| Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development News Release | |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Governor Jim Doyle Secretary Roberta Gassman |
News Media Contact Rose Lynch 608/266-6753  Audio:
DWD Secretary Roberta Gassman
( :33 mp3)e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784 |
Madison – Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Roberta Gassman today announced 63 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties had lower unemployment rates in May of 2004 than May of 2003, while 9 had higher unemployment rates this year than last year.
"For the third consecutive month, a majority of Wisconsin counties reported improved unemployment rates in May, and for the fifth consecutive month most counties reported lower rates than one year ago," Secretary Gassman said. "These are important developments for the state’s economy in the recovery process. We continue to watch these changes with a watchful eye on the those counties that continue to struggle with unemployment in some pockets of the state."
The county with the greatest improvement from the prior year was Door County, which had an 8.5 percent unemployment rate last May, but a 5.7 percent rate this May. Sixty-six counties had a lower rate in May than they had experienced in April, while three counties had higher rates in May than they had in April, and three counties were unchanged. As usually occurs this time of the year in Wisconsin, the greatest month-to-month improvement was experienced in the northern tier of the state. Iron County’s unemployment rate was 12.7 percent in April and 7.7 percent in May. Vilas County went from 9.0 percent in April to 5.2 percent in May. Bayfield County went from 8.9 percent in April to 5.6 percent in May.
The lowest unemployment rate in the state was reported in Dane County at 2.5 percent. Ozaukee County with a 3.1 percent unemployment rate and La Crosse County with a 3.3 percent rate were not far behind. Thirteen counties in Wisconsin had unemployment rates lower that 4.0 percent. The highest unemployment rate in Wisconsin was reported for Menominee County at 10.9 percent. Oconto was next with an 8.3 percent rate, while Langlade County had a 7.9 percent rate.
| Unadjusted estimates | Current | Month Ago | Year Ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total labor force | 3,097,800 | 3,081,600 | 3,060,300 |
| Employed | 2,950,600 | 2,923,700 | 2,896,200 |
| Unemployed | 147,200 | 157,900 | 164,100 |
| Wis. Unemployment Rate | 4.8% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
| U.S. Unemployment Rate | 5.3% | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| Seasonally adjusted | Current | Month Ago | Year Ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total labor force | 3,114,600 | 3,100,300 | 3,076,400 |
| Employed | 2,956,500 | 2,956,300 | 2,901,600 |
| Unemployed | 158,100 | 144,100 | 174,700 |
| Wis. Unemployment Rate | 5.1% | 4.6% | 5.7% |
| U.S. Unemployment Rate | 5.6% | 5.6% | 6.1% |
| *State current mo. Area prior mo. |
Unemployment % seasonally adjusted |
Current Month |
Month Ago |
