | 21 | 3.1% | | 18 | | DODGE | 5.4% | 5.8% | 19 | 2.9% | | 35 | | PORTAGE | 4.2% | 5.2% | 27 | 3.9% | | 68 | | DOOR | 3.1% | 3.7% | 58 | 2.7% | | 9 | | PRICE | 6.2% | 7.2% | 4 | 5.8% | | 44 | | DOUGLAS | 3.9% | 4.5% | 43 | 4.5% | | 5 | | RACINE | 7.2% | 6.7% | 7 | 5.5% | | 67 | | DUNN | 3.2% | 3.6% | 62 | 2.8% | | 49 | | RICHLAND | 3.7% | 4.5% | 40 | 3.8% | | 59 | | EAU CLAIRE | 3.5% | 4.0% | 51 | 3.6% | | 2 | | ROCK | 8.4% | 5.6% | 22 | 7.6% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 19 | | FLORENCE | 5.3% | 6.3% | 12 | 4.4% | | 14 | | RUSK | 5.6% | 6.3% | 13 | 7.0% | | 45 | | FOND DU LAC | 3.9% | 4.4% | 45 | 3.2% | | 70 | | SAUK | 2.6% | 2.9% | 71 | 2.5% | | 12 | | FOREST | 5.8% | 6.5% | 8 | 5.8% | | 46 | | SAWYER | 3.8% | 4.7% | 35 | 4.5% | | 24 | | GRANT | 4.8% | 5.6% | 20 | 4.2% | | 30 | | SHAWANO | 4.6% | 5.1% | 29 | 3.8% | | 40 | | GREEN | 4.0% | 4.1% | 50 | 4.4% | | 36 | | SHEBOYGAN | 4.2% | 3.9% | 57 | 2.6% | | 27 | | GREEN LAKE | 4.7% | 5.0% | 32 | 3.3% | | 50 | | ST. CROIX | 3.7% | 4.5% | 41 | 2.5% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 69 | | IOWA | 3.0% | 3.4% | 67 | 2.6% | | 42 | | TAYLOR | 3.9% | 4.6% | 38 | 3.1% | | 17 | | IRON | 5.4% | 6.2% | 15 | 5.5% | | 31 | | TREMPEALEAU | 4.6% | 5.0% | 31 | 3.9% | | 48 | | JACKSON | 3.8% | 4.0% | 54 | 3.4% | | 47 | | VERNON | 3.8% | 4.2% | 48 | 3.6% | | 61 | | JEFFERSON | 3.5% | 3.7% | 60 | 2.8% | | 71 | | VILAS | 2.5% | 3.1% | 70 | 3.0% | | 3 | | JUNEAU | 7.7% | 8.7% | 2 | 6.5% | | 63 | | WALWORTH | 3.5% | 3.3% | 69 | 2.7% | | 15 | | KENOSHA | 5.6% | 4.6% | 39 | 5.8% | | 25 | | WASHBURN | 4.8% | 5.1% | 30 | 4.9% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 58 | | KEWAUNEE | 3.5% | 4.3% | 47 | 2.7% | | 51 | | WASHINGTON | 3.7% | 4.0% | 53 | 2.7% | | 64 | | LA CROSSE | 3.4% | 3.6% | 63 | 3.1% | | 62 | | WAUKESHA | 3.5% | 3.5% | 65 | 2.8% | | 29 | | LAFAYETTE | 4.6% | 5.3% | 24 | 4.1% | | 26 | | WAUPACA | 4.7% | 5.3% | 25 | 4.0% | | 7 | | LANGLADE | 6.6% | 6.7% | 6 | 5.6% | | 20 | | WAUSHARA | 5.2% | 6.3% | 11 | 3.9% | | 23 | | LINCOLN | 5.0% | 5.3% | 26 | 4.6% | | 66 | | WINNEBAGO | 3.3% | 3.7% | 59 | 2.8% | | 13 | | MANITOWOC | 5.6% | 6.4% | 10 | 3.1% | | 28 | | WOOD | 4.6% | 5.9% | 18 | 3.9% | | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service | WISCONSIN CITIES Unemployment Rates July 2001 (Not Seasonally Adjusted) | RANK | CITY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | | | | | | | | | | 17 | | APPLETON | 4.4% | 4.4% | 21 | 3.4% | | 2 | | BELOIT | 10.6% | 9.1% | 2 | 9.2% | | 26 | | BROOKFIELD | 2.9% | 3.0% | 27 | 2.3% | | 19 | | EAU CLAIRE | 4.2% | 4.8% | 17 | 4.3% | | 9 | | FOND DU LAC | 5.3% | 6.0% | 7 | 4.3% | | 23 | | FRANKLIN | 3.5% | 3.4% | 23 | 2.9% | | | | | | | | | | 7 | | GREEN BAY | 5.7% | 6.2% | 6 | 4.2% | | 25 | | GREENFIELD | 2.9% | 3.2% | 25 | 2.6% | | 3 | | JANESVILLE | 10.3% | 5.4% | 10 | 9.4% | | 5 | | KENOSHA | 7.5% | 6.0% | 8 | 7.5% | | 18 | | LA CROSSE | 4.2% | 4.8% | 16 | 4.1% | | 28 | | MADISON | 2.3% | 2.2% | 28 | 2.0% | | | | | | | | | | 6 | | MANITOWOC | 7.1% | 8.3% | 4 | 3.4% | | 24 | | MENOMONEE | 3.3% | 3.3% | 24 | 2.2% | | 4 | | MILWAUKEE | 8.5% | 8.7% | 3 | 7.9% | | 15 | | NEENAH | 4.5% | 4.7% | 19 | 2.9% | | 27 | | NEW BERLIN | 2.8% | 3.1% | 26 | 2.3% | | 13 | | OAK CREEK | 4.6% | 4.9% | 13 | 3.2% | | | | | | | | | | 20 | | OSHKOSH | 4.1% | 4.6% | 20 | 3.8% | | 1 | | RACINE | 12.0% | 11.0% | 1 | 9.3% | | 12 | | SHEBOYGAN | 5.1% | 5.0% | 11 | 3.2% | | 8 | | STEVENS POINT | 5.4% | 6.4% | 5 | 5.1% | | 21 | | SUPERIOR | 3.8% | 4.7% | 18 | 4.8% | | 10 | | WAUKESHA | 5.2% | 4.9% | 15 | 4.2% | | 16 | | WAUSAU | 4.4% | 4.9% | 12 | 4.3% | | 22 | | WAUWATOSA | 3.6% | 3.8% | 22 | 2.9% | | 14 | | WEST ALLIS | 4.6% | 