Year Ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26th | Wisconsin | 5.1 | 4.6 | 5.7 |
| 124th | Appleton-Oshkosh | 4.3 | 4.0 | 5.2 |
| 162nd | Eau Claire | 4.6 | 4.2 | 5.4 |
| 135th | Green Bay | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.9 |
| 253rd | Janesville-Beloit | 6.5 | 6.3 | 6.6 |
| 214th | Kenosha | 5.4 | 5.4 | 6.2 |
| 64th | La Crosse | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
| 9th | Madison | 2.7 | 2.4 | 3.0 |
| 234th | Milwaukee-Waukesha | 5.4 | 5.6 | 6.1 |
| 300th | Racine | 7.1 | 7.0 | 8.5 |
| 111th | Sheboygan | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
| 146th | Wausau | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
|
· 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 |
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Unemployment Rates - May 2004 (view map)
Not Seasonally Adjusted
| RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LASTRANK | YR AGO RATE | RANK | COUNTY | RATE | LAST RATE | LAST RANK | YR AGO RATE | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | ADAMS | 5.6% | 6.3% | 27 | 4.5% | 60 | MARATHON | 3.9% | 4.5% | 53 | 4.2% | |||||||||||||
| 10 | ASHLAND | 6.6% | 8.4% | 8 | 7.8% | 13 | MARINETTE | 6.1% | 6.9% | 19 | 6.7% | |||||||||||||
| 19 | BARRON | 5.6% | 6.4% | 25 | 5.2% | 12 | MARQUETTE | 6.2% | 7.3% | 14 | 8.1% | |||||||||||||
| 16 | BAYFIELD | 5.6% | 8.9% | 5 | 5.8% | 1 | MENOMINEE | 10.9% | 11.4% | 2 | 10.8% | |||||||||||||
| 54 | BROWN | 4.2% | 4.4% | 58 | 4.8% | 11 | MILWAUKEE | 6.5% | 6.6% | 23 | 7.2% | |||||||||||||
| 65 | BUFFALO | 3.7% | 4.4% | 57 | 4.1% | 59 | MONROE | 4.1% | 4.1% | 66 | 4.4% | |||||||||||||
| 49 | BURNETT | 4.3% | 5.6% | 36 | 4.5% | 2 | OCONTO | 8.3% | 9.3% | 3 | 9.2% | |||||||||||||
| 68 | CALUMET | 3.5% | 3.7% | 68 | 4.6% | 30 | ONEIDA | 5.0% | 6.9% | 18 | 5.3% | |||||||||||||
| 44 | CHIPPEWA | 4.7% | 5.7% | 32 | 5.6% | 50 | OUTAGAMIE | 4.3% | 4.5% | 56 | 5.0% | |||||||||||||
| 23 | CLARK | 5.4% | 7.1% | 16 | 6.3% | 71 | OZAUKEE | 3.1% | 3.2% | 71 | 4.1% | |||||||||||||
| 29 | COLUMBIA | 5.2% | 5.1% | 46 | 5.8% | 47 | PEPIN | 4.6% | 5.5% | 38 | 3.9% | |||||||||||||
| 28 | CRAWFORD | 5.2% | 5.3% | 42 | 5.8% | 52 | PIERCE | 4.2% | 4.6% | 50 | 4.4% | |||||||||||||
| 72 | DANE | 2.5% | 2.5% | 72 | 2.8% | 25 | POLK | 5.3% | 6.2% | 28 | 6.2% | |||||||||||||
| 36 | DODGE | 4.9% | 5.1% | 44 | 5.6% | 40 | PORTAGE | 4.8% | 5.7% | 33 | 5.0% | |||||||||||||
| 15 | DOOR | 5.7% | 7.7% | 12 | 8.5% | 43 | PRICE | 4.7% | 6.5% | 24 | 5.7% | |||||||||||||
| 35 | DOUGLAS | 4.9% | 5.6% | 37 | 5.2% | 7 | RACINE | 6.8% | 7.3% | 15 | 8.0% | |||||||||||||
| 62 | DUNN | 3.8% | 4.5% | 52 | 4.0% | 31 | RICHLAND | 5.0% | 5.4% | 39 | 4.0% | |||||||||||||
| 63 | EAU CLAIRE | 3.8% | 4.2% | 61 | 4.4% | 14 | ROCK | 6.1% | 6.0% | 30 | 6.3% | |||||||||||||
| 6 | FLORENCE | 7.0% | 8.0% | 11 | 7.9% | 9 | RUSK | 6.6% | 8.5% | 7 | 5.6% | |||||||||||||
| 53 | FOND DU LAC | 4.2% | 4.5% | 55 | 5.4% | 64 | SAUK | 3.8% | 4.2% | 62 | 3.9% | |||||||||||||
| 17 | FOREST | 5.6% | 8.3% | 9 | 7.0% | 37 | SAWYER | 4.8% | 7.0% | 17 | 5.3% | |||||||||||||
| 55 | GRANT | 4.2% | 4.2% | 64 | 5.4% | 34 | SHAWANO | 4.9% | 5.7% | 34 | 5.5% | |||||||||||||
| 42 | GREEN | 4.8% | 5.0% | 48 | 6.2% | 58 | SHEBOYGAN | 4.1% | 4.2% | 63 | 5.0% | |||||||||||||
| 24 | GREEN LAKE | 5.3% | 6.3% | 26 | 6.2% | 33 | ST. CROIX | 4.9% | 5.9% | 31 | 6.5% | |||||||||||||
| 69 | IOWA | 3.5% | 3.4% | 70 | 4.3% | 38 | TAYLOR | 4.8% | 6.8% | 20 | 5.8% | |||||||||||||
| 5 | IRON | 7.7% | 12.7% | 1 | 8.9% | 56 | TREMPEALEAU | 4.1% | 5.0% | 47 | 5.2% | |||||||||||||
| 67 | JACKSON | 3.5% | 4.3% | 60 | 3.8% | 57 | VERNON | 4.1% | 4.5% | 54 | 4.2% | |||||||||||||
| 32 | JEFFERSON | 5.0% | 5.1% | 45 | 4.7% | 26 | VILAS | 5.2% | 9.0% | 4 | 6.3% | |||||||||||||
| 4 | JUNEAU | 7.8% | 8.2% | 10 | 8.7% | 66 | WALWORTH | 3.6% | 4.0% | 67 | 4.0% | |||||||||||||
| 27 | KENOSHA | 5.2% | 5.4% | 40 | 5.9% | 39 | WASHBURN | 4.8% | 6.7% | 21 | 5.5% | |||||||||||||
| 41 | KEWAUNEE | 4.8% | 5.3% | 41 | 6.6% | 48 | WASHINGTON | 4.4% | 4.6% | 51 | 5.1% | |||||||||||||
| 70 | LA CROSSE | 3.3% | 3.4% | 69 | 3.8% | 61 | WAUKESHA | 3.9% | 4.1% | 65 | 4.4% | |||||||||||||
| 46 | LAFAYETTE | 4.7% | 4.9% | 49 | 6.0% | 45 | WAUPACA | 4.7% | 5.2% | 43 | 5.7% | |||||||||||||
| 3 | LANGLADE | 7.9% | 8.6% | 6 | 8.3% | 22 | WAUSHARA | 5.5% | 5.7% | 35 | 6.4% | |||||||||||||
| 18 | LINCOLN | 5.6% | 6.7% | 22 | 6.7% | 51 | WINNEBAGO | 4.3% | 4.4% | 59 | 5.2% | |||||||||||||
| 8 | MANITOWOC | 6.7% | 7.4% | 13 | 6.4% | 21 | WOOD | 5.6% | 6.2% | 29 | 5.4% | |||||||||||||
Unemployment Rates - MAY 2004 (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
| RANK | RATE | LAST | LAST | YR AGO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RATE | RANK | RATE | |||
| 11 | APPLETON CITY | 5.8% | 5.9% | 13 | 6.8% |
| 2 | BELOIT CITY | 9.4% | 8.5% | 4 | 9.0% |
| 26 | BROOKFIELD CITY | 3.4% | 3.4% | 26 | 3.6% |
| 22 | EAU CLAIRE CITY | 4.3% | 4.8% | 21 | 5.2% |
| 17 | FOND DU LAC CITY | 4.9% | 5.4% | 15 | 7.3% |
| 18 | FRANKLIN CITY | 4.9% | 5.3% | 16 | 5.4% |
| 5 | GREEN BAY CITY | 6.9% | 7.3% | 6 | 7.8% |
| 20 | GREENFIELD CITY | 4.7% | 4.6% | 22 | 4.9% |
| 10 | JANESVILLE CITY | 6.4% | 6.4% | 9 | 6.5% |
| 9 | KENOSHA CITY | 6.4% | 7.0% | 7 | 7.0% |
| 23 | LA CROSSE CITY | 4.3% | 4.3% | 23 | 5.0% |
| 28 | MADISON CITY | 2.8% | 2.7% | 28 | 3.0% |
| 4 | MANITOWOC CITY | 8.4% | 9.2% | 2 | 8.1% |
| 27 | MENOMONEE FALLS VILLAGE | 3.2% | 3.2% | 27 | 4.3% |
| 3 | MILWAUKEE CITY | 8.7% | 9.0% | 3 | 9.7% |
| 7 | NEENAH CITY | 6.6% | 6.4% | 10 | 7.6% |
| 24 | NEW BERLIN CITY | 3.6% | 3.7% | 24 | 4.5% |
| 21 | OAK CREEK CITY | 4.6% | 5.0% | 19 | 5.8% |
| 19 | OSHKOSH CITY | 4.7% | 4.9% | 20 | 6.0% |
| 1 | RACINE CITY | 11.0% | 12.1% | 1 | 13.3% |
| 15 | SHEBOYGAN CITY | 5.2% | 5.2% | 18 | 6.7% |
| 6 | STEVENS POINT CITY | 6.7% | 8.0% | 5 | 7.1% |
| 16 | SUPERIOR CITY | 5.1% | 5.2% | 17 | 5.7% |
| 14 | WAUKESHA CITY | 5.5% | 5.7% | 14 | 5.8% |
| 12 | WAUSAU CITY | 5.7% | 6.0% | 12 | 5.8% |
| 25 | WAUWATOSA CITY | 3.6% | 3.6% | 25 | 4.0% |
| 13 | WEST ALLIS CITY | 5.6% | 6.0% | 11 | 6.3% |
| 8 | WEST BEND CITY | 6.5% | 7.0% | 8 | 7.9% |
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
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Content Contact: Rose Lynch