4.9% | 14 | 3.7% | | 11 | | WEST BEND | 5.1% | 5.5% | 9 | 4.1% | | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Labor Market Information and Customer Service WISCONSIN LABOR FORCE SUMMARY IN THOUSANDS | | | | | | Net Change From | | ITEM | Prelim. July 2001 | Final June 2001 | Year Ago July 2000 | Month Ago | Year Ago | | | | | | | | | PLACE OF RESIDENCE DATA | | | | | | | | | CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE | 3128.3 | 3114.6 | 3003.9 | 13.7 | 124.4 | | UNEMPLOYMENT | 137.8 | 141.6 | 112.5 | -3.8 | 25.3 | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.7 | -0.1 | 0.7 | | EMPLOYMENT (1) | 2990.5 | 2972.9 | 2891.5 | 17.6 | 99.0 | | | | | | | | | PLACE OF WORK DATA | | | | | | | NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2855.6 | 2882.3 | 2854.7 | -26.7 | 0.9 | | MANUFACTURING | 601.2 | 599.5 | 626.0 | 1.7 | -24.8 | | DURABLE GOODS | 358.8 | 361.3 | 378.5 | -2.5 | -19.7 | | Lumber and Wood Products | 31.9 | 31.7 | 33.6 | 0.2 | -1.7 | | Furniture and Fixtures | 18.0 | 18.4 | 18.9 | -0.4 | -0.9 | | Stone, Clay & Glass Products | 11.7 | 11.6 | 12.0 | 0.1 | -0.3 | | Primary Metal Industries | 23.8 | 24.2 | 26.5 | -0.4 | -2.7 | | Fabricated Metal Products | 64.3 | 64.6 | 68.6 | -0.3 | -4.3 | | Nonelectrical Machinery | 103.9 | 104.2 | 109.7 | -0.3 | -5.8 | | Electrical Machinery | 42.3 | 43.2 | 47.1 | -0.9 | -4.8 | | Transportation Equipment | 33.6 | 33.9 | 32.8 | -0.3 | 0.8 | Prof., Scient. & Control Instruments | 18.4 | 18.4 | 18.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 10.9 | 11.0 | 11.2 | -0.1 | -0.3 | | | | | | | | | NONDURABLE GOODS | 242.4 | 238.3 | 247.4 | 4.1 | -5.0 | | Food and Kindred Products | 72.4 | 68.5 | 72.3 | 3.9 | 0.1 | | Textile Mill Products | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 0.0 | -0.1 | Apparel & Other Finished Products | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | | Paper and Allied Products | 51.7 | 51.7 | 53.1 | 0.0 | -1.4 | | Printing, Publishing & Allied | 54.3 | 54.3 | 55.2 | 0.0 | -0.9 | | Chemicals and Allied Products | 15.4 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | Rubber & Misc. Plastic Products | 36.9 | 37.0 | 39.5 | -0.1 | -2.6 | | Leather & Leather Products | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 0.0 | -0.4 | | All Other Nondurable Goods | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | | | | | | | | | MINING | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 0.0 | -0.3 | | CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION | 138.3 | 134.5 | 138.0 | 3.8 | 0.3 | TRANS, COMM, ELEC, GAS & SAN. SERV. | 134.4 | 137.7 | 132.3 | -3.3 | 2.1 | | TRADE | 644.7 | 645.1 | 642.0 | -0.4 | 2.7 | | WHOLESALE TRADE | 140.4 | 139.4 | 141.1 | 1.0 | -0.7 | | RETAIL TRADE | 504.3 | 505.7 | 500.9 | -1.4 | 3.4 | FINANCE, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE | 154.3 | 153.3 | 150.5 | 1.0 | 3.8 | | SERVICES AND MISCELLANEOUS | 797.1 | 796.4 | 782.1 | 0.7 | 15.0 | | GOVERNMENT | 382.7 | 412.9 | 380.7 | -30.2 | 2.0 | | FEDERAL | 30.3 | 30.3 | 33.6 | 0.0 | -3.3 | | STATE | 94.5 | 96.4 | 91.6 | -1.9 | 2.9 | | LOCAL | 257.8 | 286.2 | 255.5 | -28.4 | 2.3 | | | | | | | | PERSONS INVOLVED IN L-M DISPUTES | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | (1) Includes L-M Disputes | | SEASONALLY ADJUSTED LABOR FORCE ESTIMATES | | CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE | 3056.9 | 3051.0 | 2932.4 | 5.9 | 124.5 | | UNEMPLOYMENT | 133.7 | 133.5 | 109.1 | 0.2 | 24.6 | | UNEMPLOYMENT RATE | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.7 | | EMPLOYMENT | 2923.2 | 2917.5 | 2823.3 | 5.7 | 99.9 | | NONFARM WAGE & SALARY | 2842.4 | 2838.0 | 2841.2 | 4.4 | 1.2 | | News Release Index Page |